Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 22:30:27 -0500
To: [c--m--x] at [europe.std.com]
From: [b--ea--y] at [po-box.mcgill.ca] (bart)
Subject: What I Did On My September Vacation

-Poster: [b--ea--y] at [po-box.mcgill.ca] (bart)

No chance to post today because I was caught in admin-hell at school. I
wanted to get to the library to look up some sales figures for Mike Rhode,
but he'll have to wait a few more days. I'm supposed to find something to
say about this SPX thing in TCJ so this will be a bit of a gloss, hitting
the interpersonal aspects more than anything. Larry Rodman is writing ICAF
for the TCJ, so look for that too.

Thursday:

Up at 5:00 to catch a 7:00 flight to Toronto and a connection to Washington
which was uneventful. Took the Metro from National to Rosslyn station (I
remembered that was the right stop because Chris Oarr told a disgusting
Jimmy Carter joke about it) and walked (ugh) to Georgetown. I had forgotten
how far it really is. Waited at the gatehouse for Mark and the Rev. Rich. I
was fifteen minutes early, they were 90 minutes late. I fell asleep on the
lawn.

Hit ICAF at 2:00 and caught Rusty's paper after doing some meet and greet.
Rusty's paper was first rate of course, but we anticipated no less. Jeff
Miller should read some of the thirty years worth of comments on Barthes'
S/Z I think. Other papers have been admirably covered here by Mike, so I
just may piggyback on that post instead of thinking about interesting
things to say. Mark was right re: 13 Ways, wrong paper for the time-slot. I
would have greatly preferred a switch with Gene and Kate, especially since
that would have meant that I would have seen their papers (next year: a
watch, and I'm still sorry). Or on Friday around the same time as
Smith/Diana, neither of which we saw because they collided with ICAF.
Ultimately I missed the majority of ICAF, seeing only one full panel on
Friday and John Lent's paper on Saturday. General comments on the Saturday
overlap? What were the audiences like?

The McDonnell/Cho Barnes and Nobles was a bust for those of us who arrived
after it had started since we could hear nothing at all, but I did get a
chance to talk with Robert Boyd for the first time, and other listers who I
had previously met. Friday night's dinner at the Brazilian place was nice,
if not entirely conducive to mingling or even chatting given the noise
level of the music. I had a nice conversation with Tom Inge and his wife
and was later able to move to the other table and chat briefly with Tom
Hart, Steve Weissman and Jon Lewis (and his girlfriend, whose name I
forget).

Then back to the hotel via Robert's car - where Rusty, Robert and I
discussed the hits and misses of Comics Journals past and present - and
ultimately to sleep.

Friday:

Up early-ish (earlier than I would have preferred) to go back to ICAF,
crammed into the back of Rich Pettus' car (he has a two-seater).
Conversation was mostly about Sim, if I recall. I was to intro Michelle
Laframboise but we ran late and Guy took over, which was fine by me. At
lunch we were joined by the Chi-town mob (Glenn, Kurt and Steve) and
generally hung out. I then caught a ride with Robert to the Library of
Congress (Robert to the national Gallery) where I went about arranging
access to the Wertham archives for next spring. Good thing I went in
advance, since they're sealed to 2002. I did my application to see his
papers and then read the index to the boxes (which is about 200 pages in
itself), taking copious notes on what is included so that I can read much
of it *before* I go back. If they let me in.

Back to ICAF for a 6:00 meeting with Mark, Rusty, CH, Mark Rogers (congrats
again on the job!), and John Lent. Then off to dinner with the same crew
plus Michelle, Mike Rhode and Rich at an Indian place. Very good dinner,
very relaxing before the stormier Saturday.

Back in Silver Springs I chatted with Joe Chiappetta in the lobby for a
while before hitting the SPX bash, where I met Scott Gilbert for the first
time. We fled James Kochlaka Superstar for the calmer climes of the bar
downstairs, eventually running into Brian Biggs, Dean Haspiel, Lisa
Lippman, the inimitable Chris Oarr and other listers I'm sure that I'm
forgetting. Had a long chat with Scott McCloud about the internet (what
else?) and my review of Mathieu's work which he wanted to challenge by
substituting a new spatial metaphor. I may have let him off the hook too
easily  I think. Very engaging discussion nonetheless. I told him I'd hook
him up with some OuBaPo and we talked about a project I'm putting together
for TCJ on Understanding Comics (which has shaped up real nice now, if I do
say so myself)

We hit the party at Quentin Tarantino's mom's room (728) at around 1:00
where we caught up with Tom Devlin and Haspiel made us drinks lots of
bourbon. I went to bed around 4:00 and woke up the next morning not hung
over but still drunk, always a good sign. Felt like Angouleme again.

Saturday:

Had to catch the John Lent paper on comics in Southeast Asia, which got cut
off at about the 1/3 phase, tragically. Off to breakfast in the hotel then
up to the SPX, a five room affair that shattered the senses. I knew I was
in trouble when I started down the very first aisle and it took me an hour
to reach the end. Spent time with Jessica Abel, Matt Madden (who I left out
of ICAF on Thurs, he was there with Haspiel, Oarr and Brent Warnock), Dean
Haspiel and Yvonne Mojica. Turned the corner to talk to Brent, James
Kochalka, Jon Lewis, Jeff Mason, Joe Matt, Chris Oliveros. Whew - this was
getting tiring. Thrid aisle: Tom Hart, Jason Lutes, Brian Biggs, Ed
Brubaker, David Lasky, Lisa Maslowe, Sam Henderson, James Sturm, Art Baxter
and Robert Boyd with the Actus Tragicus/KSP table. So basically I got stuff
from all of these people. I walked out with a full briefcase thinking "Oh
God, I can't do this four more times".

