Off to S.P.X. in Bethesda, MD!

Well, it's finally arrived - tomorrow Hunter and I board the train to Washington, D.C. for the Small Press Expo, perhaps the most anticipated annual event of the indie/alternative comics world. I'm really, really excited, and have been for weeks.

Liz made me prepare early this year, because I tend to stay up all night two or three nights before each event in order to get ready for it - not this time. My minis have been done for weeks. Huzzah! I drew and printed them, and Liz put them together (with the exception of the Giovannis, which she cut and I assembled) while we watched T.V. I never, EVER would have gotten as much done without her help.

Since we're ahead, we've also been helping to assemble some of Hunter's books. Here's Liz, hard at work.



So this year, here are the wares!



• Giovanni Potatoe and the Pizzas of Love, co-done with my dad, composer and mystery novelist Mark Schweizer. Just a little bigger than a business card, this four-volume, 300-page rhyming mini-comic comes in a right purty slipcase. A very limited number, so get this one early, before they sell out!

• Regina Rich, Middle School Detective. Regina's best friend is accused of stealing the choir fundraiser money! Can Regina prove his innocence? 24 pages, full color

• Portraits Volume I: Authors of Adventure Literature. A sixteen page mini-gallery of some of my favorite high adventure/historical fiction writers. B&W.

• Shoot the Moon. Around thirty or so small comic memoirs about me and the missus, crammed into eight pages of mini-comic yumminess. B&W.

• The Goodbye Beard. A short comic about shaving off a beard. This is the way that every guy does it. If he tells you different, he's a fibber. Color on linen.

• Prints!!! New 24-hour comic day poster, Crogan family trees, and tons of postcards.

• Original art! I'll have some pages, portraits, drawings, etc, at very reasonable prices. Plus I'll be happy to draw in your sketchbook, etc.

• Although I won't be selling any at my table, AWESOME, the Indie Spinner Rack anthology, will be premiering at SPX. It'll be for sale at the Indie Spinner Rack & Evil Twin Publishing tables. I've got a short story called "The Hero" in it. The book is chock full of new work by some AMAZING cartoonists, including Roger Langridge, Raina Telgemeir, Kazimir Strzepek, Alec Longstreth, and many more!

That's it, I 'spose. Oh! I got a set of what I consider to be Harvey Kurtzman's best stuff - Two Fisted Tales, in black and white! Shawn Crystal showed me these editions a while back - they're flat out gorgeous, reproduced in black and white so that you can see exactly what the artist did. The stories are great, the art is amazing (most of it), and it really plays up the adventure. A four-volume set - I got it on eBay!



Anyway, my table number is 42. If you're there, go in through the front doors and we're near the back right-hand corner, in the same area as a number of other SCAD alums - Eleanor Davis, Drew Weing, Kevin Burkhalter, Coleman, Joey Weiser, David Yoder, etc. Should be fun!

And speaking of SCAD, I may have an essay here soon. I've been thinking a lot about the role of the cartoonist as an artist, what the responsibilities and expectations are (i.e. how work-for-hire comes in to play, if it's okay to change one's style/voice for a job, etc). So keep an eye open, and remind me if I forget, which I likely will.