Mike Dawson Comics

I got back from the Small Press Expo (SPX) late last night, which means today starts the 3-4 day process of post-convention come-down. I have a lot of work to do this week, so I can’t be reading other people’s con-reports and seeing if I appear in anybody’s Flickr sets, even though that’s what I really, really want to be doing all day.

Just a few comments on the weekend:

Thanks to Vanessa Davis for letting me crash at her table, along with New-Booth-Friend Zack Soto, and Gabrielle Bell. It was a lot of laughs, and more importantly there was no pressure to “man the table” the whole time, since there were plenty of people floating around back there.

Speaking of not manning the table, I managed to make it to a few panels. Well, two. I was there for the full “Critics Panel: How We Judge” discussion. I thought it was really interesting. There were a lot of folks on the panel, which can sometimes mean not everyone gets a chance to speak, or the conversation gets lopsided. The moderator really kept it all together though. I guess I’m not sure what the takeaway was. Maybe that comics-criticism is still in its infancy stage.

I also caught about half of the Jim Rugg/Frank Santoro discussion about commercial comics, which seemed like a passionate, if not almost combative, conversation.

Aside from that, it was the usual socializing, conversing, drinking, etc. I don’t think I realized how nervous I was about the Ignatz awards, because I felt tired and worn-out all day Saturday, and I couldn’t really figure out why. But, once the ceremony was over, I got all my energy back, and kept it all day Sunday.

And, for those of you who are curious, I can’t say that I managed to muster up a flood of tears when I accepted my Ignatz Award (Outstanding Online Comic), as promised on recent episodes of The Ink Panthers Show. I did my best, but I think the pressure of high expectations did me in. But, I was sincere in my acceptance speech. SPX is my favorite show, and receiving the award meant a lot to me.

Hey, look! A picture of me on Chris Pitzer’s Flickr stream!!

As I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts and tweets, I’m going to be attending the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland this coming weekend, September 11th and 12th.

I don’t might possibly have a table to myself some table space, but there are a few spots on the convention floor where you might find me. Look for me hanging around the AdHouse Books booth drawing pictures inside copies of my book Ace-Face, or see if you can spot me milling around nearby the table Julia Wertz, Karen Sneider, Tom Kaczynski, and Jon Lewis will be sharing. Or even, perhaps, you might see me lingering close to the Secret Acres setup.

Speaking of Secret Acres, they ought to have all five issues of my Troop 142 mini-comics for sale. I am bringing plenty of copies down, so they should definitely be stocked. Keep an eye out for issue #5, as it’s brand new, and if SPX still had the Outstanding Debut Ignatz category, I definitely would have entered it.

And speaking of the Ignatz awards, don’t forget I’ve been nominated in a few categories. If you are a fan of Troop 142, and will be at the show, please consider casting a vote for me.

Hope to see you there!!

I think the best thing about being a voracious comics reader is being aware of lots and lots of great cartoonists who’s work I am totally into. The next best thing is that you can buy prints and even original artwork from many of these cartoonists at very, very reasonable prices. I have quite a lot of comics-art hanging up around the apartment. Here are some things that I’ve got on the walls:

Print by Matt Forsythe. I got this at TCAF two years ago.

Print by Phil McAndrew. I pointed out to Orli that the man has a big nose. Now she’s calling it “Big Nose Man”. I am worried I’ve just taught her to remark on people’s notable features.

Print by Onsmith. I actually got this a long time ago, at an SPX. I really like it, but I couldn’t find a great picture of it online. I bet there is one, I probably just have to look harder.

Original art by Vanessa Davis. This is called “Sleepies”. I just got it this week. I think I’m going to hang it in Orli’s room as a reminder of what she’s supposed to be doing in there when I put her in the crib (“Look at those ladies, Orli. They are being good and going to sleep”).

Print by Kate Beaton. I just got this too, and I have to get a frame for it before I can hang it up. This will probably have to go into my study, because of the cursing and all that. It cracks me up though. A very funny strip.

I’m going to SPX in early September. Not sure if I’ll be squatting at someone’s table, or just walking around. I am fine with either one. I am hoping to get another print or even more original art while I’m there. That’s one of the best things about those shows for me, because so many comics and books I can buy in one of the great comic stores we’ve got here in NYC.

The Panthers crept from their lairs this past weekend, and attended the MoCCA Art Festival in Manhattan. Mike debuted a brand new comic (and a brand new table prop), and Alex appeared on a panel and explained what the “Very Best Comics Written By His co-Host of the 00′s” were. Get the inside scoop on what the show was really like. Comments Welcome!

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I feel the urge to write a “con-report”, but I dropped the ball more than usual this year: didn’t take any photos, and didn’t spend enough time walking around and checking out the show as I should have (not by a long shot). So, once again, despite the fact that I had a great time at the show, I’m seeing pics online of the comics and tables that other people took, and I’m wondering “How did I miss that??!”. For example, how did I manage to not get myself a copy of the wonderful looking Pood Comics #1? The comic on the cover of that looks great! Why did I miss it?

