Minneapolis is a great place for comics. Have I said that enough?

Last weekend, two of our best festivals fell on the same date.  For one day only you could attend either the Rain Taxi Book Festival or FallCon.  Pretty good for the people of Minneapolis.  Pretty tough for cartoonists wanting to exhibit at both shows.

The exodus from FallCon this year was substantial — at least ten indie cartoonists went to the Book Festival instead of FallCon.  By all accounts, this year’s FallCon was the best yet.  It’s still a great show, but decidedly more mainstream, which is why more cartoonists are spending money for space at Book Fest instead of enjoying the free tables and wonderful hospitality at FallCon.

No hard feelings, FallCon.  Sometimes a cartoonist just needs to get out and try new things.  Experiment a little.  Test a new market.  And they did.  So how was it?

Danno Klonowski, Minneapolis cartoonist and prominent International Cartoonist Conspiracy member, was kind enough to write us a little something about his experience exhibiting for the first time at the Rain Taxi Book Festival.  Full particulars after the cut.

– SM

This past Saturday, October 16th, the 10th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival was held in downtown Minneapolis. In the decade that Book Fest has existed, this weekend marked only my second time attending. The first time was in 2003, and then only as a spectator, when a few of the early Cartoonist Conspirators and I went to go hear a talk from, and then meet, the legendary Peter Kuper who was that year’s cartooning Guest of Honor.

In the years since, Book Fest has played host to the likes of Harvey Pekar and Jaime Hernandez. But — and it still shocks me to say this — the vast Minnesota comics community of both creators and fans were largely oblivious to such greats being in our own backyard. The reason for our collective ignorance is simple: In the years following 2003, Book Fest and FallCon (MN’s own take on the standard, big-time comic con) have always fallen on the EXACT SAME WEEKEND!

As an exhibiting creator, the choice of which event to attend has always seemed more or less obvious. FallCon offers creators free (yes, FREE!) tables but charges an admission fee for attendees.  Book Fest lets everyone through the door at no cost, but exhibitors pay a table fee (albeit a reasonable one compared to the aforementioned standard, big-time comic cons).

FallCon is run by Nick Post and the fabulous Midwest Comic Book Association.  They have been pushing our thriving indie comic scene on attendees largely hungry for superheroes and action figures.  The level of appreciation for indie cartoonists at FallCon, then, falls into some middle ground.

According to Book Fest organizer Eric Lorberer, “We’ve always wanted more involvement from the local comics community.” Still, if you were a MN comic book fan, would you go to the show without the word “comic” anywhere in the description? Until last year, FallCon was a two-day event whereas Book Fest only occurs on Saturday. While basic math proves both events could be attended in a broken-up weekend by a creator, it’s been my experience that Saturday is the “money day” at FallCon, and Sunday is mostly reserved for socializing, networking, nursing hangovers and spending all the money you made on Saturday. So until this year, I only exhibited at one show. The comics one.

In 2010 two events transpired which caused myself (and several other indie creators) to skip out on the autumnal fanboy classic in favor of the gathering for the literary set. The first event was that FallCon and it’s little one-day sister MicroCon switched places, turning MicroCon into the two-day SpringCon and FallCon into the micro one-day event it will remain for here on out. The second event was MIX — The Minneapolis Indie Expo — our little fly-over hamlet’s first big indie show. MIX was everything my fellow indie creators and I had always hoped for. Instead of a day spent making awkward eye contact with each other as a gaggle of Storm Troopers sauntered past, we were all too busy engaging a very large crowd of curious, fascinated, and genuinely appreciative indie-friendly fans. Best of all, the Midwest Comic Book Association was so cool with this upstart indie show that they even helped with the physical set-up and promotion of it.

So when offered by my friend Kevin Cannon to try something new, something possibly MIX-ish, and join him at Book Fest I jumped at the chance. Kevin is one of the very few regular comic exhibitors at Book Fest. In years past he did Book Fest on Saturday while his Big Time Attic studio partner Zander Cannon (they’re sisters or something) did FallCon. Both would then be in attendance at FallCon on Sunday. The same goes for 2D Cloud, a local mini-comic publisher operated by Raighne and Maggie Hogan. Half the team goes to Book Fest, half the team to FallCon, and then the grand reunion occurs on the Lord’s Day.