I skipped two rooms almost entirely because they had people in costumes in
there and looked too sad. The other two rooms had huge wads of people to
talk to: Joe Chiappetta and John Porcellino, Jenny Zervakis, Matt Feazell,
the trio of Donna Barr, Roberta Gregory and Colin Upton were all in one
room. The other had people like Scott McCloud, Paul Grist, Peter Pavement
and now I'm starting to blank a bit. You get the idea though. Soon I had to
empty my bag for the second time. Outside in the hall were CBLDF, Friends
of Lulu and Dave Sim, who always had a line. Jeff Smith seemed to only sign
for a brief period in the morning (is that right?). I spent the afternoon
and early evening just wandering in circles talking to people and buying
and receiving comics. Chris Oarr was nice enough to write "Comics Journal"
on my name tag and that often got people who I wasn't talking to give me
their stuff so that I'll review it. Much of that work looks rather dull,
but one cartoonist (R. Lewis) pressed his work on me when I was talking to
Kurt and I paid little attention to it until it came tumbling out of my
bag, but it does look very nice indeed. I'm sorry that I didn't actually
really meet him.

We hit a Chinese place for dinner in a group of about thirty and prayed
that no bomb would go off. If it had the future of American cartooning
would fall to Cathy Guisewhite, since everyone else of note was there. Then
we went back for the Ignatz Awards. A note on the prize: Beautiful.
Stunning. A brick etched with SPX '97 on a polished wooden base featuring a
gold plate (to be engraved) and a wood-burned image of Ignatz tossing a
brick. Really impressive looking. The awards all went to Chris Oliveros
(well, Seth and Debbie Drechsler). Kochalka was the only winner in
attendance at the con. Presentations were made by Heidi McDonald (another
lister! They're everywhere), Scott McCloud, Dave Sim, Robert Boyd, Mark
Nevins and myself (and someone I'm forgetting I think). Susan Alston and
Chris Oarr each made speeches. Then no one danced.

Off to the hospitality suites for beer on the Quebecor tab. That held out
for about four hours or something. Who can really tell anymore? Met Scott
Faulkner, and Jason Little, talked to Shannon Wheeler about life at Dark
Horse. Got the weirdest sketch by Tom Devlin and Brian Ralph. Watched a
homo-erotic mini-comic get made, drank beer, smoked illegal Cuban cigars.
At some time around 4:00 we went to see Quentin's mom again, but I bailed
out soon after as I was falling asleep.

Sunday:

Made only little bits of each panel before I realized I needed food more
than industry chit chat. Caught breakfast at a diner crammed into one side
of a booth with Zander Cannon and Brian Biggs. Met E. Fitz Smith finally
after hearing from a dozen people that she was in attendance. Mark and Rich
took off before the pig roast despite the fact that it was a *picture
perfect* day for a pig roast, no humidity and not a cloud in the sky. How
does this Oarr guy do it? Robert and I joined the throng at the roast.

Lots of big talk from team SPX (especially the trouble-making Haspiel and
our ringer, Jeff Smith (the only SPX player to bother to bring a glove)).
The Diamond guys showed up with bats and gloves and cleats (!). At this
point people started thinking maybe we were in *really* big trouble. Some
of the guys had bats in bags (presumably to keep them near mint). We were
just a bunch of lame looking guys who had been drinking until dawn. Bad
things were brewing for the small press.

A picture of the SPX team, btw, will be in Diamond Dialogue and maybe
elsewhere (it was a real Viva! moment). The team included listers Jeff
Mason, Glenn, Scott Gilbert, Brian Biggs, Dean ('someone want to run for
me?") Haspiel, and myself, plus cartoonists James Sturm, Tom Hart, Ed
Brubaker, Jeff Smith, and some that I'm forgetting. Plus some retailers and
Susan Alston (our lone female player)

The game got off on the right foot when we took a 1-0 lead in the first.
They put a couple of guys on but then Mason brought the hammer down from
the pitching mound and we closed the door. About 150 people watched from
the hillside and Scott McCloud took pictures (maybe for his www site?).
After three it was SPX 4, Diamond 1 (Gilbert having saved a run with a
quick tag at the plate). The dream came fully alive when a Diamond player
said he had laid off, not wanting to hit some soccer playing kids. Biggs
would have caught it, I have no doubt. Some singles here, a double there,
fine base-running from Tom Hart, solid coaching from Haspiel, a relief
pitching performance from Glenn, only one hit batte from Jeff and suddenly
it 13-5 SPX. Ok, they got a bit lucky in the 9th but we sent team Diamond
to the showers with a final score of 13-8, despite the fact that half our
team had had to leave to catch various flights. A very enjoyable game, I
can assure you.

At that point I had to leave so I said my good-byes and caught a ride to
the Metro from Chris Oarr's mom (thank her again for me Chris!) and then
caught the train to the airport and the airplane home.

In all this was easily the best US con I have ever been to. Thoroughly
enjoyable to meet everyone from the list, plus all sorts of creators who I
had admired only from afar. Many, many thanks to those of you who were nice
enough to give me books that I would have paid for without hesitation. I've
only taken the briefest glimpses of most of it but I hope to turn out an
SPX review later this week if I can get through some of this stuff. To all
of you, in the words of Tom Hart, you're my Dr. Pepper.

bart
Who now believes SPX is America's longest prom