I spent this past weekend in Bethesda, Maryland selling my books and prints and comics at the Small Press Expo (SPX). It was an exhilarating show and a lot of fun. The skill and experience on hand there was intimidating, but also inspiring.
In the first five minutes of opening day I had a girl run up to my table and immediately buy one of my Super Happy Hero prints, the one of Green Lantern. She also happened to be wearing a Green Lantern t-shirt, so I totally nailed it on that one. That has to be a con first for me, making a sale literally the moment the doors opened.
The room filled up quickly and within the first hour traffic between the aisles was shoulder to shoulder with a line still forming to get tickets into the show. I couldn't believe how busy the place became right away. Folks were streaming past the tables, skimming everyone's wares and trying to take it all in. It was a bit overwhelming.
At one point early on I had an older gentleman walk up to my table and asked me what was going on. He had apparently just sort of snuck into the conference room while staying in the hotel to see what was happening in the conference rooms, not being a fan of comics or aware of what everything there meant. I showed him the sort of stuff I was selling and explained the difference between what one might find at a regular "mainstream, superhero type" comic book show and the more independent focused work on display at SPX. He got enthusiastic about the whole thing and I think he headed back out to buy an actual ticket. I tried to be a good ambassador for comics.
My books and prints sold pretty well at the show. It was great to have an audience of readers eager to find new material, things they'd never read or heard of before. I had one guy pick up my "Quitter" print, explaining to me that he'd been trying to quit smoking and intended to hang it up in his office as inspiration. The average SPXer was energetic about comics and happy to hear about what I was offering. They were into the art and the stories and very supportive of all us indies.
I'm sorry to say that most shows I attend usually have at least a large amount of material I wouldn't consider ready for putting out for sale. I think people often over estimate their readiness or just don't polish their work to a very craftsman-like level before slapping it onto copy paper and putting it onto a table with a price tag on it. NOT AT SPX THOUGH. I was thoroughly intimidated by the amazing skill and artistic flourish on display at SPX. There was some truly amazing stuff here and the high quality seemed to pile up around me on nearly every table in the room. I was certainly just another face in the crowd here.
The highlight of the show for me was all the amazing people who's work I've admired over the years who I was able to meet in person. The amazing Roz Chast was friendly and incredibly smart. I actually saw here during registration on Friday night and then again at her table. I just love her work and her sharp wit. Keith Knight signed the book I bought from him and was very generous with his time while I pelted him with questions about his process. I was shocked to see some of his original artwork and how small he draws his strips. He tells me that's how he's able to draw so many of them during the week. I am a tremendous admirer of his style, he's amazing.
Jen Sorenson was super nice and really fun to talk to. I've admired her work for a while now and was able to pick up he latest book as well. She's very smart about cartooning and very willing to discuss her process. Danielle Coresetto, who I've actually met several times before, was there being cheery and talkative too. Her work gets more amazing each time I see her put out a new book. The prints she had on hand this time were fantastic.
This is a photo of me taken by a photographer named Ian. He was doing some kind of photo collection on the hats of SPX and since I was wearing one I was snapped. You can see his whole collection from the show on his Flickr feed here.
It's always great when you have good table mates and my neighbors this year were Michael Lariccia on one side and Sara Turner on the other. Both of them were amazing artists and incredibly nice. This could not have gone better and I hope they both did as well of not better than I did while at SPX. Great people are just attracted to this show!
I'm now back home safe and sound in Texas. This trip concludes my 2011 comic show season. I think the next one I have planned is about six months out, so I have plenty of time to get a couple more books put together and a bunch more prints ready in time for the 2012 tour. Thanks SPX for another amazing experience!