Michael Drivas, owner and operator of Big Brain Comics, has always had a table at Book Fest, being for many years the lone representative of the graphic novel form that the NPR-listening attendees had been hearing so much about. Drivas chooses Book Fest over FallCon because he feels it to be much better promotion for his downtown Minneapolis store than FallCon, which occurs at the State Fair Grounds in St. Paul.

While I didn’t get into the particulars of “Why Book Fest?” with all the indie comic creators on-hand, the ones I did speak with more or less echoed my decision-making process. And there were several of us, including Lars Martinson, Tom Kaczynski, Zak Sally, Will Dinski, Lupi McGinty, Mike Toft, Bill Prendergast and Cartoonist Conspiracy founder Steven Stwalley (who actually did double duty, leaving the FallCon Conspiracy table in capable hands halfway through the day so he could hit up Book Fest). The Minnesota Historical Society Press book Superheroes, Strip Artists, and Talking Animals: Contemporary MN Cartoonists by Britt Aamodt debuted a month ahead of its official release date at Book Fest and features many of the artists listed above, as well as Ken Avidor and Andy Singer who also showed up to show their support of both the book and Book Fest.

While there was a limited amount of Aamodt’s books at FallCon, the publishers put most of their advanced copies in Book Fest’s hands since author Britt Aamodt was moderating a panel on MN cartoonists at the show. The panel brought out even more creators including recent MN transplant, and Vertigo darling, Bill Willingham. While I didn’t get a chance to speak with him, I did meet and chat it up with panelists Michelle Silva, creator of Love Buzz from Oni Press, and Duluth’s Chris Monroe, creator of the syndicated strip Violet Days.

Aside from finally getting to hold Aamodt’s book in my hands (yes, I am one of its featured cartoonists), meeting Monroe was the highlight of the show for me. In addition to being a fan, we’ve been social network “friends” for a while and it was thanks to dear old Facebook that she recognized me, leading to a delightful conversation. As for the panel itself, talk of what it “means” to be a MN cartoonist broke down pretty quickly into an informational session on what it “means” to be a strip cartoonist, a new-comer in the age of the internet, a mini-comics and Top Shelf artist, and a Big Two war-horse. If the panel’s purpose was to open the average, non-comic reader’s eyes to the varied world we’re all deeply familiar with it more than succeeded. Willingham and Dinski did a great job of keeping the levity going, and the final, totally non-ironic Q&A question of “Who are your influences? Like the guy who does The Simpsons or Cathy?” had everyone in stitches.

Organizer Eric Lorberer said, “I’m heartened that so many indie cartoonists have opted to join our show and bring their work to a wider-than-comics-only audience. There’s no question that indie comics have benefited from increased awareness on the part of traditional book readers — and vice versa!”

I’d have to agree.  I think with such an undeniable presence this year, people will hopefully come to EXPECT a cartoonist turn-out next year. “We’d absolutely welcome an ‘indie comic show within a book fair’ vibe,” said Lorberer, “and we’re even looking at renting more space so that an expansion like that can happen.”

Ultimately though, the question has to be “Book Fest: Was it worth it?”

Like every show I’ve ever done, the final tally for other creators is a closely guarded state secret, but everyone seemed to be happy with the choice they made. The overall consensus seemed to be that a crowd who would never attend FallCon was well-served at Book Fest, and everyone they missed at FallCon would be well-served at SpringCon next April.

“I wouldn’t want to take anything away from such a beloved and longstanding show as FallCon,” said Lorberer, “and I think it’s unfortunate that our date coincided with theirs. In the past their shows have been two weekend days, giving both comics enthusiasts and professionals more opportunities to see both. Hopefully enhanced communication can prevent something like that from happening again.”

Well, I guess we’ll have to wait until 2012 to find out. Both FallCon and Book Fest 2011 will occur on October 15th.

