I had a little hiccup with two of the festivals on my list of shows this year, but the Panel Patter 2011 Convention Roadshow should continue with the Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con, being held at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut st.) August 14th from 12-7pm. The Rotunda is a nice, intimate venue that also houses the Philly Zine Fest, which I've attended for the past two years. I'm looking forward to going there again, if all goes well, in just a few days.I actually had no idea this show existed, not that I could have easily gotten there where I used to live. (Sidebar: Mock Baltimore all you want, it's like the center of a comics show and zine compass.) However, Chris from AdHouse put me in the loop, and I'm glad he did. If you are a fan of small press and zine-style mini-comics and live within a few hours of Philly, this show looks like it's definitely going to be worth the trip.
As I always do before shows I attend, here's a listing of folks that you should look up while you are at the Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con. They have a complete list on the sidebar of their blog.
I'm always impressed by just how much Chris from Ad House Books gets around. He carries an extremely varied range of books, from Joey Weiser to Stuart Immonen. I think my top recommendation that Chris has right now (until he talks me into something this show) is Immonen's Centerfolia, which is absolutely gorgeous. There's also the Eisner-nominated Afrodesiac by Jim Rugg or perhaps the insane but awesome Aviary, if Chris has any in stock.
One creator I'm looking forward to seeing is Box Brown. He put together a new alternative comics project that I recently funded, so I'm curious to see what he does personally.
Carolyn Belefski and her collaborator Joe Carabeo will be there with their variety of projects. Carolyn is behind the webcomic Curls and does a lot of short stories in anthologies. See if she has any Carnival on hand, or perhaps the Leggettes.
My wife Erica is no slouch when it comes to reading comics, and she recommends Liz Baille, who I haven't had the chance to read yet. But I trust her, so make sure you look for Baille at the show, too.
Matt Wiegle is a prolific creator of mini-comics, and I've never failed to at least like every single comic I've gotten from him. Looking forward to seeing if he has anything new for me this year.
Parcell Press is a small publishers that works with a lot of various zine and mini-comic artists. They're a reliable source that's been doing this for a long time. Make sure you linger a bit at their table to see what might interest you.
My friend Rafer Roberts will also be at the show, selling the new edition of the first volume of Plastic Farm, which comes with an endorsement from me right on the back cover. Rafer also is likely to have some of his various minis and maybe an original art page or two.
Sara Lindo is the brains behind Lobotomy, pun intended. She also chronicles the story of Carl, a traffic cone who's extremely lonely. These are fun, cute comics.
As with any show, I'm also excited about getting to meet and learn about new cool creators. I can't wait for the show, and I hope to see you there!
