SPX 2010 {"I think I was in Rockville?" or "You're a good person."}

I do like the SPX show very much. It has always been my favorite show because of its focus on mini-comics and you-can-only-find-it-here feel as well as the fact that you are stuck in that hotel together practically forcing you to get to know people you might not in other circumstances. Do you have practically unlimited drunken access to your favorite cartoonist legend or current mini-comics fave? Yes, you do. The show was run perfectly as far as I could tell. No glitches for me and when I did have a need for an extended hotel room all I had to do was ask the great Warren Bernard and he took care of it in about 30 seconds. Also, special thanks to Jeff, Karon, and Greg--all great folks.

I hadn't been to SPX in about 5 years so this was my first time at this particular space. I loved the one big room, the crazy mental carpeting, and the nearby Chinese/Japanese restaurant with the possibly sliding prices. The famous chocolate fountain looked gross.

I flew into DC, bumped into Kevin Huizenga at the airport, spent several hours trying to leave same airport, finally checked into our hotel and headed back out to Politics and Prose for a James Sturm presentation. It was a good crowd who asked a ton of questions.

Hey, comics pals Richard Thompson (I'm guessing you are reading Cul de Sac by now with Spurge's constant urging) and Mike Rhode came out for a second night in a row. These guys LOVE comics!!

The photos just get blurrier and darker from here on out. You are warned.

My only shot of Ignatz winner Kevin Huizenga. We bumped into Brian Ralph (Daybreak coming Fall 2011) and some of his SCAD students after dinner and then forced them into Brian's room and made them listen to us talk about "how it used to be" until 2am.

Set-up the table and take a photo of new books, please.

Well, it seems I had not met Jog. This guy reads a lot of comics and I love how much attention he'll pay to some old issue of Heavy Metal but he'll still pick up Palookaville 20 and ACME 20 when he drops by the booth. {I swear I had not read this post when I wrote this!}

The about-to-win-an-Ignatz James Sturm (for Market Day signs his should-be-in-your-library classic James Sturm's America for a passing fan. {Kevin (Ganges) and Bob Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics) also won and that was very gratifying. I think SPX may have the highest ratio of "good" wins. There was not a clunker in the bunch this year.}

I apologize to you both for this picture. {I apologize to you, Vanessa. I apologize to you, Gabrielle.}

Brian Ralph gives Dan Nadel advice about how to properly wear a plaid shirt. Plaid shirts really made a comeback this early Fall fashion season at SPX.

Again, an apology for a bad picture. I really need to replace that camera. Here's my round the corner table mate Mark Burrier who is a swell guy and he had many swell items on his table and we hardly talked the whole time at the show because we were selling selling selling. {Downside of any con is how you end of not talking enough to people you would actually like to talk to. Did I ever get a chance to go over to Richard Thompson's table and paw through his stack of originals? No I did not.} Also, plaid.

Does this photo capture the craziness of a packed hall and people jockeying for position to look at the new Make Me a Woman (Vanessa Davis) or Wild Kingdom(Kevin Huizenga).

This gentleman was too shy to share these tats with me but Brian Ralph tracked him down and got these photos. This might be my last comics tattoo photo/post ever. You are warned!!

Okay. This one. Same guy. HARD CORE!!! I mean I love Moomin but this dude is serious.

You know who else I had not met? Tim Hodler. Centered, his wife, Lauren Weinstein and the cutest baby (with the best name) at the convention--Ramona! {Oh, Tim's not in this photo. Sorry if this is confusing.}

It is no secret that D+Q interns are the best. Here's Casey who worked for us last summer. She helped me out while I did the Fort Thunder panel or as I like to call it, three guys talking about how awesome they are--and Dan Nadel. Casey, is that top by Hermes? I believe it is.


Dinner: me, Tim Hodler. Beardos.

Frank Santoro, Brian Ralph. Dreamboats.

Post dinner. Paul Lyons, Cheryl Kaminsky. We got a little lost heading back to the Ignatz Awards so sadly I missed nearly the whole ceremony. Paul is a Fort Thunder alum and Cheryl is former employee of MYP and manager of the recently announced to be shuttered Giant Robot New York.

Ceremony missed. Beers being drunk. Bricks being set down and neglected while more beers are being drunk. On that table before the beer bottles crowded it off sat a sweet photo of a couple who just got married in the hotel that day. That means that comics people are pigs. We are filthy animals with no regard for the sanctity of matrimony. That's what it means.

Lucky for me Dino and James re-enacted the now blog famous award presentation. This is the 1am version.

Next day, super fan Nate Powell buys two copies of Make Me a Woman. Presumably one for his bookshelf and one to ebay for "mad dollahs."

I do not support this notion but Frank Santoro made such a fuss that I said I would post it. Please note that this is Frank's opinion and most certainly not that of this blogger. There I said it, I am a blogger. Frank, enemies made.

I'm about to leave for the airport here and these folks are about to descend on some poor unsuspecting restaurant. Starting left seated, Andrice Arp, Bill K., Sarah Glidden (standing), Tom Neely, Zack Soto. I hung out with these folks till the wee hours the night before and they were delightful party hopping companions all.

Look who was waiting for me when I got home. (Hey, you can get your own blog if you want.)

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