– Danno Klonowski

Somewhere in the back of my hipster brain an alarm went off.  Seemed like ComicSpace.com (someone’s answer to MySpace.com back in its heyday) had been silent too long.  It was due for a comeback.  Or something.

Checked the site today and look what I found:

ComicSpace.com as it appears today

What could this mean? And do you care?

I began revisiting the site on July 15, 2010, after trying to find some information on a Guest Strip artist that would help shape his bio. (MJ, quoted below, if you must know. Look for his Guest Strip on Friday.)

ComicSpace.com/smorean as it appeared on July 15, 2010

Apparently, I hadn’t logged in for about three years. Go figure.

After joining in December 2006, it took me about seven months to realize I didn’t know what to do on that site, so I left. Not for any other thing — there wasn’t and still isn’t much competition for ComicSpace as an online social network strictly for cartoonists — but it just wasn’t fulfilling for me. And for many others, I learned, as I clicked through my freinds’ abandoned profiles.  ComicSpace had become a wasteland.  Its most recent user on that date had signed up months ago and I really wondered what that person would find to do on there.

Here are some quick responses from active and inactive ComicSpace users about their experience with the site:

Box Brown:

I am currently owed at least 4 months of ad revenue from comicspace which took over my ads on boxbrown.com a few years back.  They are giving me the runaround and want nothing more than to see them fail.

Comicspace as a whole?  I’ve never figured out any real way to use the site.

Will Dinski:

I only used ComicSpace the first month or so when it was active. I didn’t even know it was down. I don’t use it anymore, really.

I wasn’t sure if maybe other people were still using it. So I keep my comics there in case anyone is interested in reading them.

MJ:

Over all I have made quite a few contacts, as for an audience not so much. Really geared towards comic book field. So if you aren’t creating comic books the contact angle is probably not a viable resource for an audience angle I see no use for it.

I use it weekly to keep up with fellow comic book creators.

Yes they are switching over to a WordPress format. You are able to use all the features WordPress offers albeit you have to upgrade for some features. But all the normal Bells and Whistles are there. I am not sure what else will be available as they are down right now for the upgrade. I was disappointed that ComicSpace allowed so much spam, and it seemed like there was nothing really being done about it. I use it to keep in contact with a few fellow comic book artists like Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon) as well as a few others to see what they are doing, and to post bulletins for projects I’m involved with. Like I mentioned earlier this was geared towards the comic book market creators, and a great place to reach those that create comics.

The actual usefullness for making contacts is great. Especially if you are looking for artists, or writers. But as a place to grab an audience this is not the platform you would want to use. Especially comic strip artists. You will not gain an audience through this venue. We will see what happens when they change over to the new format though, which I am personally not that excited about. I already have enough work to do besides going back into ComicSpace and recoding another WordPress site. I wish they would do something about all that spam that never seems to go away. C’mon if you create comics your in, if not hit the trail. How do you do that? Approval for member requires actual artwork to posted before you are accepted.

Thanks to MJ for illuminating the situation for me.  What I hoped might be a huge overhaul seems to be just a move to a new platform.  Hopefully to shake some bugs out.

It’s too bad, in a way.  ComicSpace was never ideal, but I sort of wish there was a place where cartoonists could gather online and share trade secrets and new artwork that was buzzy and fun like Facebook, but ComicSpace has never made that leap. The best place for cartoonists to gather right now, it seems, is at conventions. Maybe it’s a little old-school, but it’ll do.

- Sarah Morean

I’m back from APE and have collected an impressive batch of minis for you to win!  I hope some of you have good costumes planned for this weekend, because it’s anyone’s game! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

FIVE LUCKY COSTUME CONTEST WINNERS WILL RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Hand-made silk-screened mini pouch
2. L.A. Diary by Gabrielle Bell The limited edition release from Uncivilized Books featuring a rare glimpse into Bell’s own sketch book!
3. Milky Way Shuffle by Elio One to look out for!
4. Sour Leaves #3 by Brendan Monroe The world’s last known copies of Monroe’s beautiful 2006 mini!
5. Covered in Confusion by Will Dinski Winner of the 2009 Isotope Award!
6. Prologue by Kenan The book you unfold to read!
7. One of the following:
   • Disquietville Volume 2 by Daniel Spottswood
   • Manny + Bigfoot by Meghan Hogan
   • The Colorblind Art Teacher #2 by Mark Teel
   • Just So You Know #1 by Joey Alison Sayers
   • Ballad of the Intrepideers #1-2 by Brett Von Schlosser, Kelly Krantz and Tim Sievert

- Sarah Morean

Isotope Award 2009 from Sarah Morean on Vimeo.

