Pix from AAEC, Part 1: Banquets and other Assorted Partying

The Cartoonists With Attitude crew was out in full force at the 50th Anniversary Convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists earlier this month. I had 200+ photos, which I've cut down quite a bit and divided into sets. Here's a select few photos from the first bit (which you can also see all 32 photos as a slideshow):

Tom Tomorrow, August Pollak, Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood at the AAEC opening cocktail reception

Brian McFadden makes a fist; Keith Knight picks his nose at the AAEC banquet afterparty; Engaged cartoonists Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood at the AAEC banquet

Ted Rall and Tim Eagan at the AAEC banquet; JP Trostle Vandalizes the Signage at the AAEC Hospitality Suite

Joel Pett and Stephanie McMillan; Matt Bors, Masheka Wood and August Pollak; Keith Knight and Masheka Wood

Cartoonists With Attitude Partial Group Photo at the AAEC Banquet (Back row L to R: Mikhaela Reid, Brian McFadden, August Pollak, Keith Knight, Ben Smith; Front row L to R: Jen Sorensen, Matt Bors, Ruben Bolling)

Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich and wife Elizabeth Kucinich at the AAEC Banquet

As you can see, Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich was our banquet guest speaker. I have to admit that as much as I've been a big fan of Kucinich's positions on pretty much everything, I was in such a hyped up mood (perhaps a result of sharing one small hotel suite with 5 other cartoonists for four days) that I didn't really pay attention to his speech.

Coming up: coverage of AAEC and CWA panels and signings, etc.

Bush Leaguers Art Opening: Lisa Wilson, Helen Thomas and Mikhaela Reid

Bush Leaguers Art Opening:
United Media SVP/General Manager Lisa Wilson, reporter Helen Thomas and cartoonist Mikhaela Reid at the Bush Leaguers political cartoon opening at American University in DC.
Originally uploaded by M1khaela.

I'm finally going through my 200+ photos from the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists 50th Anniversary convention in DC earlier this month. I'll have writeups and a lot more soon, but here's one of my favorite photos, of Lisa Wilson and myself with reporter Helen Thomas after Ms. Thomas gave one of the best speeches I'd ever heard. Helen Thomas for president!

Pix from MOCCA: Cartoonists With Attitude, Alison Bechdel, Ampersand, random Morgan Spurlock meeting!

Ayo + Cartoonists With Attitude Masheka Wood, Brian McFadden and Mikhaela Reid

Legendary Fun Home author and Dyke to Watch Out For Alison Bechdel and Mikhaela Reid; Mikhaela Reid and Barry "Ampersand" Deutsch drawing each other faces

Muckraking filmmaker Morgan Spurlock with his copy of Attack of the 50-Foot Mikhaela!; Masheka Wood and Frank Reynoso; cover of on-the-spot commissioned birthday card for a George-Bush-averse one-year-old

Masheka Wood and Ayo; Brian McFadden and Keith Knight with free booze and food at the Top Shelf 10th Anniversary Party

Last year, the Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art's Art Festival was a low point for many of us alternative political cartoonists--we felt so alienated, disconnected and unloved and sold so few books that we decided to form the group Cartoonists With Attitude to help get more attention at conventions.

Apparently it worked. I'm happy to report that MOCCA this year was a whole other comics convention beast. All kinds of great comics readers, cool sales, and awe-inspiring cartoonists to hang out with, plus some cool comics discoveries. The tough part was keeping any of the money we earned and not immediately spending it on other comics.

The convention was also packed with alums from the Attitudeseries of books Ted edited for NBM: myself, Brian, Alison Bechdel, Barry Deutsch, Neil Swaab, R Stevens, Scott Bateman and others. Clearly, it's all about the Attitude.

If you scroll through my whole MOCCA photoset, you'll see I also got to chat with Hilary Price of "Rhymes With Orange" fame, who was attending her first comics convention to promote her book Reigning Cats and Dogs. Hilary is syndicated and popular for good reason.

More later on some of the cool comics I picked up at the event!

Pix from Planned Parenthood "Let's Talk About Sex" Book Event

Planned Parenthood "Let's Talk About Sex" Book Event: Jessica Valenti and Mikhaela Reid
Originally uploaded by M1khaela.

The signing at Think Coffee with Feministing's Jessica Valenti (Full Frontal Feminism) and Amber Madison (Hooking Up) was fantastic. There were plenty of seats but it was standing room only, and the hysterical laughter I got in response to my slideshow made me feel like a stand-up comedian on a good night.

