SPX PLUS Part Five

Friday afternoon I headed up to Minneapolis in a rainstorm, which quickly abated by the time I got to the I-90 split, and turned into a beautiful Midwestern fall day.

Stopped first at Big Brain Comics, which surely has to be one of the best comic shops in the country, even if it's run by an unrepentant Packers fan.  Owner Michael and I talked football as I browsed, and then it was time for bed.

Drove over to Zak's place where we stayed up too late talking and trying to watch Dark Star before nodding off.  I got up early the next day and headed over to the Twin Cities Zine Fest.

The Spit and a Half table, Twin Cities Zine Fest

Zine fests are the best.  And this one even had vegan gluten free muffins for the exhibitors!

Uncivilized Books Head Honcho Tom K., with Gabrielle Bell's new book The Voyeurs.

TCZF organizer Lacey Prpic Hedtke, with muffins.

Spit and a Half intern Marissa Luna, hard at work.

Kings of the Minneapolis comics scene, Robert Kirby (left) and Tom K., discuss which territories to conquer next, and how said territories shall be divided upon conquering.

These dudes were offering free silk-screening fun.  Above, the print I pulled.  Viva la Papier!

The Fly Away Zine Mobile was out in the parking lot.

Zine Mobile driver, janitor, and CEO Debbie Rasmussen.

Interior.

Why am I always the last one to leave?

I had a couple hours after Zine Fest closed before I had to be at Boneshaker Books for a signing .  So Zak and I went out for tacos, con los munchkins.

Anders Nilsen at Boneshaker.

The reading went well.  Boneshaker was a wonderful shop, well curated, and full of community energy.

That night:  Comics makes for strange bedfellows.

Flossy

Isaac, looking a lot like Papa.

I LOVE YOUSE GUYS.

Heading back home, with the first half of Bear-Rams on the radio.

(1400 pound pumpkin.)

SPX PLUS Part Four

After leaving Pittsburgh Tuesday morning, we headed west on I-70, into Columbus, the Next Seattle®.

Just waitin' on a friend.

Sold some comics at Used Kids, then headed across the street to the Cartoon Research Library, where we met up with fellow SPX traveler J.T. Dockery, and Associate Curator Caitlin McGurk gave us a behind-the-scenes tour.

I'd been to the library many times -- in fact I think it was the place where I first met Dylan Williams, pouring over old White Boy comics with cotton gloves on -- but I'd never been behind the magic door where all the comics are actually archived.  It was a cartoonist's dream!

JP, NVS, and JTD view an original Jack Davis drawing.

(Photo courtesy Caitlin McGurk)

The back room was full of sliding shelves, flat files, photographic equipment, and books, lots of books.  We got to look at original Windsor McCays, Segars, Bushmillers, and much more.  Amazing.

Caitlin's cat, Zeek.

Just three dudes, hangin' out.

Our Founder.

Whut-zat?!?

Whudizzit?

It's a squirrel.

After selling comics to the good ol' Laughing Ogre, we made our way further west to Indianapolis, where I had a couple shops to drop off King-Cats at-- Comic Carnival and Luna Music.  Then back on the highway for the dreaded trip up to Chicago.

Dreaded because this stretch of interstate between Indy and Chicago is almost always snarled with terrible traffic-- giant trucks going 85 and pickup trucks going 40.  And delays, construction, and slowdowns.  We were cutting it close...  but we made it to Chicago with time enough to stop at Sultan's Market before the event at Quimby's.

Noah at Quimby's.

Is Quimby's the best weirdo bookstore in the country?  The world?

Quimby's not only has cool books, but cool staff too, notably the great Edie Fake and Neil Brideau.

Check out the tattoo!

JP and Felicia, lifelong (I hope-- for her sake!) King-Cat fan.

(Photo by Liz Mason.)

We drove back to Beloit that night, and the next morning I took Noah to the airport.  When I got back I commenced power-sleeping, because the next day I was heading up to Minneapolis, for the last leg of the trip.

NEXT:  THE PARIS OF THE MIDWEST

SPX PLUS Part Three

So every occasion I've been to, or through, Washington DC, I've never been able to spend time there.  I've always had to be somewhere else the next day.  This time I arranged to have a day off on the Monday after SPX, so Noah and I could check it out a bit.

At breakfast we found out that Joseph Remnant needed a ride to the airport, so I agreed to take him down there if he didn't mind tagging along on our little tourist jaunt.  We drove down together to the National Mall.

The Washington Monument is very impressive in person.

World War II Memorial

Lincoln Memorial in the distance.

View from the Lincoln Memorial steps.

After that we walked over to the White House.

Wasps' nest on the White House fence.

We ended up at the Smithsonian for a bit before it was time to take Joseph to Dulles.  

Afterwards, Noah and I admitted we were too tired to walk anymore, and decided to head up to Pittsburgh to visit good ol' Jim Rugg.  One of the treats of my life over the last few years has been discovering what a cool city Pittsburgh is, with so many cool people too.  I've managed to make it out there about twice a year since then, and any excuse I've had to visit I'm happy to make use of.

Jim Rugg's neighbors' cat.

KIRBY!!!

I love this cat.

We stayed up late talking about art and comics, as we are wont to do.  I told Jim I wanted to visit Copacetic the next day to look for a copy of the out-of-print Four Color Fear.  Then we went to bed, and Kirby only bothered me once.

Next morning after the rain, Jim Rugg's neighbors' other cat put footprints all over my car.  (They're still there.)

We hung out looking at old comics and talking about stuff, waiting for Copacetic to open for the day.  When Jim found out it was my birthday, he instantly reached into his shelf, pulled out a copy of Four Color Fear, and placed it in my hands.  Happy birthday, he said.  I was speechless. Are you kidding me?  Thanks Jim!

View from Copacetic's balcony.  Yes, what other comic shop in America has a balcony?

And then we were back on the road, heading to Columbus, where I wanted to sell some King-Cats, and where Caitlin McGurk had offered us a tour of OSU's Billy Ireland Cartoon Research Library.

Zzzzzzzz.

NEXT: COLUMBUS, INDY, CHICAGO