Mm. I just finished a brand new book. It was a grueling process to get through 20 pages, written, pencilled, inked and hand-lettered. And it was heavy subject matter. I spent weeks putting it off, and then I found a way to reach the end. And that ending was MoCCA.

I went to New York this weekend for the MoCCA festival, the indie-comics convention that the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art puts on. Thanks again to my tablemate Pranas. We had too much fun meeting and interacting with New York comics lovers, and eating Shake Shack burgers (You’re the best, Amy!)!! I met talented cartoonists, talked about The Village Voice article that came out that weekend, exchanged copies of “Luke Holds Off”, and enjoyed the comics culture that I most identify with. The comics blogs are all talking about how the show is all about the cartoonists, and it is. People making handmade printed books. Stapling sheets of paper together and saying “I did this”. That what comics are. It’s so simple, so basic. And when you’re in it, you forget that there’s a world that doesn’t know this kind of art and expression exists.

I’m always scared to travel to new places and stay in unknown neighborhoods. Who isn’t!? I stayed in Brooklyn with my good friend Andy Mai, and we had too much fun making fun of Asian people. We hit up a stand-up show in Williamsburg at the Knitting Factory that I’ve been dying to see ever since I found out who Hannibal Burress is. And the comedians made so many jokes about Asians. Wyatt Cenac brought up Asian people and he looked right at Andy and me to see us approve. Btw, Andy is hilarious and super talented. I am glad to see him with the success he has. Thanks so much for hosting me this weekend, man!

Next up is FLUKE in Athens. I was just there a couple weeks ago chatting with Patrick and Robert, and they are so excited for this year’s event. I saw Patton Oswalt perform at the 40 Watt club, which will be the exact same venue for the FLUKE festivities. I’ll be bringing more copies of “Luke Holds Off”, because nothing beats feeling proud of the work you’ve done. Come see me at my table, because I want to tell you “I did this”.

It’s snowing in Nebraska. And I need to get some comics. Would I find a store in Bellevue, Nebraska to warrant a trip to pick up at least one issue of anything? I certainly found one and snapped a few photos before the snowstorm got out of control.

Ground Zero Hobby
4601 South 50th St, Suite 103
Omaha, NE 68117
(402)733-7212

Besides getting to cook my own deer meat, I also got to visit an old childhood friend: my welsh corgi Ein! She was my tightest homie throughout my high school, and it was nice to see how fat she had gotten living in Nebraska. Then I went to Ground Zero Hobby. This store is one of those all-encompassing stores. It’s a comics, cards, and gaming store, with enough of everything for a general fan to be satisfied with. I visited in the evening and was told that there were a few comics published by the likes of Avatar Press written or illustrated by people who shopped at the store. A lot of the gamer nerds in the store who looked like high schoolers also welcomed me, brushing cheese and french fries off their hands before waving hello.

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I hadn’t planned on writing two posts, because I thought I didn’t think I’d visit two comic shops. But when I found out that a second comic shop could be better or just as good as Portland’s treasured Casablanca Comics, I had to take a look and see for myself.

Coast City Comics
656 Congress St.; (207) 776-1719
www.coastcitycomics.net

Coast City Comics was a surprise because usually I’d be satisfied with a store like Casablanca in my town. I am not sure if it is quite necessary to have two comics stores within a few blocks of each other in a small city like Portland, but one thing for sure is that Coast City Comics is bringing the competition.

Only in its third month since opening, Coast City Comics had me at “hello”. It has a good natured-friendly vibe to artists, not just comic readers. I felt welcome on a whole other level. Yes, there were comics, but there were also illustrations visible in the store window, t-shirts designed by local artists, and mini-comics from the burgeoning scene of creators in Portland. This store felt more like a hub where artists could share their work and be discovered by the regular Joe.

I already covered Casablanca in a previous post, and if I were to compare the two, I’d say Casablanca is that really cool older guy who has sold comics to you your whole life. Coast City Comics is your best friend from college opening a comic store with all your favorite stuff you used to love (and still love!). And the metaphor isn’t too far from reality! Coast City Comics was opened by Gerald von Stoddard, who also happened to be behind the counter during my visit. He spoke about the new opening and we traded a few words about the Disney/Marvel news. It was like catching up with an old friend where the comics talk always somehow made its way into the conversation. He also pointed out that some of his closest friends were also the artists behind the T-shirts I was perusing through (and bought!). (more…)