#lmcf2015

[beeteedee]

Last weekend (on Halloween!) I had a table at Locust Moon Comics Fest and it was great! Just lookit the place!

Of course, I got a few pics showing off the building I was in. I think pretty much everyone who came to LCMF spent at least a little while taking pictures of the Rotunda itself. It’s not every day you get to hang out in a place with a coffered dome and oculus (I know the names for these things because I was there with my wife and she was an art history major).

All that aside, I saw a lot of awesome comics! Always a good thing at a comics show! Some were familiar from SPX but many were new to me. Attendees seemed to get it too; everyone who stopped by seemed to have a healthy curiosity about weird comics. Which, if you think about it, is the most important trait a person can have!

[thebombbag]

Locust Moon Recap

Another year, another great Locust Moon Comics Festival. Once again held in Philadelphia’s rotunda, where the paint-chipped walls give way to a massive organ that is likely filled with dust and spiders - a perfect spot for a Halloween show.

I got to Philly early on Friday to help with the set-up before checking in to my weirdest Air B&B to-date: a completely empty apartment except for a bed and a nightstand. No curtains or blinds on the window, no soap in the bathroom, no couch to relax on. Obviously, I wasn’t going to be spending too much time in this place.

I headed on over to the Drink & Draw at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Met some new folks but also saw many of my comic friends. It was crazy standing back and watching Chris Claremont, Craig Thompson, David Mack, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dean Haspiel, Ronald Wimberly, Gregory Benton, and others sit around a table and sketch Kelly Phillips dressed as mom from FUTURAMA but that’s what happens at a Locust Moon show.

After the Drink & Draw, Rafer Roberts and I went to watch the World Series. We drank a bit and made up a comic called President True Love and it’s the greatest comic you’ll never read. Oh well.

The show itself was wonderful - I sold out of my copies of ARTISTS against POLICE BRUTALITY in about three or four hours and then just decided to coast and have fun with the rest of my time. I sat next to Craig Thompson who showed up at around 3PM or so and that was a real treat.

Back in the early-2000s, it was books like Thompson’s BLANKETS that didn’t just get me back into reading comics but made me want to make comics. Once Thompson’s line calmed down I even told him that. He thanked me, and said that he heard of COLONIAL COMICS. In my head I was saying, “Awww...Craig...you’re so sweet. There’s no way you ever heard of this book.” But then he reminded me that we were both currently in Whitman College’s comics gallery show (Colonial Comics has its own alcove at the show). I don’t think I’ve ever been as proud of my work as I was at that moment. 

Craig signed a copy of SPACE DUMPLINGS for my niece...

...did a sketch for Matt Dembicki’s son...

...and even honored me with a #sadfight...

To say that he is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met is an understatement.

After the show was the after party, where beer and wine flowed all night and eventually all of the guests got to drawing. It started with a Dean Haspiel vs. Rafer Roberts Darkseid vs. Thanos draw-off and then instantly turned into a battle to see who could draw the best uncircumcised penis.

Oh, Locust Moon. Don’t ever change.

[locustmooncomics]

2015 Festival Debuts!

Here are some of the new comics making their first appearances at this year’s Locust Moon Comics Festival, Saturday October 31 in Philadelphia:

The Little Red Fish #3 Writen by James Moffitt Illustrated by Bizhan Khodabandeh (@mendedarrow) Published by Sink/Swim Press Digitally Published by Rosarium Publishing The Little Red Fish is a political allegory in serial comic form and in the style of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The story is inspired by the Iranian revolution of 1979—starting with the coupe of Prime Minister Mossaddegh up to the rise of Khomeini. Exhibitor: Bizhan Khodabandeh, Table 65-A

Dispersion of Light/Absorption of Light A new zine by James Mcpherson (@clownkissespress) Exhibitor: Clown-Kisses Press, Table 41

The Magic Cave: A Low-Fantasy Role-Playing Game for Pen-and-Paper By Harrison Stewart (@clownkissespress) Exhibitor: Clown-Kisses Press, Table 41

