2010 SUMMER TOUR DIARY: Part Three

Click here for Part One
Part Two

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Part Three: SEATTLE, VANCOUVER, AND SAN FRANCISCO

Monday morning after the Portland Zine Symposium, we drove up to Seattle for a workshop at ZAPP (the Zine Archive and Publishing Project) at Hugo House, a writer's center.  Not a whole lot of people showed up (it was one in the afternoon on a Monday after all) but those who did participated in a round table discussion about comics, publishing, and Japanese poetry.  Fun!

Then I walked around the city a bit with Jennifer Daydreamer while Noah went with Nora of ZAPP to check out the Fantagraphics offices.  I wish I could have gone with as well...  maybe next time.  We all met up again for a quick dinner and then headed back to Hugo House for the slideshow and talk.  It went great, and I got to meet a lot of people who I hadn't seen in awhile (including the inimitable Jason Shiga, who happened to be in town for a wedding!), and a lot of new people too...   

Crowd at Hugo House, Seattle.

Afterwards we went back to the home of Kelly Froh and Max Clotfelter, two of my favorite cartoonists, and hung out for a bit.  I was so tired I pulled my cap over my eyes and fell asleep on the couch while eveybody was hobnobbing.

Mr. Shyler, Max Clotfelter.

There was a neighborhood "stray" cat named Squeakers that would show up at various apartments where Max and Kelly live--  he was so sweet.  I wanted to take him home with me, but alas...

The next morning we drove over to the great Fantagraphics store, where they have a Dent and Ding room in which everything is half-off cover price...  I picked up most of the Krazy Kats I didn't already have, and had to restrain myself from spending even more.  Then we got back on I-5 towards Vancouver BC.

We made it across the border with no difficulties, and drove into the city, where I got lost.  I have a pretty good internal compass, but when it's off--  it's off!  Finally we stopped at a gas station where I looked at a phone book and Noah bought Ketchup flavored croustilles.  We made it to the shop in time to get some over-priced burgers beforehand, and check out the neighborhood (West Main Street) in the rain.  I picked up a copy of Fear of a Black Planet for the road at a used record store and tried in vain to find a place that sold postcards.

Outside Lucky's, in the Vancouver rain...

Back at the shop (the great Lucky's, run by Gabe Linder), we set up and did the talk for the small but enthusiastic crowd which included such Vancouver comix luminaries as Colin Upton, Robin McConnell, Robin Bougie (NSFW!!!), and Rebecca Dart...  Afterwards we had Japanese food and said our goodbyes--  we were driving back to Seattle that night in order to minimize the exhausting drive to Berkeley that lay ahead of us.

Noah and JP with Inkstuds host Robin McConnell.

JP and Colin Upton.

Robin Bougie, JP, and Rebecca Dart.

(Vancouver photos taken by miscellaneous unknown Canadians. Thanks!)

After four or so hours of sleep in Seattle, we got back in the car and drove down to Olympia, dropping in to sell comics at Danger Room, and then into Oregon. We stopped in the college town of Eugene, the highlight of which was calling the local comic shop to get directions at 5:55 PM,  and then arriving a few minutes later to find out they closed at 6.  Nice!  I wonder why comics shops have such bad reputations?

South Central Oregon at dusk.

After paying through the nose for a tiny plate of rice and beans, we got back on the road and drove through the night till we got to Redding CA, where we couldn't take it anymore.  We slept in the car in a truck stop parking lot for four hours and then drove into SF at dawn.

That night we did a signing at the great Comic Relief in Berkeley, the first non-local shop that ever carried King-Cat for me...  the turnout was small but fun and I found a copy of an Oog and Blik Jacques Loustal book, so I was happy!

Ember, the Comic Relief store cat.

Ember's mom, Ash.

Post-signing at the shop, starring Brian Kaas.

One of Noah's mom's many giant cats: "Mawr."

The next day was spent plodding around SF selling comics to shops: Needles and Pens, Dog Eared Books, Aquarius, Mission Comics and Art, Modern Times, Giant Robot, and Little Otsu.  It's still amazing to me how much support there is in a place like San Francisco for small press and self-published stuff.  By the end of the day my shins were burning from walking up and down those crazy hills.  After a great comics-reading at the Cartoon Art Museum, we went to bed and slept hard in preparation for the Zine Fest the next day.

San Francisco, with the Mt. Sutro Tower in the distance.

I lived here for three years: Hayes and Shrader.

Noah's bougainvillea-colored sweater.

Before the signing at the Cartoon Art Museum, I stole away into a nearby alley to give Izzy a call.  As we talked, a bum came in and started peeing against the wall next to me.  I walked aways off to give him some privacy, and he began saying to me, loudly: "I'm not peeing, I'm praying to the wall!  I'm not peeing, I'm praying to the wall!"  He said this a bunch of times and then, finally: "Don't call the cops on me, man..."  I said I wasn't going to, and he thanked me.  Photo above is the view from that alley.

Noah at the Cartoon Art Museum reading.

That night we came home to see the fog start to roll in over the city.

Around 3 AM a car alarm went off, and I awoke to this beautiful scene...

So, the next day was the first day of the SF show.  I feel proud to have helped organize the current incarnation of SF Zine Fest, with Francois, Misun, and Jonas, back in 2006.  It was always a great show, but under Francois' leadership it has become even better.  This was my first time attending it at the new space in Golden Gate Park-- which was about twice as large as the one I helped organize...  so, hooray!

