SPACE Panels

SPACE is, as you must know, in just five days. Besides a roomful of comics artists, there's a full weekend of panels and programming scheduled. Here's the line-up:

Friday

3:00-5:00 PM
The Ohio State University Cartoon Library and Museum (formerly the Cartoon Research Library)
Open House
Enjoy the Reading Room Gallery Exhibition, Light: A Forgotten 19th Century Humor Magazine, along with behind-the-scenes tours of the library stacks and a special display of treasures from our collection.

There will also be some special treasures out for viewing, including original Bone art by Jeff Smith, original Calvin and Hobbes art by Bill Watterson, and original art by P. Craig Russell.

SPACE Exhibitors will also be working on the annual jam panel.

The first 20 people in the door will receive a free single day pass to SPACE!

The Cartoon Library & Museum is located in the Northeast portion of the Wexner Center complex, north of the Mershon Auditorium. Entry doors are in the walkway underneath the large, white, steel grid that runs north-south, parallel to High Street. After entering the building, take the stairs or elevator down one floor. The Cartoon Library & Museum is next to the Fine Arts Library.

Public parking is available at the Ohio Union Garage South ( http://www.osu.edu/map/building.php?building=162), which is reserved for hourly visitor parking until 4 pm. After 4 pm, visitors can also park at the Ohio Union Garage North ( http://www.osu.edu/map/building.php?building=288) or Arps Garage ( http://www.osu.edu/map/building.php?area=engineering&building=278 ) just north of the Wexner Center complex.

http://cartoons.osu.edu
cartoons@osu.edu
614-292-0538

Saturday April 18, 2009 Aladdin Shrine Center

Exhibit Area

All Day- C. Tyler’s "You’ll Never Know" Exhibit

An exhibition of original full-color pages from C. Tyler’s soon to be released graphic novel "You’ll Never Know, Book I: A Good and Decent Man", published by Fantagraphics Books. Book I is the first in a series regarding her father’s World War II experiences. See it here

first.

Panel Room

12:30PM 1st Annual SPACE Prize Presentations Hosted by Matt Dembicki, Tim Corrigan and Bob Corby

2:00PM The adventures of a working class syndicated comic stripper" with John Kovaleski, cartoonist of "Bo Nanas"and contributor to Mad magazine and Jeff Stahler, cartoonist of "Moderately Confused" and editorial cartoonist for the Columbus Dispatch and Steve Boreman cartoonist of "Little Lost Dog".

3:00PM Cerebus LIVE! IV: With Jeff Tundis, Jeff Seiler, Lenny Cooper, Matt Dow, Margaret Liss, and Larry Hart. Excerpts from Cerebus, High Society, Church & State, Jaka's Story and Latter Days will be preformed live!

4:00PM "How to Write a Cool Fight Scene" or "How to Write Action" hosted by
Nik Havert, indycomic writer and martial artist. With panelists Tom Scioli, and Paul Schultz.

5:00 PM The road less traveled - contracts and money hosted by Tim Broderick

How a webcomic guy got his graphic novel published by a traditional, prose

publisher and how that graphic novel got optioned for television. This

session will focus on what you can expect from a standard book contract and

the kinds of things that "preditors" will try to pull! Looking to do more

than self-publish or work-for-hire? This session is for you.

Sunday April 19, 2009 Aladdin Shrine Center

Exhibit Area

All Day- Atomic Indy Artist Comix Show
An exhibition the Cartoon Art of Columbus’ Sunday Comix Goup
The participating Sunday Comix artists express their individuality through a wide range of styles and genres in comics and cartoon art. All have had their work featured in various local publications, including the Short North Gazette and Columbus Alive! Matt Wyatt's editorial cartoons have appeared in area weeklies since 2003. Sue Olcott's "Onion City" is featured every month in the e-magazine Naked Sunfish, and Ray Tomczak's "Wasted Potential" has been appearing weekly on-line for over two years. Columbus College of Art and Design graduate Jonathon Riddle is currently collaborating with Columbus State teacher Terry Eisel on a graphic novel set in World War II era Czechoslovakia. Rich Watson, whose webcomic "City Mouse Goes West" chronicles his move from New York City to Columbus, was recently profiled by the Columbus Dispatch, and Max Ink's comic, "Blink," has been declared both "charming" and "worth its weight in gold" by Rick Allen of The Other Paper.

