Just a very quick moment to jot down a few thoughts on SPX. (My “official” report will be in PWCW tomorrow.) In short, it remains the summer camp of comics, with a bunch of people who are there for love just hanging out, talking, drawing, drinking, smiling, and laughing.
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First off, SPX is the only comics show that has HOT BUBBLING CRAB.

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It has Adam Hines and DUNCAN THE WONDER DOG.
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The ATM machine is out of money by 4 pm.

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Michael Cho and his prints!
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Mike Dawson, Jon Lewis and Gabrielle Bell.

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Robert Ullman and Keith Knight

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The Tiny Kitten Teeth Gang

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Metaphrog

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Jesse Reklaw

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Liz Baillie

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Jen Vaughn

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Vanessa Davis who was absolutely the sweetheart of the show.

On the car ride back, all we could talk about was what a good time we had and how nice everyone was. Seriously. No Diamond/Marvel/DC politics and stress. No editors from New York with credit cards to compete for (that sounds bad, but it all worked out.) Just love of comics and creativity. I don’t care that my breakfast on Saturday was inedible and my dinner almost never came. Words and pictures were enough to fill your belly for one weekend.

SPX is the one show where you know where everyone is all the time. With no real options nearby and a roomy hotel complete with drink tickets and a 7/11 next door for cheap beer, everyone hangs out. It was a blast running from room party to room party post Ignatzes, talking Primus with Lisa Hanawalt and Chester Brown with Tom Devlin. People sang songs and told jokes, and fell asleep but did not have mustaches drawn on them — at least where we were standing.

Good times.

1 COMMENT

  1. For future reference, there is a branch bank behind the hotel.

    Avoid rhe “heaving” huevos rancheros for breakfast. It looks like bad bar food.

    7-Eleven also has an ATM, AND throwback Mountain Dew. Every convention center should have one! And Mickey D’s dollar menu if you’re on a budget (or spending your budget on comics)!

    A great show. SPX and Intervention (the SF con just up the street) both have a stong craft vibe going on. (Yes, mini-comics are craft if you staple and fold.)

    SPX would be awesomer with more space (crowded from opening until…), more pioneers (underground, self-publishers), and a workshop track of programming (paper, digital, legal).

  2. Let us not forget that Reagan’s future vp (Bush) and cia chief (Casey) met with the Ayatolla Khomeini behind the back of the then-current Carter administration (treason) and arranged for Iran to keep the American hostages until after the election. In return Iran got, at the very least, a conduit thru which to illegally receive missiles and other armaments–which came to light when traitor Ollie North got busted taking the missile $$$ and giving it to friends in Central America who turned out, naturally enough, to be drug smugglers USA-bound. Ah, the good old days…