On April 28th and 29th, New York’s MoCCA (Museum Of Comics and Cartoon Art) took over the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, to hold their tenth annual festival celebrating the art and culture of american comics. The main hall of the building was filled with artists and publishers displaying their wares, and two small rooms downstairs served as venues for the programming.
Unlike most conventions, MoCCAfest focuses on comics as art, not as commercial proposition. The larger companies are largely absent; there’s no Marvel, no DC, no Image, no Dark Horse. Abrams Comic Arts, Top Shelf, Archaia, Fantagraphics, First Second, and other boutique publishers had the largest presence this year, and showcased a wide variety of new material from established and new talent. It’s an event that blurs the lines between readers and creators until those distinctions really don’t matter, and as a result, it inspires a sense of community that’s often lacking in larger conventions. The aisles were filled with a variety of self-published pamphlets and xeroxed zines, most by aspiring local artists.
There’s certainly drawbacks that can come along with that sense of level playing field: there was a pervading attitude of entitlement and self-aggrandizing in parts of the room, and it was occasionally tough to negotiate the exhibitors that were using varying combinations of the hard sell and the guilt trip to get passersby to look at their minicomics. And with the huge percentage of artists present hailing from SVA and the NY metropolitan area, there was a certain similarity that pervaded many of the publications: autobiographical graphic works by creators with common backgrounds and shared influences.
But those are minor issues. Some of the aisles went by in a haze of monochromatic scribbles, but others were filled with work that couldn’t help but be noticed and appreciated. The space was well-organized, signage was plentiful and clear, the volunteers and staff were attentive and easy to find (clad as they were in distinctive pink MoCCA t-shirts), and the programming was diverse and inclusive. There were panels highlighting all aspects of comics: art, history, commerce, print, digital, young, old, past, present and future. I made some careful choices, and settled on a few programs in particular that I wanted to check out.
The Graphic Novels For Young Adults session, featuring creators Derek Kirk Kim, Kevin Pyle, Raina Telgemeier and MK Reed, was a lively and entertaining discussion. Moderator Betsy Bird (a librarian and reviewer for School Library Journal) was was well-prepared and organized, and did a great job keeping the conversation moving. I enjoyed hearing the panelists discuss a whole variety of related topics, such as incorporating autobiographical themes into their books, creating stories that focus on universal experiences of youth, crossing boundaries of gender and race, using the internet to build an audience, self-censoring language and content in their stories (“that’s why I have an editor” -Kim) and their reasons in making work for younger readers (“When people asked me if their kids could read my comics, I wanted to be able to say yes” -Telgemeier).
I also made a point of attending the To Run A Comic Shop panel. This session featured owners and employees from many of New York’s finest funnybook emporiums discussing their approaches to outreach and promotion, the twin models of showroom and internet retail, and the social experience of shopping in a neighborhood store. The managers of Desert Island and Bergen Street Comics discussed giving customers additional reasons to shop at their stores (in-store events, rock shows, art openings, exclusive items, etc), and representatives from Manhattan Comics and Midtown Comics spoke on the changing face of the comics market and strategies for keeping brick and mortar locations profitable in a world of smartphones and online sellers. It was a fascinating and insightful discussion for anyone interested in the business aspects of comic books. It demonstrated how each retailer finds a different balance of the two business tenets of “cater to everyone” and “personalize the experience”, and showcased exactly the sort of businesses I try to support: people for whom making money is a secondary concern to doing what they love.
As in previous years, this MoCCA was a highlight of the spring convention season: two days filled with art, constructive conversations and essential publications.
The MoCCA Festival is a production of The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, a nonprofit foundation based in New York city that works to preserve, protect, and educate the public about the art and culture of comics. More information can be found on their website.