MoCCA Fest 2022: Tim Hamilton's Rabbit Who Fights Nos. 3 & 4

At MoCCA Fest in April, I picked up two of New Yorker cartoonist Tim Hamilton's Rabbit Who Fights anthologies, nos. 3 and 4, and had him sign them. I also grabbed a couple of illustrated stickers and a couple of business cards too. This was twelve dollars well spent, and provided a good exposure to the artist's variety of styles.

This thing is on the cover of issue 5:

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MoCCA Fest 2022: Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre by Glynnis Fawkes

The MoCCA Arts Fest 2022 gave me the opportunity to catch up on some recent graphic novels. Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre has been on my short list since its publication in 2019, but this was the time to get a copy personalized by author Glynnis Fawkes. Reader, she signed it.

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MoCCA Fest 2022: R. Sikoryak's Terms and Conditions

In 2017, the versatile R. Sikoryak worked the voluminous iTunes terms and conditions into a graphic novel populated by many recognizable, if somewhat scruffy, comic characters. Having agreed to such terms and conditions myself over the years in various versions, I thought it might finally be time to read them. The author was at MoCCA Fest last weekend, making it the ideal opportunity to pick up a signed—and bearded—copy.

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MoCCA Fest 2022: Derf Backderf's Kent State

As I walked into the MoCCA Arts Fest on Saturday, Derf Backderf was the first artist I encountered. There was no way I wast going to miss the opportunity to get a signed copy of his Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (2020). And just look at the original drawing he added! This is one of those books I would very likely have picked up in 2020 or 2021 at MoCCA Fest if the even hadn't been canceled owing to the pandemic. Now all of us clearly had some catching up to do.

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Jennifer Hayden's The Story of My Tits and Other Books

My final purchases at the MoCCA Arts Festival 2019 were all graphic works by Jennifer Hayden starting with her best-known book, The Story of My Tits (2015), which was nominated for an Eisner award. The book is paperbound and I managed to crease the cover in transit even before getting it home. This is the number one reason I prefer hardcover books: my own clumsiness.

Jennifer Hayden
The Story of My Tits (2015)

With a drawing of a neolithic Venus

Her most recent collection is A Flight of Chickens (2018). It contains, so far as I can figure, some of her older comics:

Jennifer Hayden
A Flight of Chickens (2018)

Rushes:  A Comix Diary dates from 2013. I would go on record here as objecting to the cutesy spelling of comics with an x if it didn't make me sound so hopelessly old and curmudgeonly.

Jennifer Hayden
Rushes:  A Comix Diary (2013)

Underwire was published in 2011:

Jennifer Hayden
Underwire (2011)

Coming soon, one hopes, is Le Chat Noir, named for the celebrated 19th century bohemian nightclub in Montmartre. The cat, as it appeared in posters for the cabaret, is modeled after that of Théophile Alexandre Steinlen. The preview was given away gratis with the purchase of copies of The Story of My Tits and Ms. Hayden was good enough to sign it too.

Jennifer Hayden
Le Chat Noir: A Preview of a Travel Novella in Progress

Note:  This post marks Jennifer Hayden's first appearance on Attempted Bloggery. Let's hope for many more.

This post also concludes the comprehensive review of my recent acquisitions at MoCCA Fest 2019. If you yourself picked up something extraordinary there, why not send in a photo or two? I promise to at least look at it if not post it here on the blog. 


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Signed Books with Original Sketches

MoCCA Fest

Attempted Bloggery's Titular Index

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Mark Alan Stamaty's MacDoodle St.

My earliest visits to the annual MoCCA Arts Festival in New York a few years back were largely unplanned. These visits were nevertheless successful because of seemingly chance encounters and random finds, but much of my time was spent trying to orient myself to the vast convention floor filled with unfamiliar work by mostly independent comic artists unknown to me. In succeeding years I've broadened my interests a little and devoted more time to planning which signings and panel discussions I would attend. This year I came both days and attended  a total of five panels. At the top of my agenda for MoCCA Fest 2019 was meeting artist Mark Alan Stamaty and grabbing a copy of the new edition of MacDoodle St. (1980, 2019). I am happy to report my success on both counts.

There's a lot to look at and a lot to like in Stamaty's presentation doodles, if I may call them that. For example, I always want to see what he draws on the neckties.

