‘Boobage’ and More: The Treasures of SPX

As you'll have likely guessed by now, it's difficult for me to be objective regarding SPX, so I'll just say that day two of the show has been typically great. Lots of women, and quite a large number of kids (largely due to Jeff Smith's appearance no doubt) made for a splendidly mixed crowd. It's always gratifying to see kids at comics shows, and it's a particular pleasure to see them at an indie show like SPX. From my trips to the convention floor, it seemed that there was a lot of money changing hands and between panels I was able to do my own bit as a patron of the arts in spreading some cash around the room in exchange for some great looking comics, graphic novels, minis and curios. I thought it might be fun to do my bit to promote some of the books that caught my eye as well, so here are cover images --each of which links to the creator and/or publisher's site-- of every book I picked up for which I was able to locate an online image:

Boobage by Monica Gallagher came strongly recommended from Karon Flage, this year's Executive Director of SPX, and who am I to argue? I seem to recall Dean Haspiel speaking highly of this book at MoCCA this summer as well, but somehow I managed to leave that show without a copy. Cover art and design doesn't get a great deal more eye-catching than this, eh?

Looking over the shoulder of a guy reading Death, Cold as Steel in the auditorium prior to Jeff Smith's talk with Heidi MacDonald had me wondering just what this book was. The strikingly atmospheric, almost Steranko-esque artwork really popped, so I was pleased when the guy sitting a couple seats away, apparently similarly taken with the look of the book, asked the owner for the title, and location of the booth where he purchased it. Which just goes to show, reading your just-purchased comics at a show can figuratively pay dividends for your fellow seekers (while literally paying dividends for the book's creators).

Pictures of You, by Damon Hurd and Tatiana Gill, is a prequel to their 2005 comic, A Strange Day. "Pictures of You" by the Cure happens to be one of my wife's favorite songs, so I was drawn to this "graphic novella of teenage alienation, kinship and romance" (which is debuting at SPX) for that simple reason. I also picked up a copy of A Strange Day.

The Ignatz-nominated Noose, by Mark Burrier, is the one of my purchases that I've had a chance to read (I picked this one up yesterday). I was so impressed by this curiously enchanting story that I returned to Mark's booth this afternoon to purchase several more of his comics. Good luck at tonight's Ignatz awards, Mark!

I absolutely loved volume one of Jeff Lemire's Essex County: Tales From the Farm, so picking up the second volume of this beautifully drawn and hauntingly written tale was a no-brainer. Jeff is also up for an Ignatz for the book tonight, so we certainly wish him luck.

If you read my recent review of Matt Kindt's Super Spy, I'm sure that it will come as no surprise that I snapped up his nifty hand-assembled, Super Spy: The Treasure box, which gives new meaning to the term "mini comic" as the package is smaller than an iPod (though twice as thick). I introduced myself to Matt yesterday and he made my day by telling me that my Super Spy review made his week when it was published.

Monstracity. The title of this one says it all really ... who among us could resist for two measly bucks? Certainly not I.

Ah, the power of the press pass ... while I was browsing their table, the gents at Doppelganger enthusiastically gifted me with a copy of Seascraper Escaper. They were rather surprised to hear that freebies are offered pretty rarely at shows, but on the other hand, and especially at indie shows, I'm more than happy to pay my money down for the eye-catching goodies. Not that I'm averse to accepting the occasional freebie, so cheers, lads!

That wraps up everything for which I was able to find online images ... if you see something that catches your eye among my own haul, by all means, make with the clicky and pick up copies for yourself!