1000260 370360159765369 1559905092 nAs the ecstatic reports on last weekend Comic Arts Brooklyn festival continue to roll out—the Secret Acres report is, as always a stand-out-one element of the show is mentioned over and over. It was crowded. Having so many of the world’s great cartoonists in one place is sure to draw a crowd, and the free admission doesn’t hurt. People have wondered if the show would consider expanding, and I emailed showrunner Gabe Fowler about this very topic. His answer was pretty much what I expected.

“If anyone knows of a larger venue in Brooklyn, I’d love to hear about it,” he told The Beat, reflecting NYC’s acute lack of affordable venues. “In the past we briefly considered moving BCGF to One Hanson Place, but the rental was literally ten times the cost for 1.5 times the space.”

“I’m honestly content to keep it medium-sized and crowded,” he concluded. “It’s a free show.”

So yeah, NYC is a tough town and if a church basement becomes a shrine to the best in comics, maybe that’s how it’s meant to be.

[Photo via]

6 COMMENTS

  1. There were supposed to be “jealous” tags around that comment about hating Brooklyn–apparently they were read as HTML code. :)

  2. What about expanding in the same venue by making it a two day event? That should take release some of the pressure. I’ve never understood why it remains a one-day show.

  3. One day shows that are free to the public are incredibly lucrative to exhibitors. Table fees are lower and attendees are more eager to spend money. In spite of the fact that it gets crowded, it’s worth it.

  4. Two days can’t happen at this venue because the church people use it on the other days.

    Torsten, the show is not actually in a church basement, but a gymnasium/cafeteria which is part of a school. The church owns the building and the school. Each floor is 5,000 square feet.

    Anyway, thanks for covering the show, and I’m glad everyone had an awesome time.

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