Note:  Attempted Bloggery seeks images of original art by Mark Alan Stamaty, including interesting souvenir doodles such as this one.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Mark Alan Stamaty

Signed Books with Original Doodles

MoCCA Fest

Jules Feiffer

Attempted Bloggery's Streetwise Index

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Peter Kuper's Ruins

It's only this past year that I learned what a superb job Peter Kuper does at providing fans with original sketches in his books. Naturally I made it a point to stop by his table at MoCCA Fest 2019. He's a popular guy with many fans both of his graphic novels as well as his MAD magazine Spy vs. Spy work. I think of him more as a New Yorker cartoonist, of course, but he has no books—yet—highlighting this facet of his career. That's no problem as I'm more than happy to acquire a copy of his Eisner Award winning Ruins (2015). Besides, I've been kicking myself for not snatching up a copy at previous MoCCA Fests when it was merely an acclaimed graphic novel but not yet an Eisner winner. To my surprise and amazement, it's still in its first printing!

Note:  It should be obvious that Peter Kuper does a really nice job on these book sketches. Readers lucky enough to have their own original books with drawings by Peter Kuper are invited to submit them for possible inclusion in a future blog post. No need to thank me; it's what I do.

Outstanding acquisitions from MoCCA Fest 2019 in general are also welcome. Submit away!

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Peter Kuper

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books with Original Drawings

Attempted Bloggery's Kafkaesque Index

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Gary Panter's Songy of Paradise and Dal Tokyo

At the MoCCA Arts Festival 2019 I came across Gary Panter signing copies of his works at the Fantagraphics table. Two of his big books were on hand, and I ended up purchasing both. First was Songy of Paradise (2017), a reimagining of Milton's Paradise Regained, itself based on Jesus' temptations in the desert.

Gary Panter
Songy of Paradise, 2017

I liked the way Panter drew Songy with the vulture—liked it enough to take a chance on a copy of Dal Tokyo (2012). This one takes place on the planet Mars as it is being terraformed by Texan and Japanese workers. Right up my alley…

Gary Panter
Dal Tokyo, 2012

Well, the comics here are a little less coherent than Songy. Still, I think it's great that Panter is so generous in providing sketches to his fans. Ultimately, though, why draw these sketches on patterned endpapers? The drawings would look far better on a plain white sheet. There's a good reason most comic artists place their sketches on clean page surfaces.


Note:  Back at MoCCA Fest 2018, the Fantagraphics table did not stock plastic bags big enough to hold some of the books being sold and the situation this year was no different. Last year I resorted to buying a Society of Illustrators tote bag and I made a note to myself to bring it along with me this year. So in order to prepare for a potential MoCCA Fest buying spree this year, I got out the old tote bag and carefully stowed it in my car. Then I parked my car across town and left the tote bag in it.

Readers with their own original book sketches by Gary Panter, if they're significantly different from the ones already shown here, are invited to submit them for inclusion in a future blog post. On Mars.

Rest assured, my posts about books collected at MoCCA Fest 2019 will continue in the coming days. If you wish to have me consider posting your own acquired books, by all means send along images of them.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Gary Panter

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books with Original Sketches

Attempted Bloggery's Tempting Index

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Joe Ciardiello's A Fistful of Drawings

I met illustrator Joe Ciardiello at the MoCCA Arts Festival this month—twice. Still, I did not manage to swing by his book signings for A Fistful of Drawings, his 2019 homage to the Spaghetti Western. No matter; the artist had the foresight to leave a signed copy adorned with an original cowboy sketch at the Fantagraphics table. I was only too happy to claim it.

Note:  Today marks Joe Ciardiello's first appearance here on Attempted Bloggery. With any luck there will be many more.

As you already may have noted, MoCCA Fest 2019 was a great opportunity to acquire signed books, many of them bearing original sketches. I have been showcasing my library acquisitions here (with interruptions) for about a week now and in about another week (also with interruptions) I should be done. For now.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books with Original Sketches

Attempted Bloggery's Index of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Amy Kurzweil's Flying Couch

Part of the challenge of navigating MoCCA Fest is making sure one has the flexibility to go after things one never expected one was going to find. Case in point for me was coming across New Yorker cartoonist Amy Kurzweil signing copies of her graphic memoir Flying Couch (2016). I had been wanting to pick up a copy of this book for a while now and clearly this was my golden opportunity. I don't exactly remember what I said to her—surely something smooth and sophisticated—but on the basis of her inscription she seemed somewhat unsure whether this personalized copy of her book was ever going to end up on this blog. Amy  Kurzweil, there was never any doubt.

Note:  Today represents Amy Kurzweil's first appearance on the old blog. As one might expect I'm looking for examples of her original art, preliminary sketches, and uniquely personalized books to include in future posts. 