Millie The newest installment in Rellie Brewer’s comix series with @clownkissespress. Exhibitor: Clown-Kisses Press, Table 41

In A Rut Comics #1 Written by Eros Livieratos (@inarutcomics) Illustrated by Maria Sweeney Their comics debut, with a series featuring a cast of characters all dealing with the hardships of life in their own way. Exhibitor: Eros Livieratos & Maria Sweeney, Table 44-A

The Remnants #5 By Aremo Massa The final printed issue! The Remnants is about an ancient land visited by three evil sister witches and the mysteries that surround them. The story follows a young vagrant and a cast of other characters whose destiny it becomes to defend the village from the witches. Also there are werewolves and zombies. Exhibitor: Aremo Massa, Table 71-A

Garden Girls By Jo-Jo Sherrow (@jojosherrow​) A book about the fairies that live amidst the green world. Featuring Cleo from the Captcha series. Exhibitor: Jo-Jo Sherrow, Table 26-A

Neil-ism #1 By Jo-Jo Sherrow (@jojosherrow​) A collection of the autobio webcomic Neil-ism, numbers 1-21. Exhibitor: Jo-Jo Sherrow, Table 26-A

love bite By E Jackson (@eshiel) A 14 page comic zine about graduating high school, crushes, and how it feels when no one notices you’re a werewolf. Exhibitor: E Jackson, Table 62-A

Casket Girls Written by Dave Ebersole Illustrated by Sam Fryer  (@samfryerdesign) A one-shot horror comic. Perfect for the season. Exhibitors: Dave Ebersole & Sam Fryer, Table 60

Lunchboxes #1 By Lou Allen  The first in a series about a kid named Alexis who has magical lunchboxes, and struggles with the havoc a demon wreaks after it’s accidentally released. A surreal, horror-tinged, all-ages comic. Exhibitor: Lou Allen, Table 32-A

Sword of Fray By A.D. Puchalski (@adpuchalski) A fantasy battle starring a unicorn and a giant cat. B&W ashcan comic. Exhibitor: A.D. Puchalski, Table 72-B

Restless By A.D. Puchalski (@adpuchalski) A Halloween-tastic semi-debut: Monster mayhem in the ‘burbs thanks to the misadventures of a surly eleven year old. B&W with color cover. Exhibitor: A.D. Puchalski, Table 72-B

Sherbet Volume 1 Written by Michael Vincent Bramley (@m-v-b) Illustrated by Joshua Mathus Cover by Alice Meichi Li Featuring pin-ups by Alice Meichi Li, Amy Reeder, Glenn Fabry, Leila Del Duca, Fred Hembeck, Rodney Ramos, Shaky Kane, Hyeondo Park, Yao Xiao, Ally Cat, Nate Bear & more. A horrific book about a lesbian Private Detective in a hellish retro-futuristic city where paramedics in bird-masks steal the organs of the poor to keep the rich alive and the police force is a Lovecraft themed cult. Most of that doesn’t concern her however, as she’s too busy doing lots of drugs and solving paranormal mysteries. Exhibitor: Michael Vincent Bramley, Table 59

Level Up By Soumya Dhulekar & Nicole Rodrigues (@mousetrap) A Philadelphia-set comic highlighting Soumya & Nicole’s friendship and the experiences they’ve had living as females in the city. Exhibitors: Soumya Dhulekar & Nicole Rodrigues, Table 69-B

APB: Artists against Police Brutality: A Comic Book Anthology Edited by Jason Rodriguez (@thebombbag), Bill Campbell, John Jennings An incredibly unique comic book benefit project featuring comic shorts, pin-ups, short essays, and flash fiction, the proceeds of which will be going to the Innocence Project. Exhibitor: Jason Rodriguez, Table 65-B

Find them at the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL 2015 Saturday, October 31 – Halloween! 11 am – 6 pm @ The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 Website – Facebook – Event Page – Twitter

[locustmooncomics]