I’ve often thought of independent comics as the great social equalizer. By this I mean that no indie cartoonist or fan walking alone into a room full of similar stock should be able to leave without a friend. My estimation of indie comics, it seems, was too naive. See, until last weekend, I’d never been further west than Denver. The indie shows I’d seen were packed with internet acquaintances, kind artists recalling my fan letters, and other Midwesterners. In other words, people that I already knew. I’d been biased, for sure.

Going to APE for the first time, I learned that the west coast scene is so large, it can very easily make you feel like an outsider — especially when you are.  There are enough west coast shows to occupy a creator’s time, and due to the cost of travel, I don’t think many west coast creators appearing at APE, Stumptown and the San Francisco Zine Fest also feel the need to exhibit at MoCCA, SPX or SPACE (AKA shows I might attend).  This is one reason why it’s a good idea to get into California once in awhile.  Otherwise, you might never meet these cartoonists.  However, it’s also a possible explanation for why the Friday night mixer at Last Gasp was such a rough place meet people.  If they all know each other already, then why should they care about you when they have no idea who you are?

Last Gasp is basically a warehouse. It’s expansive and full of great media, so if there was a friendly face to be found, it was likely in a book.  At least the bartender was hospitable, despite the fact that the two heaping bowls of dried fruit he pushed on revelers remained largely untouched. I took his good attitude — sustained in spite of constant fruit bowl rejection — as a sign not to give up.

"I like your mustache."

I attended APE with Will Dinski, who by Friday already had an inkling that his book Covered in Confusion would be the winner of the 2009 Isotope Award.  We’d been tipped off long ago by veteran Isotope recipient Max Riffner that the Isotope winner is not “suddenly announced” the day of, but is contacted ahead of time to insure the recipient’s attendance at the show and subsequent ceremony.  When Will got an email on Thursday saying he was a finalist, and would he be around, it was kind of a big deal.  I had a lot of trouble keeping the news under wraps.  We later learned that he won “in a landslide” to quote the judges, which means that Covered in Confusion made the top 5 of each of the judges’ lists.  While we stood around at Last Gasp on Friday night being unpopular, we joked quietly, awkwardly, about what would happen once he was revealed as the winner on Saturday night.  We predicted some confused silence and a disappointed crowd.  “Who is this guy?  Who does he think he is winning our awards on our turf?  Don’t California’s confusing seller’s licenses preclude that sort of thing?”  Ha?  Cough.

After walking the circuit at Last Gasp, we luckily made the acquaintance of Simon Gardenfors and his posse, which was comprised of Robin Enrico and a girl I’ll only remember as “The Boss.”  Gardenfors is an autobio cartoonist and America’s next great Swedish import.  The English translation of his book 120 Days of Simon is due out from Top Shelf next year.

The tone set by the Last Gasp mixer made me nervous for the first day of APE. It was a bit disorienting, kind of elitist, quickly out of beer, and promptly closed (as advertised) at 9pm.

We wound up asleep on Friday at an all-too reasonable hour, and arrived early to APE on Saturday morning to set the table.  The view of the floor that morning though was fantastic. It seemed like the exhibitors setting up ASAP had the most large and exciting displays.  Very impressive.  But even those creators that wowed me in the beginning kind of faded away by the afternoon, because once all the tables were full and the floor was buzzing with attendees, they just blended in with the rest.

The much coveted tiger print.