I have been systematically going through my acquisitions at MoCCA Fest 2019, although I do have other things planned for the next three days. Don't worry, the blog has plenty of time to get through all this.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books with Original Sketches—Like This One

Attempted Bloggery's Couch Trippy Index

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Heretics! by Steven Nadler and Ben Nadler

Spinoza scholar Steven Nadler is the author of Heretics!, a graphic novel subtitled The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy. Okay, I'm in. It is illustrated by his son, Ben Nadler, who was signing copies at MoCCA Arts Festival 2019. Actually, he was signing other books so I had to purchase this copy at one table and carry it to him at another table on a different floor, but the end-result is the same.

Note:  There's more coming about my acquisitions at MoCCA Fest 2019, but tomorrow we'll pause for my "Blog Post No. 2900." It's what we in the trade call a minor milestone.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Steven Nadler

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books with Original Sketches

Attempted Bloggery's Meaningful Index

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MoCCA Fest 2019: Mort Gerberg's Cartooning: The Art and the Business

The MoCCA Arts Festival is an annual two-day convention devoted primarily to independent comics and cartoons. I've attended each year since 2012 with one regrettable exception—2017—and it's taken me all these years to hone my strategy for taking it all in. MoCCA Fest is big: it fills two levels of Metropolitan West, a capacious exhibition space just across the street from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, with panel discussions held throughout the day in two additional conference rooms located offsite at Ink48, a fortuitously-named hotel located at the site of a former print shop two blocks north. This year was especially challenging because so many of the panel discussions were of interest to me on both days. After the Saturday panel covering cartoonist Mort Gerberg's legendary fifty-year career, I met the cartoonist at a signing table with my used copy of Cartooning: The Art and the Business (1989). He seemed surprised to see it, apparently believing he had all the surviving copies in his basement, and he signed it graciously.

Note:  Allowing for the usual digressions to which I have become accustomed, it wilI take at least two weeks to review all the books I obtained at MoCCA Fest 2019. Stick around for the ride.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Mort Gerberg

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books

Attempted Bloggery's Artful and Businesslike Index

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MoCCA Arts Festival 2019

Today is the first day of the MoCCA Arts Festival 2019 in New York City. If you can find the Battleship Intrepid, you can find your way to the MoCCA Fest at Metropolitan West this weekend. When you get there don't forget to say hi to me. No doubt you'll find me fawning over the cartoonists.

Maria and Peter Hoey
MoCCA Arts Fest 2019

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

MoCCA Fest Through the Years (My Years)

Attempted Bloggery's Intrepid Index

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MoCCA Fest 2018: Roz Chast

Cartoonist Roz Chast has been contributing to the New Yorker since 1978. She was a guest of honor at this year's MoCCA Arts Festival. Some eleven pieces of her original art were on display at Metropolitan West. She was interviewed live in front of a very appreciative audience by Gil Roth for his Virtual Memories Show podcast. On Sunday she participated in a panel session. My final acquisition at MoCCA Fest 2018 was a copy of Ms. Chast's What I Hate: From A to Z (2011) which she signed and inscribed to me at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund table. My work is done here.

Roz Chast
What I Hate:  From A to Z
New York:  Bloomsbury, 2011

Personalized by Roz Chast

Roz Chast

What I Hate

Pre-Existing Conditions
Roz Chast
Original art
The New Yorker, December 9, 2013

Pre-Existing Conditions
Roz Chast
The New Yorker, December 9, 2013

Yenta Theatre Presents:  Waiting for Godot
Roz Chast
Original art
The New Yorker, November 28, 2016

Yenta Theatre Presents:  Waiting for Godot
Roz Chast
The New Yorker, November 28, 2016

Ode to Hamantashan
Roz Chast
Original art

The Houseplant Cemetery
Roz Chast
Original art
The New Yorker, December 19, 2016

The Houseplant Cemetery
Roz Chast
The New Yorker, December 19, 2016

Roz Chast in conversation with Gil Roth
April 7, 2018

The Virtual Memories Show #268

Roz Chast Live

Note:  Hamantaschen are pastries made for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Was Ode to Hamantashan ever published and, if so, where?

This week's posts have been devoted to the books and animation art I obtained at MoCCA Fest 2018. I had a great time but I feel I should have bought more.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Roz Chast

Gil Roth

The MoCCA Arts Festival

Signed Books

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Attempted Bloggery's Ode to an Index

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