Creator Panels at LMCF2015

On the Saturday of the festival, four panels (and an after-party) will be hosted two blocks away from the Rotunda at the LOCUST MOON COMICS store, 34 South 40th Street.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm DRAWING ON LIFE Comics based on real life are everywhere. From autobiographical memoirs to stories about historical events and people, we'll discuss what makes these types of comics so appealing to readers and why so many cartoonists are drawn to real life subject matter. Moderator Kelly Phillips (Dirty Diamonds, Weird Me) hosts Craig Thompson (Blankets, Space Dumplins), Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, Beef with Tomato), and Andrea Tsurumi (Andrew Jackson Throws a Punch, Prometheus Eternal).

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm COMICS UNDERGROUND An exploration of what it means to be a part of the underground comics tradition commences when Denis Kitchen (Kitchen Sink Press, the CBLDF), Mark Beyer (Agony, Amy + Jordan), Pat Aulisio (Bowman) and Noah Van Sciver (Fante Bukowski, Blammo) are interviewed about their contributions to the comics culture. Moderated by Josh Bayer (Suspect Device).

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm A CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS CLAREMONT Join us for an intimate hour where we explore the inspirations and motivations behind the man who reinvented superhero comics as we know them today, Chris Claremont (all the best X-Men comics, among others). Moderated by Locust Moon’s Josh O’Neill.

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm THE FINE ART OF COMICS Locust Moon’s Chris Stevens sits down with three of the most singular artists working today, Bill Sienkiewicz (New Mutants, Daredevil: End of Days), David Mack (Kabuki, Dream Logic), and Ronald Wimberly (Prince of Cats, Sunset Park), to discuss the particular approaches they bring to their comics work as it connects to the broader art world.

8:00 pm - HALLOWEEN PARTY Costumes heartily encouraged!

See them at the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL 2015 Saturday, October 31 – Halloween! 11 am – 6 pm Exhibitors @ The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Panels @ Locust Moon Comics 34 South 40th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 Website – Facebook – Event Page – Twitter

(tags @kellypcomics @dirtydiamondscomic @andreatsurumi @yeahdudecomics @joshbayer  @d3-14​ @drdavidmrmack)

[iandensford-blog]

Locust Moon Comics Fest - Oct 31 i'll be at table 33 with copies of Trench Dogs & MagiCat you can read them online at http://iandensford.tumblr.com/search/trenchdogs http://comicsworkbook.tumblr.com/search/ian+densford http://studygroupcomics.com/main/magicat-by-ian-densford/ or buy them for $5 at the table

[locustmooncomics]

LMCF2015 Creators: Massa, Mitchell, Pinales, Puchalski, Manley

Aremo Massa

The Remnants is about an ancient land visited by three evil sister witches and the mysteries that surround them. The story follows a young vagrant and a cast of other characters whose destiny it becomes to defend the village from the witches. Also there are werewolves and zombies. This American made, manga influenced comic took form in 2011. There have been five printed issues, and beginning in 2016, the story will transition into a free, weekly, online series. See how their journey unfolds in a world shrouded in magic and mystery!

The Remnants is written, illustrated, and produced by Aremo Massa, an artist originally born and raised in NYC, who now resides in Philadelphia.

facebook - twitter - twitter

T. Perran Mitchell

T. Perran Mitchell is a writer, letterer, and all around maker of things. He is the creator and publisher of The Chronicles of the Tal Nor, a high adventure fantasy comic that weaves together elements of criminal drama, inventive fantasy, and realistic heroes bringing justice to a lawless world. In addition to working on his own comics T. has contributed to numerous other projects as a letterer and writer.  Most notable is the upcoming Club 27 from Red Stylo Media.  He currently resides in a creepy old house on the outskirts of Phoenixville PA, spending all his time crafting things from words and yarn.