Panel Room

12:00 Noon Comics in the future…
Comics, the final frontier, or a dying medium? DUN DUN DUN! In this panel hosts Mason Johnson and Kurt Dinse lead an open forum discussion with creators and audience members about the future of comics, from digital media, to changing standards in the industry and (hopefully) jetpacks. Anyone and everyone is welcome to show up and share their terrifying, exciting, or just plain bizarre visions of the future!

1:00PM TITLE: "I Stayed Up All Night Drawing, And So Can YOU!"
SUBTITLE: 24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett
DESC.: Xeric-winning cartoonist and teacher Marek Bennett reads from his
recent book of 24 hour comics, "HOUR 72!", and reflects on the role of
creativity, inspiration, deadlines, surprise, and lack of sleep in both comics and education. Then, astound yourself with Marek's "24 Minute Comic" exercise!

2:00PM "Cartoon Ohio - A history of Ohio's place in the history of cartooning."
Russel Merritt will present information from his book about the history of comics in Ohio. Ohio has a strong place in the history of American cartooning. The number of well-known cartoonists who were born, educated and/or worked in the state is amazing.

3:00PM Dean LeCrone vs. The Mutants of Comic-Con Video
Written and starring Dean LeCrone, filmed on the fly, full improv, at the San Diego Comic-Con. Shot and edited by Allen Freeman. A full onslaught of crazy interviews, dancing, and cavorting comedy by Dean LeCrone, cartoonist and actor. Must be seen to be believed. Screenings have gotten rave reviews! Tons of laughter every single showing! Can't all be consumed in one sitting! Predicted to be a CULT CLASSIC! It's a comic blast that lasts 50 min.

Premiered at the History Mission Theater in Fallbrook, CA. at the Comics and Animation Film Festival 2007

Official Selection of the Fallbrook Film Festival 2008

Official Selection of Mid-Ohio-Con Film Fest 2008

4:00PM Ralph & Stu 20+ years in the independent market. What's the same and what's different? Ralph Griffith and Stu Kerr talk about their time in the comics biz with addition insight by Dustin Carson and Howie Noel

One Month Out

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, as I write this we exactly a mere one month away from the big show we lovingly call SPACE 2009. Which means I've got to get busy. Not only will I most likely be posting more frequently as the fateful weekend draws nearer, but I also have to get ready for the show itself. This includes putting together a new book of Wasted Potential strips to attempt to sell, and maybe reprinting last year's book, as I'm down to fewer than ten copies. As for this blog, I've got the promised interview with Nate Powell upcoming, as well as a couple more exhibitors who've tackled the dreaded 10 Questions, plus other news and developments as they pop up.
In the meantime, if you're reading this, you're probably already planning to attend SPACE, so why not get your tickets in advance. Until April 5, you can get discounted advance tickets through the SPACE web site. This link will take you directly to the page where you can order them.
You can get a single day pass for $3.50, as opposed to $5. if you just show up at the door, or a whole weekend pass for $5.00 versus $8.00 the weekend of the show. For even bigger savings, Bob is offering a package of ten single day passes for $25.00 or ten weekend passes for $40.00, which is half the day of show price. Why, with prices like that, you can buy tickets for everyone you know. Or even people you don't know. It's a great way to make new friends.

NATE POWELL'S SWALLOW ME WHOLE NOMINATED FOR LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE

FROM TOP SHELF COMICS:

