Looking for Cool Junk on the First Day of MoCCA

It wouldn’t be the annual [MoCCA Arts Festival] if I didn’t make a ton of frivolous purchases. Normally, I tell myself that I go for the interesting slideshows and panel discussions, but [this year’s line-up](http://nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=46949982) of programs looked like nothing but cheap excuses to hawk upcoming books ([Blake Bell](http://www.ditko.comics.org) promotes his book on comics’ legend [Steve Ditko](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ditko) and graphic designer [Chip Kidd](http://www.goodisdead.com) peddles a history of [Batman in Japan](http://www.goodisdead.com/index.php?/work/entry/bat_manga_the_secret_history_of_batman_in_japan_2008)) and to give [Bill Plympton](http://www.plymptoons.com) a redundant and [self-congratulatory award](http://www.moccany.org/artfest-programming-08.html) (Plympton also happens to be on [MoCCA’s Board of Advisors](http://www.moccany.org/about.html )). I realized this year that the real reason I go to MoCCA was the swag and the chance to pick over a wide selection of comics from truly independent creators.

Unfortunately, this year was a mostly dry year from the two big “indie” publishing houses, [Drawn & Quarterly] and [Fantagraphics](http://www.fantagraphics.com). Fantagraphics’ most recognizable name was [Jason](http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=325&Itemid=62) and D&Q had…someone that I’ve already forgotten. I mean, Fantagraphics was hawking copies of an issue of [The Comics Journal](http://www.tcj.com) (that had a [cover story](http://tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=814&Itemid=48) by yours truly). Lame.

So before I could take a spin around the floor, I hit up my favorite staple of MoCCA Fest, [Evan Dorkin]. Dorkin is the patron saint of starving artists, juggling a myriad of projects that keep him out of stable employment just to stay afloat and support his family. His [Milk & Cheese](http://www.houseoffun.com/milkandcheese/index.html) and [Eltingville Science Fiction Club](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyus5kz8wB0) cartoons are too funny for him to melt into obscurity but thanks to his backlog of busy work, he rarely has time to get back to them, even if they are the majority of the junk he hawks yearly at MoCCA. He is and always will be the highlight of my trips to the fest because if the phrase “indie comics” means anything anymore, he’s it.

I’m not fixating on Dorkin’s stuff because his books were the highlight of my visit to the fest today but rather because he always provides a moral center to the fest. Every year, Dorkin is one of the most approachable and down-to-earth people on the packed showroom floor.

I mean, almost everyone behind a table at MoCCA Fest is a starving artist and while starving artists are the ones that profit most from the fest, who wants to talk to them long enough to figure out if you want to buy their books? They all look so bored and so out of it but not so with Dorkin. Yeah, he’s bored but he will chat you up plenty. Putting the human in independent books is what the fest is all about and Dorkin does that without even trying.

The rest of the fest is all so diffuse that making a comprehensive survey is impossible. There’s just too much to take in all at once so here are some highlights from my visit today:

-Director [Michel Gondry] was there today and will be there tomorrow with his son [Paul](http://www.director-file.com/gondry/paul.html) to sell Paul’s “Crazy Town” and his “We Lost the War But Not the Battle.” I couldn’t think of anything to ask him so I just had him sign my copy of “We Lost the War.” Paul intimidated me too much with his well-practiced staring into outer space for me to attempt contact.

-Penciller [Becky Cloonan] sold me a B&W print of a corpse. I like it. We make eye contact. She yawns. Somewhere, my girlfriend rolls her eyes.

-The book of “[Incredible Movie Posters du Ghana]” looked great until I saw the $35 price tag. I was tempted to bringing over a copy of issue #289 of The Comics Journal and offering to sign it in exchange for a discount but I have some small vestige of pride left…for now.

-Comic writer [Sam Abbinanti] was selling his series [Atomika](http://www.mercurycomics.com) so I had him sign copies of the last two issues and chatted him up a bit about why we haven’t seen more than two new issues in the past two years. I got no memorable answers (did I mention I lost my pen fifteen minutes after getting to the festival?).

-Got some neat mini-comics from “so-indie-that-I-staple-my-comics-and/or-print-them-on-newspaper-quality-paper” [Paul Hoppe], the cabal at [Closed Caption Comics](http://closedcaptioncomics.blogspot.com) and [Chris Hale](http://www.letsbefriendsagain.com). Haley is my favorite of the bunch because for a measly dollar, he drew a faboo drawing of [Freddy Mercury](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Freddy_Mercury_Statue_Montreux.jpg) facing off against [Darkseid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkseid) for me (naturally, I chose the subjects).

-At [Epic Proportions]’ booth, I found some great flairs, one of which has [Jet Jaguar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_Jaguar) on it. Again, for a dollar a pop, I felt obliged to indulge in my nerdiness.

-My favorite purchase was one of [Neil Fitzpatrick]’s $10 miniature framed drawings of video game characters and cereal mascots. I bought [Franken Berry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franken_Berry). Oh, yes.

-Aside from Evan Dorkin, my favorite starving artist of the ones I talked to today was [Patricia Burgess]. After she showed me her terrific sheep hand puppet sheep and an awkward but genuine back-and-forth, she convinced me that once I get some money, I really should have her make a hand puppet for me. I’m torn between a nun with boxing gloves, Count Chocula and a puppet of Al Gore in a Super Mario costume (naturally, I chose the subjects) but I’m sure when the time comes, I’ll figure it out.

UP NEXT: I attend Chip Kidd’s talk and maybe buy one of the handful of eye-catching T-shirts I saw on sale. And who knows? I may actually feel less guilty about the amount of money I’m giving away like kittens.