L to R: Tugboat's Greg Means, Joey Alison Sayers, Creepy Mike Ruspantini.

Hob, who organized the CAM reading.

Col. Tim Root, Floridian.

"The what was who?" : Chris Cilla.

Wouldn't be a zinefest without a little dog walking around somewhere.

Tim Root's Ass­­­­™, God love 'im.

Noah at the Spit and a Half table.

Jason Shiga enjoys the latest video from Zebratron.

These guys were just so damn photogenic, I couldn't stop takin' pictures!

L: Andrice tries to pretend I didn't just take a picture of her with food in her mouth; R: Jesse Reklaw.

"Ho's gotta eat too."

Brain Trust; L-R: Jesse Reklaw, Lark Pien, Thien Pham, Jason Shiga, Mark Miyake.

Rina and Ken, with Finn.

What, another baby already?!?

Anyhow, having lived in San Francisco from 2003-2006, coming back for the first time was nice.  Sunday night Noah and I drove out to Ocean Beach and saw a lovely, cold, sunset.  The next morning we'd drive down to LA.

Heading down Lincoln towards the ocean.

The edge of America.

NEXT TIME: LOS ANGELES

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2010 SUMMER TOUR DIARY: Part Two

Click here for Part one...

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Part Two: BUTTE TO PORTLAND

 After leaving Butte, we headed west again into the mountains.  The driving was beginning to take its toll.  We'd spent the previous two nights sleeping in the car, and, well, everybody who ever complained to you about driving through North Dakota/Eastern Montana...  they have a point.  Noah and I kept our sanity by jamming along to Ol' Dirty Bastard and Patrick Porter records.  We were determined to make it to Portland that evening, and to (hopefully) sleep horizontally at last.

Western Montana

Noah and Rainbow Trout; Truck Stop, St. Regis, MT.

After driving through Montana for what seemed like FOREVER (how big IS that state, anyhow???) we cut through the panhandle of Idaho, stopping only to get gas, but completing my checklist of visiting all 48 contiguous states. (The only three I had left were ND, MT, and ID, so I nailed them all here in one trip!)

From Idaho the highway drops sharply into Eastern Washington, and Spokane.  We stopped in town to check out the local comics shops, and I picked up a Marvel Monsters hardcover I'd had my eye on for awhile, as well as a paperback collection of old Marvel romance comics, including a bunch of work by My Hero™ Jack Kirby.  Both used; not bad.  I kind of liked Spokane, the little I saw of it.  Reminded me of a smaller, quieter Denver.  Anyhow, we had some driving to do... driving through the most god-forsaken batch of land I have ever seen in America.  And I've seen Nevada. 

Welcome to Eastern Washington/Oregon.

"The fields have turned brown..."

Endless stretches of DIRT, punctuated only by occasional (and slightly scary) dust devils.

Noah passes the time with the new Ku(š): (amazing Latvian comix anthology in English!)

"Ever feel as if your mind had started to erode?"

(Note scalloped tongue due to Spleen Qi deficiency/exhaustion)

After what seemed like forever, we dropped down into Oregon and the Columbia River Valley.  Which was scenic... for the first 1000 miles.

God help us.

We stopped in this little town along the river for gas, where I was harassed by a bunch of partygirls from California in an RV.  I was starving but was convinced better food would be available up ahead somewhere.  WRONG.

Oregon Apocalypse.

Welcome to Mordor.

"Gimme the mike so I can take it away..."

"Robin... help!"

I was so hungry I didn't even stop to look at Multnomah Falls (which I instantly regretted) (I saw it briefly by glancing over my shoulder), but ultimately we arrived safely in Portland.  We found a Whole Foods, where I paid $13.00 for a cardboard container of tasteless salad, and called Dylan Williams, who we strong-armed into letting us stay at his house.  At last we were horizontal!

The next morning we traveled around town, visiting comic shops, including the excellent Cosmic Monkey, where the owner Adam asked us to do some drawings for their wall...  it was great!  Everywhere you turned in this town there was another awesome comics shop.

Noah's cosmic monkey.

Mine.

Friday night was free-day at the Portland Art Museum, which just happened to be showing the complete pages and ephemera from R. Crumb's Genesis masterpiece.  Noah and I were freaking out.  We spent three hours in there absorbing every line of the master.  Simply amazing.  What was really impressive to me was the totality of depth and observation with which Crumb imbues each of his drawings.  Simple landscapes, made up of a few scraggly lines and crosshatching, look absolutely REAL coming from his hand.  I guess that's what a lifetime of drawing gets you.

"It's not about a salary, it's all about reality."

The next day was the first day of the famed Portland Zine Symposium.  This was, strangely, my first time ever in Portland, and it was great.  It's easy to see why everybody loves it there. 

Me and Chris Cilla.  I swear we didn't plan this.  Hi Zak!

At one point two random people were standing at my table, when one said "This is kind of weird, but I wanted to show you my tattoo."  When he did this the gal next to him's eyes popped out, and she said "Now, this is gonna be really weird, but..."  They both happened to have King-Cat tattoos.

Dave's tattoo, from Perfect Example.

Reba's, from Map of My Heart.

Afterwards some good-natured fool (the wonderful T. Edward Bak) accosted me and Noah in the parking garage and took us out for the most awesome Middle Eastern food I've ever had.

We went back to Dylan's and spent the evening talking about comics and the comics business.  The next day we got up early and headed north to Seattle, where I had a reading and workshop that afternoon.

NEXT TIME: SEATTLE, VANCOUVER, AND SAN FRANCISCO