First graphic novel since 1992's MAUS to make the list-

Top Shelf Productions is bursting with pride to announce that Nate Powell's graphic novel SWALLOW ME WHOLE has been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize!
SWALLOW ME WHOLE is one of five official finalists in the category of Young Adult Fiction, making it the first graphic novel to be nominated for this prize, in any category, since Art Spiegelman's MAUS won the Fiction category in 1992! "I'm honored just to be considered," says Powell, "and feel dizzy having my book even placed in the same sentence as MAUS."
Although SWALLOW ME WHOLE was not created exclusively for young adult readers, it is fundamentally a story about the dark, quiet corners of adolescence. The book follows two
teenage stepsiblings, Ruth and Perry, through the ups and downs of school, family, and suburban restlessness -- all complicated by the insect armies, swirling visions, and haunting voices that no one else can perceive.
"To be a young person is to be surrounded at all times by frightening transition and the terror of losing touch with a safe and familiar world," says Powell. "Sometimes the only salvation from that terror is in what a teenager can create for themselves."
The LA Times Book Prize nomination follows months of critical acclaim for SWALLOW ME WHOLE's rich storytelling and dazzling visuals, which have led some to call it "the best graphic
novel since Craig Thompson's BLANKETS." Douglas Wolk wrote in the New York Times that Powell's flowing, impressionistic artwork, with its ravenous expanses of negative space, swirls
the reader's perspective through his characters' perceptions and back out again." The Onion's AV Club agreed that the book "achieves some stunning effects with the art and the lettering"and admired how "SWALLOW ME WHOLE captures the desperation of the clinically obsessed, and how from the right angle, it can look like genius." The book also received an Ignatz Award from
the 2008 Small Press Expo.
"What makes this book so worthy of acclaim is the way it immerses the reader in the life and mindset of a gifted yet mentally ill teenager," proclaimed Walter M. Mayes, a middle school librarian and one of the members of the award committee. "To get a glimpse of what it must feel like to be inside such a head can be overpowering and disorienting upon first read, but when reread, the book offers such literary power that it is hard to deny, even if you don't totally 'get' what is happening. Teens will find this book compelling, weird, scary, and ultimately affirming."
Nate Powell will be attending Seattle's Emerald City ComiCon (April 4-5) and the SPACE Expo in Columbus, OH (April 18-19) before traveling to Los Angeles for the LA Times Book Prize ceremony on Friday, April 24. The ceremony serves as the kickoff for the LA Times Festival of Books (April 25-26), where Nate will be a special guest hosted by Hi De Ho Comics all weekend.
To celebrate Nate's achievement, Top Shelf is holding a mini-sale through April 26th: order SWALLOW ME WHOLE and get a free copy of Nate's autobiographical short story collection,
PLEASE RELEASE for free! To order, visit http://www.topshelfcomix.com/natepowell. Top Shelf 2.0 is also hosting a new online comic by Nate Powell and Rachel Bormann, entitled Cakewalk," at http://www.topshelfcomix.com/ts2.0.

Bob sweet talked Nate into agreeing to an interview for this here blog, and was also gracious enough to provide me with a copy of the book so I'd know what the heck I'm talking about. I'll be working on that over the next couple of days, and have that interview up as soon as possible.

Atomic Indie Comix Show

The reception for the Atomic Indie Comix Show at Crimson Cup Coffee House in Clintonville is tomorrow night. One small change to the exhibit has been made, however. Due to space limitations, the six artists will display their work in two waves, with each group being on display for two weeks. The first group consists of Matt Wyatt, Rich Watson and Ray Tomczak, with Jonathon Riddle, Sue Olcott and Max Ink comprising the second wave. Works by all six will be on display for the reception.
Hope to see you there tomorrow.

Obligation Post

With a little less than three months left until this years SPACE show, I have set myself a goal of updating this blog at least once a week. I'm shooting for Sundays, but as you can see, I've already blown that.
Anyway, I have some bios of a few of this year's exhibitors that I'll be posting over the next few weeks. It has been suggested that I supplement the info provided by asking the subjects a few questions of my own. I'll try to have the first batch of those up next Sunday.
Meanwhile, I do have one update. The Sunday Comix exhibit at Crimson Cup that I wrote about last week has been re-christened "Atomic Indie Comix." (No, I have no idea what it means) The reception on March 6 will begin at the Laughing Ogre, from 4 to 6 pm, and move on to the Cup to continue on until 8 pm.
Finally, I would like to ask all SPACE exhibitors to let me know if they have any news, announcements or unfounded gossip they'd like me to spread. My e-mail address is tomczakraymond2@gmail.com
Talk to you next week, if not sooner.

