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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
NOW ON SALE: Greenblooded, an introduction to eco-friendly feminine hygiene
It’s here! My newest minicomic is available for purchase online!
A good read for ladies and fellas alike, this nonfiction mini gives you the rundown on more eco-friendly approaches to handling your period. It covers the basics of several alternative products, the facts of the menstrual cycle, greener disposables, and discussion about why this is an important issue. 12 pages, $2, good for teens and up!
This has been a bit of a departure from my usual autobio-based storytelling, and I’ve enjoyed the heck out of it. I’d like this project to start conversation, so if you have feedback, corrections, advice, or funny stories of your own, please share them with me!
And if you’re looking for more fun stuff to read, skip on over to my comics page for a list of my other print minicomics and some web-only stories!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Reminder: MoCCA Art Fest 2009 in NYC this weekend!
Don’t forget - this weekend is the annual MoCCA Art Fest in New York City! 11am-6pm Saturday and Sunday at the 69th Regiment Armory, 68 Lexington Avenue, between 25th and 26th Streets. Look for me and my new comics!
Also this weekend is the birthday of Sir Tom Jones. 69 years young, ladies! Celebrate by watching this video and chucking your panties at the monitor.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
This weekend: MoCCA Art Fest and NEW COMICS!
It’s that time of year again!
This weekend is the annual MoCCA Art Festival in New York City, and that means it’s time for some new comics! Come on by my table and check out the debut of my new minicomic, Greenblooded: An introduction to eco-friendly feminine hygiene!
This comic is an educational effort, straying a bit from the autobio wackiness I typically write. It’ll give you the basics on greener ladyproducts with plenty of background on the menstrual cycle and the environmental impact of handling it. If you like ladies, if you are ladies, if you just want to learn more about an issue that’s usually kept on the hush-hush, pick up a copy and start the conversation! If you can’t make it to MoCCA, look for the comic to be on sale on this website next week.
This weekend will also see the debut of two new Star Wars fanbooks from the group that brought you Harvest is When I Need You the Most (with even more creators this time)! Look for Only What You Take With You and And Don’t Forget the Droids, including a two-page story by me! It’s about R2D2. That little guy’s made of awesome.
Forget this coming weekend - do you want to read some comics right now? Then check out the latest trip to Planet Wifey, where black girls rock!
And never mind comics - are you hankering for up to 140 characters of rockin’? Good news for you, then - I’m now on Twitter under @metrokitty. Look for comics updates and plenty of disgusting medical facts.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Maine Comics Arts Festival: Conventions done right
This past weekend, I had an absolutely lovely time attending the Maine Comics Arts Festival. A bunch of pals from the Boston Comics Roundtable and I made the trek up north for the one-day show, where we peddled our wares and hung out with comics buddies and luminaries like Trees and Hills, Becky Cloonan, Kean Soo, and plenty of others.
I’m blown away by the fact that this was the festival’s first time around. Rick of Casablanca Comics and his team made the event run so smoothly and with such organization that I’d think it’d been going for years. I’d like to break down what I thought was successful, to take away for other events.
Organization
- The MeCAF crew set up a main festival website and a blog, which they kept updated constantly with fresh information. I knew that if I had any questions, the blog would be a reliable resource. It was very easy to find directions and instructions.
- They sent plenty of alert emails to participants with festival details and reminders.
- The contact information for MeCAF organizers was convenient to find, and they responded quickly to questions.
Support
- On the festival day, staff wore the bright orange festival T-shirts, and their name badges clearly showed the word "STAFF" (guests’ badges said "GUEST"). They circulated and frequently checked in about anything that they could do to help.
- Free coffee! Good God, have you found the way to my heart.
- MeCAF staff arranged for lunch by taking sandwich orders and payment in the morning and dropping off the goods at your table midday. I was so relieved not to have to abandon my table.
- Prior to the festival, the organizers set up deals with local hotels for special convention rates. This saved cash and worry about having to look up hotels in the area.
Kid-friendliness
As BCR member Alexander Danner points out, the place was flooded with kids and their parents - way more than any of us anticipated. I think my sales wound up lower than usual as a result, since all of my comics are geared for older audiences (I had to shoo a lot of little fingers away from I Survived GWAR), but I’m happy to shrug this away to celebrate kids just lovin’ on comics and bringing new blood and energy into the scene.
- Cheap admission for adults and free admission for kids under 12. This made the event an affordable outing for a whole family. I can’t remember how many times I’d talk to the adults and they’d say "I’m just here with our little budding artist - talk to her!"
- A fun, colorful, and easy-to-read promotional poster
- An all-ages creator as a high-profile guest: Kean "Jellaby" Soo
Social opportunities
In addition to putting on the show itself, the MeCAF crew provided some great get-togethers for the creators to meet and mingle.
- On Saturday night, they held a reception party over on an island in the bay. Taking a ferry to hang out with other comics creators? Pretty cool. Open bar and free appetizers? I’m now your BFF for all time.
- Following the show, they also held an afterparty at a bar within walking distance of the festival. I couldn’t make it to this, but I loved the idea of a wind-down hangout.
Attractions
My weekend in Maine ended up being flat-out fun and pretty to look at. Some of that was intentional from the MeCAF crew and some was just a side result of the locations, but in any case, I walked away having enjoyed where I’d been and actively looking forward to the next show. This is a factor in my choosing conventions - what else can I do while I’m there, and will the space be comfortable?
- The convention center offered plenty of natural light, walking space, and a lovely view of the water.
- The reception party was held at a classy inn - a very warm and welcoming space (which would have had a great view too if the fog hadn’t camped out in the city that day).
- Portland itself turned out to be a walkable city with plenty to do and funky shops and eateries. I helped out Maine’s economy way too much this weekend via cool handbags, comics, and tricked-out fries.
Again, I can’t get over how well-organized and on-the-ball the MeCAF crew turned out to be. My whole experience at this con was effortless and very enjoyable. Here’s hoping this will be the first show of many!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sunday: Maine Comics Arts Festival
If you like indy comics and you like Maine, come on up to Portland this Sunday for the Maine Comics Arts Festival! It’s a full day with a huge list of comics creators and great selection of workshops and discussions. Look for me and plenty of Boston Comics Roundtable members as well as our pals from Trees and Hills!
Where: Ocean Gateway in Portland, Maine
When: Sunday, May 17 10am-5pm
Details: $5 admission (free for kids under 12)
If you’re a city kitty like me and don’t have a car, the Amtrak Downeaster train runs from Boston’s North Station to Portland with trains leaving at 8:50am and 11:10am and returning at 3pm and 8pm.