Report on Philly Alt Comic Con 2011

For the first time in six years, I returned to the city of Philadelphia.  It was quite a wet weekend here in the Northeast, but I made it okay.  The neighborhood of the event was a part of Philly called University City, named as such since Drexel University was in the area.  As I walked around, I spotted many buildings identified as part of Drexel as well as houses and apartments for students.

This block of buildings you see here is part of a road called Sansom Street.  There were many quaint buildings in the area that were just begging to be photographed.  Unfortunately, the rain prevented me from snapping any more pictures.  But I digress.  You are here to find out about the Philly Alt Comic Con 2011.  Okay, let’s move on then.

The event took place at a building called the Rotunda.  It was a small event much like the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest.  Most of the people there were part of the alternative/underground/do-it-yourself comics scene.  For many of them, it was a labor of love.  I spent some time talking to some of those people, browsing their tables and asking about their works.

I had met some people I encountered before at either the MoCCA Fest back in the spring or the aforementioned BCGF.  There were plenty of newer faces.  One of the guys I met was Jason Clarke.  I bought a copy of his Kurt-Man #2 comic from him and chatted for awhile.  His site has neat drawings on it so it’s worth checking out.

I also met Alisa Harris and bought one of her comic booklets called “Counter Attack! #2”.  It was a cute, brush-rendered work with two housecats.  A few of the comics I saw there were recognizable as I heard of them or learned of their existence through the comics review blog, Optical Sloth.  One of them was Monsters of MMA by Bryan G. Brown.  His work is worth reading and if you’re part of the niche that is into mixed martial arts fighting, I definitely recommend looking at his comics.

I also met Awakening Comics, notable for doing many comic sized anthologies, and the EatTheBabies.com – a very eye-catching web address that makes you want to visit.

I should also emphasize that the heavy rain and summertime weather made it VERY humid.  A few times, I had to step outside of the Philly Alt Comic Con 2011 for air or to get a drink.

I also met Edwin Vazquez, a colorist for Bongo Comics (the Simpsons) and contributor to MAD magazine and World War 3.  He said he did scratchboard artwork which made me immediately think of Peter Kuper.  Edwin did say he worked with Kuper before – my, comics are turning into such a small world.  Also notable was Hardboiled Horror Tales.  This webcomic/print comic combines the genre of hardboiled fiction with horror.  That’s definitely original.  Usually I’ve seen horror mixed with western or science fiction, but never with mystery/crime/noir, etc.

All in all, Philly Alt Comic Con 2011 was a lot of fun.  I also was able to get a look at the alternative comics market and learned a lot.  This is something I’ll have to remember when I prepare to make a full-time stab at doing my own comic, Sunnyville Stories.  But that’s another post for another day.

Oh, yes.  As long as I was in Philadelphia, I just had to try the city’s signature sandwich…the cheesesteak.

I did get to try it and enjoyed it.  In spite of the rain, this weekend was very fruitful for me.

Next time, I’ll give up updates on my progress with the fifth episode of Sunnyville Stories and other news.  Until next time, friends.