The SFist offers a written APE Report to which we would have offered a parallel, had we not saddled ourselves with nearly four hours of audio to organize and sift through.
Interestingly enough, of our grandiose comics haul, Fart Party Comics, despite its nom des ordures, has proven to be one of our favorites, with its chronicle of twentysomething life and random violence. Fortunately, we did chitchat with Julia Wertz at one point.
My bag bulges with comics. I lost track of the number of people I talked with after #15. And I went over my spending limit, um…just a tad. What I can say is this: unlike last year, there will be no written report. But there will be a three-part Bat Segundo podcast: two parts interviews on the floor, including an unexpected interview with Daniel Clowes (whose last name I badly mispronounced) along with many people who you likely don’t know about and who have some interesting ideas about comics. Some of the interviews are thoughtful. Some of them are batshit crazy. (Wait until you hear the interview with the people from Hot Gay Comics.) But all are quite entertaining and should give you a sense of just how much fun Alternative Press Expo is. To all the cartoonists I passed over, I am sorry. I’m just one guy and I can’t talk with everyone.
I also tracked down Top Shelf’s Chris Staros (with help from Alex Robinson, who I’m pleased to report is as nice a guy as they come) and got the inside track on Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie’s upcoming Lost Girls, which I’ll report here later. For now, I have a party to attend and a panel to prepare for tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 PM. If you can’t make it, that will be Part 3 of the APE Podcast Trilogy. But rest assured, for those thinking they won’t get something live that they can’t get from a download, we will have a visual component in place. The producer tells me that Mr. Segundo is miffed at having to be employed more frequently than usual.
Daniel Clowes on the Art School Confidential film adaptation and more: “But, of course, there’s some human instinct that takes over at the very last minute. As the envelope’s being opened and all of a sudden it occurred to me that without a doubt we were going to win and I was just stricken with panic. I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified in my life. I was so happen to hear the words ‘Akiva Goldman.'” (via Fantagraphics Blog)
Once [considered a lesser art form] [limited to superheroes and lasers], today’s comic books [are evolving into a bona-fide literary form] [are tackling personal stories in addition to superheroes] [are becoming more ambitious than their orignators].
[NOTE TO JOURNALIST: Insert quote here from major comic book source to justify lede. Source can be Daniel Clowes, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, Alex Robinson or Marjane Satrapi. It is important that you get a quote so that our septuagenarian readers know that you’ve done the legwork.]
Comic books (use at least two of following) [are being taught in today’s classrooms] [are selling ___ copies (insert sales figure of your choice that you feel best reflect economic boom)] [are being compared against Ulysses (MANDATORY COMPARISON)] [appeal to the young at heart] [are a sexy alternative to the novel].
Comic books are more than just Superman and Batman. [NOTE TO JOURNALIST: Avoid esoteric superhero references here. Stick with the big guns.]
[Frank Miller reinvented the form with The Dark Knight Returns.]
[Art Spiegelman tapped into personal experience for Maus.]
[Chris Ware has now transposed his talents to The New York Times.]
I guess it’s safe to say that comic books aren’t just for teenagers anymore. They just might be [categorized as literature] [be more than a guilty pleasure] too!
For those in San Francisco for Alternative Press Expo on April 9, I will be interviewing Alex Robinson, sui generis, in front of a live audience. I’m immensely honored to talk with the man behind Box Office Poison and Tricked. We’ll be talking about how Alex got his start, deconstructing a few panels and getting some audience involvement.
The results will eventually make their way into a podcast. But please feel free to stop by and say hello. Here are the details:
When? Sunday, April 8, 2005, 3:30
Where? The Concourse at 620 7th Street, San Francisco, CA
3:30-4:25 Spotlight on Alex Robinson—His new graphic novel, Tricked, weighs in at “only” 350 pages (compared to the 600+ of the collected Box Office Poison), but none of his readers feel gypped. Alex Robinson’s Tricked was one of the buzz books of 2005. He’ll talk about that book and what’s next with writer Edward Champion of the blog, “Return of the Reluctant” (www.edrants.com).
I’ll also be walking the floor and covering Alternative Press Expo again — this time, in podcast form.