There’s a good deal of audio and comics that I’m still processing from Saturday’s insane immersion into Alternative Press Expo. But for the moment, here are some photos to whet your appetite.
Bob the Angry Flower‘s Stephen Notley, located as per the APE custom next to Keith Knight, was solicited for tax advice and informed me of how one could write off a flower hat.
So Super Duper‘s Brian Andersen, as interviewed by one of the three Segundo correspondents employed for APE coverage (in one case, a correspondent smart enough to know the difference between Jeffrey Brown and Chester Brown was employed against his will).
There were many guitarists providing musical support for fellow artists in the booths.
Nome Sang? It’s a question that I’ve asked myself many times: a query that offers no immediate answer. This sounds like a job for The Diplomatics, the world’s (only?) political superhero web comic.
One of the aspects of APE often unremarked upon is the meticulous binding and sewing some exhibitors apply to their minicomics and illustrated chapbooks. Corrine Mucha was no exception.
One did not necessarily need to pay two quarters for relationship advice, since there were many clear human examples through the transparent booth!
The man in the mask is, as you might gather, from Luchadork Comics. He was asked about whether Jack Black’s Nacho Libre or Luchadork came first and was unfazed by the Gumby propaganda.
Girls and Corpses was easily the sleaziest magazine I picked up. I had thought that it was a one-off grand parody of Maxim, but there are apparently fifteen issues of this alarmingly slick publication. I talked with Robert Steven Rhine, the delightfully sleazy gentleman behind this periodical, and he insisted he lived on an estate comparable to the Playboy Mansion.
Pop cultural mimesis was very much on display, with an alarming number of items devoted to Christopher Walken. These items were from Brandon Bird‘s table.
Despite noble efforts to track down the fundamentalist cartoonist Jack Chick, he was nowhere to be found at APE.
A rare moment when I was sitting down. There are about fifty audio files from Saturday I have to go through.
This gentleman, from Crater on the Moon, was apparently influenced by the Marvin Martian sartorial school.
Baby Tattoo Books, the publishing house devoted to publishing Gus Grimly’s narratives.
Two Shy Guys — or at least one of the men behind this comic. The gentleman on the left is currently being sought by G-men for certain indiscretions uttered on audio.
[UPDATE: Pink Raygun has an incredible breakdown of all APE exhibitors.]
[UPDATE 2: More APE writeups from Great White Shark, which rightly points out that APE is the only convention with a fully-stocked cash bar, Scott Beale, Spectoria, APE Bingo from Shannon Garrity, Superheroes Don't Wear Sneakers, Tom Geller, Sip Tea, Moose River and Artnoose.]
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (
my subscription to newsweek is up. i think i’m gonna replace it with girls and corpses.
Great pics… you really captured the vibe of the event. Wish I had remembered to get my own shot of the angry flower dude. I’ve got a write-up and pics at my blog, as well, if you’re interested. Cheers!
Hey man, just wanted to let you know that the masked man was not from “Lucha Libre Comics,” but actually “Luchadork Studios.” Thanks!
I wanted to look through Girls and Corpses, but I was afraid I would immediately be sent to hell. You’re braver than I am.
We’ve got another APE report, here: http://bigstonehead.net/2007/04/23/the-ape-report-2/
Ed! Thanks for the pics of APE, which I’ve never gone to. Did you ‘appen to PURCHASE any “Bob The Angry Flower”?