So, there’s not much I can add to the discussion about the show, except to say that it seemed Very Well Run. I griped about the organization of the show last year on the Ink Panthers podcast, so feel like I should formally acknowledge that I thought this year was a huge improvement and return to form. And, I thought having the show in the much cooler month of April worked out very well. The weather was pretty much perfect, and it felt like it was reflected in everybody’s good moods.

The only downside to shifting the show up a few months is that I keep thinking to myself “I had a great time at the con this last weekend… it sure is making me look forward to MoCCA this Summer… oh wait…”

OK, it’s the day before the MoCCA festival, and in honor of the big show, I’m posting the first 5 pages of the next TROOP 142 chapter.

I’m looking forward to the convention this year. I’ll have three brand new minicomics, collecting the completed chapters of Troop 142, and will of course be selling and signing copies of Freddie & Me and Ace-Face. Don’t expect to see the Freddie Mercury statue this year. He’s been retired. Instead, I need to find a large Baden Powell doll to start displaying at my festival tables. Either that or I start wearing my own Boy Scout uniform to shows, but I am pretty sure that’s never going to actually happen.

Either way, if you are coming to MoCCA this weekend, look for me at table E19, and come and say hello.

Just returned from my trip to Angouleme yesterday, and wanted to post the bulk of my pics while it’s all still fresh in my mind. I am kind of a crappy photojournalist, and almost never take any pictures worth posting. I got very few pics of the festival itself, or any of the great art that I saw, or many of the people I met and spent time with. But, here’s the best of what I did manage to capture:

Alex Robinson and I signing books at the Rackham table.

“Velo!” is French for Bicycle.

A drawing from the Blutch exhibition.

I bought this little figurine of Nikita Khrushchev waving his shoe from a store in Paris.

Two days after Angouleme I took a train trip with Alex Robinson and Kazimir Strzepek to a great comic book store in Lyon called Experience. The owners treated us extremely well, treating us to a wonderful lunch, a tour of the city, and freedom to desecrate the ceilings of their store with our doodles. They have a lot of cartoonists already on the ceiling, but the only other Americans I spotted were Jeffrey Brown, Craig Thompson, Dash Shaw, and Keith Giffen, so I felt like I was in great company.

Kaz works on his doodle. My drawing of Ace-Face is visible at the top. I wrote my daughter’s name, Orli, on Ace-Face’s arm, but to my great shame, I misspelled it, Orly, which I am blaming on the proximity to the airport in France.

Alex’s pic near the entrance.

Here we are at lunch!

And here’s that same scene from the other direction. The man at the back is actually at the table next to us. His face turned an alarming shade of red as he drank his wine and ate his meat on his lunch-break. We were told this was a common look in France.

Seated next to the red-face man, towards us, is Cecile Mac Lennan, who does publicity work for Rackham, and took care of us a great deal of the time while we were there. She’s a delightful person, and a lot of fun to talk to. I am fascinated by the fact that her favorite TV show is The Wire (which I also love), since it’s a show that’s challenging enough to follow when English is your first language, let alone your second.

Me and Kaz in Lyon.

Me, Kaz, Alex, and our guide, Stephane. Stephane and Alex got into a heated debate about the value of the Pixar movie “Cars”.

Aliza is thrilled to finally be somewhere where there are no comics.

Kaz, Peter Kuper, Rackham publisher Latino Imparto, and Serge from Editions çà et là. This was from a signing back up in the Paris area.

And finally, one morning in Angouleme, I bought a bag of dates to eat, and someone took a picture of me holding them. I realize now that it kind of looks like I’m holding up a pair of testicles.

The final three pages in the MONDAY chapter of TROOP 142 are posted. Check them out.

This is nice timing, as I’m off to the Angouleme Festival in France next week. It’ll be good to have a little break, before I get back into it with the next chapter, TUESDAY.

If anyone is going to be at Angouleme, I will be signing every day at the Rackham booth. There are also some bookstores signings planned for Paris and Lyon the following week. My good friend Alex will be at each of those appearances too, so I imagine we’re going to have a pretty good time.

Super Heros, a comics shop in Paris, made this ex-libris bookplate to insert into French copies of Freddie & Me. They sent me a box of them. They’re really nice.

This is a picture I took at TCAF of my table. I never got around to posting any of my TCAF pics, but most of them weren’t very good anyway. I might need a better camera, or maybe I just need to read the manual to find out how to take less blurry photos.

Look how cute Orli is!! She drinks out of a straw!

In this week’s episode Alex and I discuss whether or not I am really a fan of the band Rush, our various old-man ailments, and a little bit of post-game on the big MoCCA arts-festival this past last weekend. Comments welcome!

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