tal-nor.com twitter

Jasmine Pinales

Jasmine has spent most of her life in Virginia. She thought Biology was the one for her in college, but had an amicable break up when the Chemistry got too difficult. She finished strong returning to her lifelong love, Art, and focused her attention on Comics. Her work has been featured in the Less Than Epic Fanbook and online. She enjoys being a bit of an internet nobody, fewer people to let her know when she's been wrong.

jasmine-pinales.com twitter tumblr: @meisterjdraws tumblr: @jpdsbimonthly

A.D. Puchalski

A.D. Puchalski is an illustrator and cartoonist with an interest in smashing together pop culture, water colors and fantasy themes. And ponies.

angeldevilland.com twitter tumblr: @adpuchalski

Mike Manley

Mike Manley was born in Detroit, Michigan and has been drawing and working in comics and commercial art since he was 15. He has been a working comic book professional since the age of 23. His powerful and expressive drawings, dynamic inks and strong story telling skills, have made him an in-demand artist for some of comic’s top titles for all of the major publishers. In 1990 Mike co-created and drew the character Darkhawk for Marvel. In 1996 Mike broke into the animation field and joined the staff at Warner Bros., doing storyboards and background designs for Batman, Superman, Venture Bros and more. In 2001 Mike started his twice Eisner Award nominated Draw! Magazine and teaches storyboarding, drawing and cartooning classes at The University of the Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

drawman.blogspot.com tumblr: @mikemanleycomics

See them at the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL 2015 Saturday, October 31 – Halloween! 11 am – 6 pm @ The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 Website – Facebook – Event Page – Twitter

[locustmooncomics]

LMCF2015 Creators: Shrewsbury, Ryan, Maynard, Dragunas

Aaron Shrewsbury

Aaron Shrewsbury is a cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer and book maker from West Virginia. He has been living in the Upper Valley area of Vermont and New Hampshire for the last three years where he graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in 2014.

tumblr: @aarondshrewsbury

Shannon Ryan & Martha Maynard

Shannon Ryan and Martha Maynard are young illustrators based out of Philadelphia making work geared towards children's books, editorial, and textile design.

Shannon's tumblr: @sundaysours Martha's tumblr: @marthmay

J.M. Dragunas

A self-taught illustrator working in a semi-antiquated style. Contributed to the Eisner- and Harvey-winning Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream anthology from Locust Moon Press. Spends most of his time on his creator owned title, The Sires of Time - which is currently on Kickstarter.

facebook - twitter tumblr: @jmdragunas

See them at the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL 2015 Saturday, October 31 – Halloween! 11 am – 6 pm @ The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 Website – Facebook – Event Page – Twitter

[locustmooncomics]

LMCF2015 Creators: Shrestha, Lee, Zych, Damodar

Anuj Shrestha

Anuj Shrestha was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and grew up in Alaska and Colorado. His comics have appeared in various anthologies, including Rabid Rabbit, C'est Bon and Future Shock. He is currently working on the 5th issue of his horror/noir comics series, Genus.

anujink.com twitter   tumblr: @anujink

Haan Lee

Haan likes stories about the barely surreal, the vaguely weird, and the quietly absurd. He likes stories where small picture people wander big picture worlds. He likes stories that have roots in science, science fiction, and speculation. Haan strives to create what he likes. Haan lives in New York with his superior half and their vastly inferior cat.

haanlee.com twitter - behance  tumblr: @leezusconleche

Jenny Zych

Jenny Zych is an illustrator from Pennsylvania and graduated from The School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Illustration in 2013. Some know her as Jenny Knifefight. She recently worked with ROAR comics on Madballs Artist Edition, which debuted at New York Comic Con.

jennyzych.com twitter   tumblr: @jennyknifefight

Hiten Damodar

Hiten Damodar is a tattoo artist based out of New Jersey and Maryland. He works at Powerhouse Tattoo Co. in Montclair, NJ and Black Anchor Tattoo in Denton, Maryland.

twitter - instagram

See them at the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL 2015 Saturday, October 31 – Halloween! 11 am – 6 pm @ The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 Website – Facebook – Event Page – Twitter