It would be very difficult to stand out at APE.  Most creators agreed that the space held too many tables and didn’t lure in enough attendees.  Also at APE, rumor has it that nobody makes much of a profit.  It’s fine, but the average creator’s haul is below what they’d take in at other comparable shows.  Of course, considering the low table cost, I wonder if it evens out in the end.  Since I wasn’t really exhibiting (apart from the Cross Hatch bags) I saw APE as a good place to go and get ideas that I could take back to smaller shows, or craft fairs in my hometown.  Even the worst display at APE would probably be the best display at most conventions, because at APE the bar for eye-catching graphics and display gear is set pretty high.

Because APE comes on the heels of a very busy convention season, its identity seems to be a a mash-up of the past several months of big conventions.  I thought, if it wasn’t all comics, it would be all hand-made books and ironic t-shirts, but forgot to consider that it’s a west coast show.  Pretty much anyone already primed to sell in California is who you’ll find at APE, so you see some more mainstream items — like zombie and pin-up girls — that seem a little out of place but definitely have their audience.  Certain ideas trickle down from the big shows into APE, simmer over the winter, and leak out re-imagined next season.  APE is part of the great circle of regeneration within the indie comics medium, but it would be a tough show to table year after year, given the sales and gargantuan floor space.

I even had a tough time giving my Cross Hatch bags away.  I’m a lousy salesperson, but c’mon.  Free handmade bags?  I was even turned down by a guy with his hands full of stuff he could barely carry.  If I had it rough, I don’t envy the real exhibitors.

The Isotope Award Ceremony was a lot of fun.  Before the bar opened Will and I ran into Top Shelf’s Brett Warnock, the night’s temporary bartender.  He had just gone out of his way to find a pepper for the margaritas and was headed back to Isotope when we crossed paths.  It seems Warnock has tended bar before, so he obviously knows what’s up, but I’d never heard of the pepper-margarita marriage, and I was pretty excited to try it.  In the middle of our stop-and-chat, Brett took the pepper from its paper bag, gave it a discerning look, nipped a small bite off the end, and rolled his eyes — it wasn’t hot at all.  It was like they’d given him the most tepid pepper in the store, made and sold especially for gringos.  He was obviously having none of that.  I’m not sure if the pepper ever made it into the margarita, but my margarita was tasty regardless.

Will and I were still pretty much wallflowers by the time the Isotope Award was given away, but just watch the video at the top of this post to see how quickly that changed.  It wasn’t so much the quiet arm-crossing response we’d expected; it was more like a deafening love fest.  Thanks to Nate Beaty for his incredible, immediate kindness from day one and Jonas Madden-Connor (Isotope winner 2008) and Francois Vigneault of Family Style for the same.  They are all good dudes to know, which is good, because they were the only people we knew at Isotope before the announcement was made.

Francois Vigneault and Jonas Madden-Connor doing "the turkey."

After many surreal hours of strangers taking photographs of my boyfriend and a long battle with sleepiness in the upstairs reading room, where I was able to re-read some of my favorite minis like Disquietville #2 and Shithole, we were finally transported back to our hotel by a guy who looked like Racetrack Higgins from “Newsies.”  No kidding.  “Higgins” later reported that the party went on until 4am until it broke for donuts at a 24-hour shop.  Guess it’s true what they say about west coast parties.

Sunday at APE was much like Saturday at APE except that Lilli Carre and her latest Little Otsu print were nowhere to be found, there was a trophy on our table, and suddenly the on-site bar didn’t look so appealing.

BYO boot glass to the Isotope Award Ceremony.

On Sunday, I went around taking photos with my $10 digital “spy camera” from Walgreens, but sadly lost it all due to incompetence.

For more photographs of APE, check out the following links:
Nate Beaty
Fantagraphics
Laughing Squid
lobraumeister
Alternative Press Expo flickr group
Will Dinski

For more photos of the Isotope Award Ceremony, check out the following links:
James Sime
DJ Bearzbub

- Sarah Morean

The Midwest Comic Book Association throws a big event each year called Fallcon.  In most ways it’s a con like any other con.  Costumes, long boxes, xeroxed minis that don’t sell well, and a lot of dudes wearing black coats.

To me, the identity of Fallcon was apparent long ago: it’s just your average hero-worshiping local comic convention.  Make of it what you will, but in the end, creators go because their friends go and the more they go the more friends they know.  It’s fun, but even if you come out a few books light, you’re not leaving with a book deal and you’re rarely getting out with a date.

