We wrap up our Peter Bagge MoCCA panel by discussing Libertarian in-fighting, Buddy Bradley condoms, and why you shouldn’t care what Dan Clowes has to say about your licensing deals.
Gahan Wilson was one of two cartoonists I knew I wanted as the subject of a spotlight panel, the minute I saw their names on the publisher attendee list (the other being, of course, Peter Bagge, whose panel is currently three-quarters of the way serialized on this site). Wilson has been popping up at some independent press shows in recent years, thanks largely to the stunning and hefty collection recently released by Fantagraphics, but some reason I’ve had some trouble pinning down the legendary cartoonist for a conversation–and hey, what better excuse to make him clear his schedule than devoting fifty or so minutes to a discussion of his half-century in the industry?
Should you ever find yourself conversing with Wilson in front of a room packed with fans, here’s a little tip: let the cartoonist do the talking. You see, running a panel with the macabre humorist isn’t so much moderating as it is offering up a smattering of topics and watching where his mind goes–and the place is nearly always the same: somewhere utterly fascinating. During my time with Wilson, we discussed storied run with Playboy, his early influences, and the genesis of his subversive children’s strip, Nuts, which is also, set to be collected by Fantagraphics.
But first, I had to begin by asking Wilson about his long history of attending conventions–fantasy, science fiction, and, naturally, comic books. Not surprisingly, my only regret was the stunted length of our conversation.
In this third part of our interview from the Peter Bagge spotlight panel at MoCCA, we discuss the just how closely Buddy Bradley’s life mirrors Bagge’s, how the cartoonist began drawing Libertarian-themed strips for Reason Magazine, and a conversation with Miss North Dakota.
In this second part of our MoCCA spotlight panel, we discuss the genesis of Bagge’s DC Comics Gilbert Hernandez collaboration, Yeah, being at the accidental center of a cultural zeitgeist, and the birth of “grunge pencils.”
[Part One]
We wrap up our interview with the Blammo artist by discussing Victorian trash, Lincoln’s run in with a prostitute, and whether the cartoonist can handle negative feedback.
I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t some selfish motives at play in my decision to curate the programming for MoCCA Fest over the past two years. Among other things, the position affords the opportunity to engage some of the biggest names in the alternative comics scene. And, at least so far as my own fandom is concerned, names don’t come any larger than Peter Bagge. The Hate cartoonist is one of the primary reasons I began reading comics again, years after abandoning superhero books. Bagge’s work also occupies a special place as he was one of the first cartoonists interviewed for this very site, about a month before its official launch.
When Fantagraphics sent in its list of MoCCA guests, I knew I had to lineup a spotlight panel with Bagge. We chatted on Sunday afternoon, in front of a packed room, for what we be our first full interview since this site launched four years ago. For those who weren’t lucky enough to make it to the show, we’ve decided to serialize the conversation, the first of a handful of MoCCA interviews that will appear on the site in the coming weeks.
Enjoy.
In this third part of our conversation with the Blammo artist we discuss superhero conventions, depression, and travelling across north America with John Porcellino.
In this second part of our interview with the Blammo author, we discuss the difficulty of comedic storytelling, cartoonist work ethic, and how Lincoln is like Buddy Bradley.
[Part One]
He was born in the mid-80s, but Noah Van Sciver’s work reads like the product of a bygone era. The 60s, perhaps, when serialized humor books weren’t so rare a site. Sure, like many of his peers the Colorado cartoonist is working on a longer piece–a full-length graphic novel retelling Lincoln’s pre-presidential life–but his jittery line work feels as though it might be more at home in some long out of print issue of Zap or Weirdo–you know, back when they used to spell comics with an “x.”
It’s perhaps fitting then, that we kicked of our interview with the Blammo artist by discussing Harvey Pekar, psychedelic comics, and why Van Sciver thinks Marvel should let him draw a 21st century update of Howard the Duck.
We wrap up our conversation with the Gaylord Phoenix author by discussing food fetishes, the unsexiness of violence, and the secret history of Chicago.
BROWSE 
