CON REPORT: SPACE: Above & Beyond
by Zack Smith

SPACE, the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, was held at the Holiday Inn East 170 in Columbus, OH Saturday April 3rd. Thankfully, that's only a little over an hour from where I live, so me and my man David (pronounced DA-VEED) set off to check out what the small press had to offer. SPACE is The Mid-West's Largest Exhibition of Small Press, Alternative, and Creator-Owned Comics and is sponsored by Back Porch Comics.

We got there about an hour after the con had started, and immediately ran into Sean McKeever, who was there with the guys from the Laughing Ogre, the official retailer of SPACE. He was having a good time, selling both his Marvel and indy stuff, and was impressed by the turnout. He also warned us about the line for Dave Sim, who, he said seemed surprisingly normal (the recent Onion interview notwithstanding).

We went into the first exhibition room (there were two, plus an unfortunate number of people relegated to hotel rooms a bit of a ways away from the rest of the con. Ouch). I wandered around and met up with Andy Bennett, an artist I'm writing a GN script for. He was pretty cool, and I also got to meet some of the guys with whom he does PANEL, an anthology done in several different formats. The first issue was a minicomic, the second was a regular-sized comic, and the new installment was done in "widescreen" style similar to last summer's LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS.

I got my first sketch of the con, an awesome piece of Frank the Bunny from DONNIE DARKO, and chatted a bit with him before wandering up to meet the guys from STREET ANGEL, the first issue of which just came out a few weeks back and is already one of my favorite books of the year. Basically, it's about a girl on a skateboard that fights ninjas. Check out the preview on Slave Labor's web site to get a better idea. They were fun as hell to talk to, and may be the only people as obsessed with the unsold Jack Black/Owen Wilson pilot HEAT VISION AND JACK as I am. I got an amazing piece from them of HV&J teaming up with Street Angel, and saw some pages from issue #2, which includes an astronaut with a jet pack, Incas, more ninjas and pirates. The preview artwork looked amazing as full-sized pages; it's too bad regular readers won't get to see it at that size.

I went over to the next aisle, and decided to start off the Sid and Marty Krofft-themed sketchbook I'd wanted to do ever since that marathon of their shows on TV Land a few weeks back. And who better to do THE LOST SAUCER than Steve Conley of ASOUNDING SPACE THRILLS? He did an amazing piece, and says there should be some AST trades by the end of the year, though he may have to go black and white due to production costs. Next to him was Farel Dalrymple of POP GUN WAR and CAPER fame, and one of my favorite artists. I picked up one of his older books and the latest installment of the anthology MEATHAUS, which features stories by Farel, James Jean of FABLES covers fame, Jim Mahfood, Dave Crosland, Tomer Hanuka. It's a great-looking volume and very well designed. Farel also did a nifty sketch of me based off a posed photo I showed him.



I went around and met up with some more people, including BOX OFFICE POISON's Alex Robinson (who did a fun sketch of Holly from LAND OF THE LOST) and Douglas Paskiewicz of ARSENIC LULLABY, who informed me that I had won a contest for a page of original art from his new book, MISERY A-GO-GO. Thus did I become the proud owner of a page from the sure-to-be-classic story "Uses for a Dead Whore." He also did an amazing sketch of me taking bloody vengeance on one who had wronged me. I worked my way back up and met Paul Hornschemier, whose MOTHER, COME HOME I had been hearing about for a while and wanted to read so I could stop being a poseur. He did a sketch of a Sleestak from LAND OF THE LOST that everyone was praising to high heaven...but when I got home, I couldn't find my copy of the book! So now I'm still a poseur and out $15! ARRRRRGH!

Next to Hornscemier was Jeffrey Brown, who was selling copies of his new volume, AN EASY INTIMACY, the last of his autobiographical "girlfriend" trilogy started with CLUMSY and UNLIKELY. I was lucky to get a copy; he had a print run of only 390 copies and was already down to the last 100! He also did a Sleestak-themed sketch where he was menaced by those nasty lizard-insect buggers. Beware of Sleestak!



I circled around and met up with Sean Frost and Wendi Strang-Frost, who I knew from Delphi [Message Forums], and got a copy of their minicomic JOHNNY PUBLIC. Wendi did a sketch of Hoo Doo from LIDSVILLE, and poor Sean was nearly talked to death by me on the several occasions we ran into each other for the rest of the con. Next to them was Rafer Roberts, who I also knew from Delphi. I picked up a copy of his anthology PLASTIC FARM, and got a sketch of H.R. Pufnstuff from him. Poor Rafer had nearly gone crazy earlier - Dave Sim's table had been right by his, and the line was blocking him! Luckily, Sim had moved out into the hall, to let the line breath a little and give the other creators a chance. Rafer was really happy about that.

I went around the other end and met Scott Mills, whose book SEAMONSTERS AND SUPERHEROES I picked up. He turned out to be a good friend of the STREET ANGEL dudes, and praised their book mightily. Since he was into sea monsters, it was only appropriate he do a sketch of the star of SIGMUND AND THE SEA MONSTERS. Next to him was Rob Ullman, whose GRAND GESTURES I had read a few months back and really enjoyed. I got a copy of his SIGNIFYING NOTHING, a collection of his FROM THE CURVE minicomics, and a sketch of Electra Woman's sidekick DynaGirl. I then checked out the other retailer room, which had, among other people, Tyler Page of STYLISH VITTLES fame, and a nice fellow named Sean Forney who did a sketch of Bigfoot from BIGFOOT AND WILDBOY.



It was getting late, so I decided to get in line for Dave Sim and Gerhard. They were the Guests of Honor at the con, and had received a special Lifetime Achievement plaque and a gold watch that was on display on their table next to a life-sized stuffed Cerebus. The line moved a pretty good clip, and while Sim's writings had made him seem a little...eccentric, in person he seemed like a pretty nice, normal, relaxed guy, who even offered to send me a free copy of an old Cerebus "World Tour" issue I'd missed. He did a sketch of Cerebus and Gerhard, as he'd been doing all these years, filled in the background. Say what you will about Dave Sim (I know I have), he did manage to self-publish three hundred issues of a comic he wrote and drew and did it on his own terms. Not many people can say that.

I went back in the con and got a sketch of Cynicalman from his creator, the madcap Matt Feazell, then checked back in with a few other people, collected David and was on my way. It was a great con, full of an amazing number of talented people, and I picked up some great books (plus MOTHER, COME HOME, which I'm sure WOULD have been great...sigh). Everyone I met at the con was enthusiastic about the turnout and their current projects. I was impressed with what I saw there, and I can't wait for next year.

 

ZACK SMITH is currently finishing his master's thesis on comic book censorship movements, and hopes no one tells his parents he took time out to write this con report. ALSO: Anyone have a spare copy of MOTHER, COME HOME they don't want...?


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Jeffrey Brown
Paul Hornschemier
Sean Forney
Matt Feazell
Laughing Ogre
Sean McKeever
Andy Bennett
Astounding Space Thrills
Farel Dalyrmple
Meathaus
Douglas Paskiewicz
Panel: Comix Anthology
Ferret Press.com
Street Angel
Plastic Farm
Scott Mills
Johnny Public

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