Fallcon is a hospitality show that fosters comics love in the Twin Cities.  It works that way because it’s basically the pet project of a very successful local comic book shop owner.  Comics love = comics business.  Our good fortune comes as easy as that but it’s not a formula that could work everywhere.  Luckily, this show is very good at achieving it’s mission, but it’s also been decidedly predictable.  Until this year.

I recently noted a change of tone in MCBA’s marketing strategy.  At least, it seemed new to me.  I perceived this year, for the first time, that the identity of Fallcon is slowly attempting to morph.  Into what, I don’t know.  But while Fallcon certainly appears to be just another fanboy-centric con to you — look again.  Look at that postcard!  This year the MCBA slogan for this show was realized by me for the first time.  Suddenly I couldn’t think of Fallcon as “just a con” anymore because, as the postcard notes, it is “A Comic Book Celebration.”

Wait.  “Celebration.” That’s like a party!  Huh-freaking-zah.  We’re all friends here.  It’s about time we got down.

That word “celebration” got me totally psyched to attend Fallcon this weekend, but looking back on things, I think I took it the wrong way.  All weekend long I sought evidence that Fallcon was much more than a sales floor, but was in fact one big swinging bash the likes of which Saint Paul, Minnnesota, would not see again until its next annual, epic appearance in 2010.  We were gonna tear down the rafters and spike the cola and open a kissing booth and gamble on real life Superman vs. Batman combat bouts in the adjacent conference room.

I took my camera and snapped what I could, but found none of this highly anticipated debauchery.  When I finally discovered the source of Fallcon’s celebration mojo, however, I was pleasantly surprised.  And while I’m sure that the celebration aspect of Fallcon takes on different forms for different people, to me it has become something very specific.

I’m taking you now on a photographic tour of the 2009 Fallcon.  Maybe the fruits of my walkabout will prove “celebration” enough to you, but it wasn’t until I reached the final piece of evidence that I really knew what it meant to have a comic book party.

The parade of butt cracks inspired by the low shelves at the Half-Price Books area. (Actual butt cracks withheld due to modesty and courtesy.) Photo substitute is meant to illustrate how EVERYBODY NOTICED the cracks so this image is meant as a cautionary tale. If you go for the low boxes, man, belt yourself in.

The growing body of work from MCAD grad Aaron Poliwoda. Brace yourself, world. No kidding. The effect of Poliwoda's observational essay-style comics, personal confessionals, and crude humor can be strangely engrossing and might be addictive.

Birthday cake. Comes in in an edition of 1/1. Highly collectible.

The ubiquitous Fallcon Superman...in black? Seems Supes was "in mourning" because his real suit was being fixed. No kidding. Had to attend Sunday as Mr. Incredible. Ha ha. Awesome.

Man in a mysterious luchador mask selling porn comics from a long box. Again I say awesome.

The Hulk. Being incredible. Doing the robot?

Sarah met Will at Fallcon three years ago. Aren't you happy for her? Will's books are so pretty. If you buy enough of them next weekend at APE, maybe he will buy Sarah something nice for their anniversary next month.

That guy who sells laminated KISS posters that he draws and colors himself and sells for like $1. They are so awesome! I've got the 17"x12" "Psycho Circus" edition. It features such quotable quotes as "STANDING PROUD COS' WERE THE CHAMPIONS!" and "RAISE YOUR GLASSES!"

The release of "L.A. Diary" by Gabrielle Bell. This mini was published by Uncivilized Books (Tom Kaczynski) for special release during the weekend's concurrent Minneapolis book events. Bell signed at the Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday, and at Fallcon on Sunday. If you have her draw a sketch for you, she will draw your face. THAT is awesome!

So Fallcon was pretty great this year.  Definitely close to party status if you keep standards low. Clearly a non-discriminatory celebration of the comic book in all its forms.  But what really cinched the fun for me?  I will tell you.

Lucy Knisley and John pose in line on Saturday night for the annual FREE STEAK DINNER. Hell yes. Does your local comic book convention throw in a free steak dinner on Saturday night? Didn't think so. Party on, Fallcon. Party on.