Poor Amber's bus broke down on her way to the signing, but we held off the crowd with an extended Q&A until a very long cab ride from Connecticut finally got her to the signing.

Note: I apologize for blurring out the close-up photos of naked women's crotches that we did the reading in front of--I like to consider this blog safe for school and work, or I'd have left them! I am such a censor, it's embarassing.

Our Bluestockings Slideshow Was Awesome!

I have to admit I was nervous. The Village Voice and Time Out New York mysteriously lost our listings info, and a half hour before the signing the skies opened up in an intense downpour. But the signing was fantastic--I sold out of all the books I brought, and all kinds of friends and cool cartooning fans came out. Not to mention genius cartoonist Dan Piraro ("Bizarro"), Vanessa Valenti (of Feministing fame), Melody Berger (The F-Word Zine), Gwynn Cassidy (of the Real Hot 100), animator Dan Meth and cartoonist Ayo. Thanks to my best friend Márta for taking the photos!

Bluestockings is just a fantastic space, and you must go there ALL THE TIME. You can buy both our books there, too.

Our Green Brain Comics Signing in Dearborn ROCKED!

Goofing Off at Green Brain: Green Brain Comics owners Katie and Dan Merritt (on outside) with Mikhaela Reid & Masheka Wood

Eric Millikin ("Fetus-X") & Sean Bieri ("Jape"); Mikhaela and Masheka outside Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, MI And here are some pix from the fine proprietors of Green Brain:

Anyway, the signing ROCKED. We put it together on really short notice, and a beautiful sunny June Saturday is hardly a good day for a comics signing, but we got a great and enthusiastic turnout. (I was so worried it wouldn't happen at all due to me being so ill, but I pulled it together and despite having almost no voice, coughed and sniffled my way through my portion of the slideshow!)

We also got to hang out and talk shop with notorious "Fetus-X" creator Eric Millikin, "Jape" cartoonist Sean Bieri (who also wrote a really cool piece about me for the Metro Times, "Drawing Ire"), and the famous Cynicalman himself, Matt Feazell. We even did a comics jam on a piece of pita!

If you are ever in even the vague general Detroit/Dearborn area, run and do not walk to Green Brain Comics, and tell Dan and Katie we sent you! What a great store!

East Coast Black Age of Comics, Part 2: Convention Photos

Keith Knight ("The K Chronicles"), Masheka Wood ("Not Just Knee Deep"), Mikhaela Reid ("The Boiling Point") and Ayo ("Little Garden")

Photos from "Having Our Say: Black Women Discuss Imagery": Cheryl Lynn Eaton (Digital Femme, The Ormes Society), L.A. Banks (Vampire Huntress) and Rashida Lewis ("Sand Storm")

Joseph Wheeler III ("New Art Order"); Masheka Wood with underground comics pioneer Larry Fuller (Larry had just purchased Masheka's awesome new book, Deep Doodle); the cover of the excellent book "How to Draw Afrakan Superheroes"

Stylish ECBACC apparel; Dwayne McDuffie ("Static Shock")

On May 19, Masheka and I made our second comics-fun-filled trip to the annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. Above are some more of the photos (click on any one for caption info and a slideshow). I'm embarrassed to say that Keith was the only one of us to remember his Cartoonists With Attitude T-shirt. Oops!

I already name-checked and reminisced about most of the fantastic cartoonists we got to hang out with, but I'd like to take a moment to spotlight one you're probably not familiar with, our table buddy, Brooklyn-based cartoonist Ayo (see top photo), who draws the mini-comic "Little Garden." I could try to describe his beautiful linework and wonderfully drawn characters (who tend to be adorable girls with lizard tails and extra eyes and Medusa snake hair) and excellent use of mood and setting and blah de blah, but instead I'm just going to show you:

Please check out Ayo's awesome art and leave some praise.

See "East Coast Black Age of Comics, Part 1: The Glyph Awards" and "ECBACC Photo Outtake" for more extensive commentary and notes on attendees. Also see: Part 3, photos and commentary from the panel "Having Our Say: Black Women Discuss Imagery."

ECBACC photo outtake: Keith Knight helps Mikhaela sell comics in her sleep

Keith Knight helps Mikhaela sell comics in her sleep
Originally uploaded by M1khaela.

The convention was 9 hours long, and I got a bit tired. Thankfully Keith (who not coincidentally, gave a workshop at ECBACC on the business of comics) made a "please buy my comics" sign for me and I sold two books in my sleep. Thanks Keith!

East Coast Black Age of Comics, Part 1: The Glyph Awards

Masheka Wood Presents Keith Knight with the Glyph Award for Best Comic Strip (The K Chronicles)

(Click any of the above images or view the whole set for my coverage and commentary).