Oh yah, and Peter Bagge was there too.  Everybody said he was great to chat with and incredibly nice.  I didn’t get to meet him though.  I guess the MCBA guys have been on him for years to come out as a special guest but this was the year they said pretty please with a cherry on top.  Hopefully he had such a good time, he’ll come back again next year of his own free will and I’ll get to slap him that well-deserved high five for being a great cartoonist.

But seriously guys, free steak for everyone?  That’s quite a gesture, and it’s a Fallcon staple.  That, and good company.  Thanks again, Midwest Comic Book Association!

- Sarah Morean

SPX isn’t so far away. In fact, it’s coming up this weekend. However, it’s an out-of-the-way affair for most of its participants – so I asked the artists, “How are you getting to SPX?” You can expect to read their responses here daily on the Cross Hatch until the big day arrives.

Today’s participant: Will Dinski! Jesse Reklaw!

- Sarah Morean

This weekend marks the 20th Anniversary of the Twin Cities’ premiere comic book convention FallCon! What began in 1989 as a small hotel convention has fully blossomed into a stalwart chunk of the Midwest’s comic culture. I’ve known people to come in from as far as Iowa just to visit. Iowa, I say!

Featuring panels, local indie and mainstream creators, dealers and reliably the Justice League, the event has yet to outgrow its highly unique sense of hospitality. All creator tables are free, and the event is even catered. Soda, tacos, sloppy joes, chips, cake and other delicious foods are available to creators over the two-day event, plus on Saturday night a special dinner is also offered, giving guests an opportunity to unwind and meet. Do other conventions offer their guests steak dinner? I don’t think so. As volunteer Nick Post would say, “We’ll not have any starving artists on our watch!”

FallCon in 1999 at the Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington, MN.

Volunteers from the Midwest Comic Book Association (formerly the Minnesota Comic Book Association) have hosted the event since it began. The surprisingly small group of 25 volunteers meets about 10 times a year outside of event-planning season, and they manage to put on a stellar show each time. In addition to courteously offering small-time artists (like me!) their first chance to table in a cheap, friendly environment, they also raise funds for the Lupus Foundation, the Food Shelf, and the Hero Initiative. MCBA members also serve as resources to burgeoning comic conventions in the region – such as I-CON in Des Moines, Iowa.

On a personal note, I’d like to credit the event with catalyzing my current relationship. I met Will Dinski at FallCon in ‘06 after I’d just moved back to Sioux Falls, SD. I was lamented to note that the state didn’t offer much to the upstart indie cartoonist, and when I got to FallCon I thought it would be nice to tell Sam Hiti that his were the only indie comics currently sold in the whole state. I was waiting in line for him, when I happened to feel rude just standing beside another cartoonist’s table. The very man was Will Dinski, and when I looked at his books I thought, ‘Golly, those sure are some good looking books.’ So we struck up a conversation about Abraham Lincoln in which I learned quickly that Will was way hotter than me, considerably less awkward, and definitely out of my league. That was my reading, at least, but I guess he didn’t think so. Thanks, FallCon!

You can celebrate the 20th Anniversary of FallCon this coming weekend, October 4-5th, 10am-5pm, by visiting the Minnesota State Fairgrounds bandstand. Parking is free. Admission is just $11 per adult for the whole weekend, and children 9-years and under get in for free! Plus, if you bring in a canned food item, you’ll get a $1 discount on adult admission. Another plus: if you get there early you’ll receive some kind of fabulous gift bag full of stuff you totally want, like original drawings from some of the creators.

Fallcon in 2006 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

Sadly, I’ll be at SPX, but if you’re going to FallCon, stop by Tom Anderson’s table. He’s got the best damn Kiss posters you’ll ever see. Other recommended artists include: Tuesday Bassan, Kevin Cannon, Zander Cannon, Katie Cook, Sam Hiti, the International Cartoonist Conspiracy, Tom Kaczynski, Bob Lipski, Ed Moorman, Barbara Schulz, Tim Sievert, Andy Singer, Steve Stwalley, Mike Toft, and many, many others.

- Sarah Morean

Beautiful, Cool, and Irreplaceable
By Will Dinski
Self-Published

Among the lessons that can still be learned from the works F. Scott Fitzgerald is the fact that melodrama and literature need not be mutually exclusive forces, a concept sometimes overlooked in this age of daytime soaps and Danielle Steel paperbacks. In the proper hands, hyperbolic characters and plot points can be an effective tools in spinning a story, without edging too far into the world of self-parody.

Will Dinski has seemingly learned a lot from his fellow Minnesotan, taking a page or two out of Fitzgerald’s character playbook in the crafting of Beautiful, Cool, and Irreplaceable’s cast. They’re rich, they’re troubled, and they possess a propensity for passionate embraces. On a surface level, the character interaction that comprises the majority of the book unfolds like standard soap opera fair. In fact, early on the book, it’s difficult to gauge just how seriously Dinski expects us to take their problems. Surely the average reader of a self-published indie comic must have some difficulty conjuring up the proper empathy for the shallow relationship problems befalling successful movie stars.

Ostensibly, the story about a group of plastic surgeons and their clientele. Dinski’s attentions, however, soon turn to the cracks and flaws and imperfections of being perfect. “I’ve been perfecting you since before you were an actress,” explains Dr. Fingers, the surgeon as the center of the book, critiquing the angle of his star patient’s nose. “My masterpiece. One more surgery and you’ll be perfect.” Moments later, after two silent panels, the two embrace in the privacy of the house’s library during a cocktail party, as their respective partners—one a closeted movie star and the other vainly waging war against the wrinkles on her forehead—wait in the other room. You can practically hear the cheesy transition music swelling to a climax.

Beneath this moment, however, there’s a highly troubling message about the pursuit of perfection in the age of that ultimate status symbol, plastic surgery—one character’s manic obsessions and another’s eagerness to go along for the ride, upon discovering that, even after countless procedures, she is still flawed, or at the very least, has yet to live up to the expectations of man who considers her body little more than a slab of marble to be chiseled as a monument to himself.

Even more troubling is the question that’s truly at the heart of Beautiful, Cool, and Irreplaceable, posed indirectly by Yumiko, the surgeon’s assistant, who, despite remaining silent for a majority of the book, turns out ultimately to be the story’s true star. Yumiko quickly establishes herself as a rising wunderkind in the plastic surgery world, albeit through fairly unorthodox methods. When she pioneers a “Face Augmentor,” which turns its wearer into a near doppelganger of a well-known celebrity, it immediately deflates the value of her mentor’s services. More importantly, however, it calls into question the value of beauty in a world where seemingly timeless concepts can be easily bought and sold. What, if any, currency can we put in the beautiful people we worship, if there are armies of clones marching down the street?

Dinski tells the story with a minimal amount of lines, in many cases doing away with the confines of rectangular panels altogether, lending the book a decidedly brisk quality, which perhaps adds to impressions early on in the reading that the work is, in fact, working on a surface level. It’s effective on one level, but it also demonstrates a few spatial issues on the artist’s part, after crafting so many beautiful diminutive minis.

His characters, however, largely possess flawed symmetry, with profiles that can take on nearly cubist proportions, a subtle reminder, perhaps, of the sometimes conflicting notions of beauty and art, a concept brought directly to the forefront when a partygoer admiring a large classically-styled painting utters, “isn’t it beautiful?” The statement, while addressed at the woman behind him, is clearly rhetorical. “It’s signed by Eshelbiyer. But it’s more likely one of his assistant painted it. A true Eshelbiyer hasn’t been painted in years.” It’s a loaded assessment, to be sure, and now, in retrospect, the foreshadowing of such a statement couldn’t be clearer.

Ultimately, both Dinski’s art and storytelling beg the reader to dig below the surface. Combined they reveal a number of important questions about beauty, celebrity, sexuality, art, and superficiality. Granted, Dinksi asks far more than he could ever possibly hope to answer, but in doing so he demonstrates that sometimes shallowness is only skin deep.

–Brian Heater