Photos from the Glyph Comics Award Ceremony on May 18, 2007 at Philadelphia's African-American Museum, the kickoff for the 6th Annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. Check out Glyph Awards founder Rich Watson's blog for a full list of nominees and winners and extensive Glyphs coverage. Keith Knight, Kyle Baker and Larry Fuller accepted their awards in person, but one of the highlights was Stagger Lee writer Derek McCulloch accepting one of several awards via speakerphone cellphone (with the help of Prof. William Foster). McCulloch gave a moving speech and joked that he was speaking to us from a bathroom.

My fiancé Masheka Wood was a nominee for Rising Star, and although he didn't win, it "was an honor to be nominated" (and the award went to the amazing Spike, for her strip Templar, Arizona, so hard to be too bummed about it).

Plus we got to present the award for Best Comic Strip to amazing fellow Cartoonist With Attitude Keith Knight, for his strip The K Chronicles (a second-time winner!). Keith took photos of his own butt on the way up to the podium and remarked that it was nice to be at a convention where no one mistook him for Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder. He also later noted that the food at ECBACC (BBQ, meatballs, rice, jerk chicken, fried chicken, and other delights) was far superior to the usual comics convention concessions (typically suspiciously gray hot dogs and burgers).

Masheka and I also got to meet and/or hang out with:

• Host Jamar Nicholas ("The Jamar Chronicles," "Detective Boogaloo"), who instructed the mostly-non-Philly audience on proper cheese-steak-ordering etiquette.
• Kyle Baker, accepting the award for Best Artist, said it was nice to be at a convention where he didn't have people asking "Who's Nat Turner?" He also donned sunglasses as a way, he said, of distinguishing himself from all the other guys with dreadlocks--not typically necessary at your average 95% white comic convention.
• Eye Trauma's John Jennings and Damian Duffy (the curators of Other Heroes and Out of Sequence. They're currently working on their stunning science fiction horror graphic novel about racism and consumer culture, The Hole:
• Joseph Wheeler III & Iyabo Shabazz.
• Cheryl Lynn, of Digital Femme (and founder of the rapidly expanding Ormes Society for black women cartoonists), who spoke on a fantastic panel called "Having Our Say: Black Women Discuss Imagery." More on that panel when I post the pictures. For now, here's a recent quote from her blog:

  What do women want from comics?

  The answer isn't important. Here's all you need to know:

  No reader wants to be made to feel that he or she is inherently less than a member of another group when he or she picks up a book to enjoy.

  That sums up a large part of ECBACC's mission, as does the work of...
• Professor William H. Foster III, whose current exhibit at MOCCA NYC is called "Looking for a Face Like Mine." From MOCCA:

  Blacks were deliberately left out of comics and American society for many years,” Foster noted. “On those rare occasions when we were included, we were misrepresented as savages, cannibals, simpletons, and worse. My research documents this important history both fair and foul, for all time, while there are still traces of it left.”

• The tireless Rich Watson, Glyph Comics Awards founder and editor of the excellent new Urban Voice of Comics magazine (which describes itself as "Wizard meets Vibe.")
• Underground comics legend Larry Fuller, who accepted the Glyphs Pioneer Award.
• Our table buddy, Ayo (more on him in the Saturday post). Ayo was a bit bummed out by his ECBACC sales, but I think that had more to do with our poor choice of table location than anything else--we got there really early and thought it'd be great to be right by the door, but folks walked right past the door to get to the main convention. Oops.
• Syndicated cartoonist Jerry Craft (Mama's Boyz), who was the only presenter to open his envelope with a dagger.
• Dwayne McDuffie, of Static Shock fame, and Dwayne McDuffie forum moderator Stephanie Brandford (mutate20).
• Omar Bilal, of the Museum of Black Superheroes.
• Vampire Huntress author L.A. Banks.
• And many more awesome comics artists and writers and fans, some of whom I will mention tomorrow.

For more ECBACC coverage, see The Heroic Times (which has some Larry Fuller images), Eye Trauma, Cheryl Lynn's Publishers Weekly report, Keith Knight's blog and Glyphs. Also, Joseph Wheeler III has some great photos (including one of me & Masheka up at the podium presenting).

Coming up: photos from the convention itself (including one of me asleep with a Keith-Knight-penned "please buy my comics" sign pinned to me), and photos and coverage of the panel "Having Our Say: Black Women Discuss Imagery."

Update: See "Part 2: Convention Photos."

P.S. Buy Masheka's book, Deep Doodle!