Sunday Comix To Show At Crimson Cup In March

Sunday Comix, a group of local comics artist here in Columbus, Ohio, has another gallery showing coming up this spring. In the past, the group has displayed their work at Kafe Kerouac near the Ohio State University Campus and The Gallery Upstairs, above the Surly Girl Saloon in the Short North neighborhood. The latest exhibition of the groups work will be at the Crimson Cup coffee house at 4541 North High Street in the Clintonville area during the month of March.
Artists participating in the show are Max Ink, Matt Wyatt, Sue Olcott, Jonathon Riddle, Rich Watson, and Ray Tomczak (that's me, the guy writing this). All of the participating artists have had cartoons published in the Short North Gazette.
The exhibit, titled "Everyday Comix", opens with a reception at Crimson Cup on Friday March 6. There are prelimanary plans, not yet finalized, for a group appearance at the Laughing Ogre comics shop, just down the street from Crimson Cup, before the main reception at the coffee shop. As of this posting, plans are for the event to run through March 28.

Bill Knapp Wins SPACE Prize

Bob Corby, organizer of SPACE, the Small Press And Alternative Comics Expo, is pleased to announce that the winner of the first annual SPACE Prize is Bill Knapp, who is honored for his graphic novel A Thorn In The Side: The Story of Johnny Hopper. The SPACE Prize, established to honor excellence in self-published small press comics, consists of a plaque and a check for $300 to be presented during an awards ceremony to be held at the 2009 SPACE show.

The SPACE Prize is the successor to the Howard Eugene Day Memorial Prize, popularly known as the Day Prize, which was awarded by Cerebus and Glamourpuss creator Dave Sim in honor of his late friend and mentor Gene Day, at SPACE annually from 2003 to 2008. Shortly after the 2008 SPACE show, Sim announced that he was curtailing all future convention appearances to concentrate on his new series Glamourpuss, thus ending the Day Prize. Shortly thereafter, Bob Corby announced the creation of the SPACE Prize to fill the void.
Entries for the SPACE Prize are submitted by the exhibitors at SPACE, then read by Bob Corby, who selects a short list of finalists. These were then voted on by the exhibitors at SPACE 2008, with 5 points awarded to the highest vote getter, 3 points for second and 1 point to the third place finisher. Next, a panel of judges selected their picks for first second and third place, with point values assigned in the same manner as the exhibitor vote.
Sixty-one entries were received from the artists and self-publishers exhibiting at SPACE 2008, which Bob Corby whittled down to a slate of nine finalists. This years judges were Matt & Carol Dembicki (acting as one judge) the winners of the 2007 Day Prize and Tim Corrigan, publisher of the pioneering Small Press review zine Small Press Comics Explosion and a past recipient of the SPACE Lifetime Achievement Award. Between the judges and the exhibitor vote, A Thorn In The Side received 10 points to become the first SPACE Prize winner.
A Thorn in The Side tells the story of Ian “Johnny” Hopper, a British born resident of France at the time of the German occupation during WWII. When the Nazis march into his village, he and his wife, Paulette become involved in the resistance efforts, which ultimately lead to his capture and detention in a German prison camp.
In the following interview, Bill discusses A Thorn In the Side, as well as his past work, which includes the Day Prize winner Faith: A Fable, and his philosophy of comics.

1) Tell us a bit about yourself: Where and when you were born, where you went to school, your family--that kind of stuff.

BK: I was born in 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in rural Hinckley, Ohio. I am pretty much a self-taught artist. I’ve always believed that you become an artist by doing and observing, not by sitting in a classroom listening to someone else tell you what art is or is not. I’ve taken some live model drawing classes but that’s about it. I’ve been married since 1992 and have lived in Lafayette, Indiana since 2002.

2) Your bio in "A Thorn In The Side" says you've worked in comics for over 20 years. Other than "Thorn" and "Faith: A Fable", what have you done?

BK: My first professional work was working on stories for Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor back when he was self-publishing it. I drew a number of stories for him in the early/mid-80’s. I was involved in DC Comics New Talent Program in the late-80’s drawing a Flash-related story and production-type work for a few other projects. In the 90’s I did work for Now Comics on their Green Hornet title, art for a small, defunct publisher I’d rather not legitimize by naming, and a Firearm story and Hardcase story for Malibu Comics. In 1995 I first started self-publishing my take on a superhero comic called The Furies, publishing eight issues of that. From people I know in the self-publishing side of comics I’ve done a couple stories for Michael Cohen’s Mythography book, a short story for a Scott Mills book and a story for an anthology released by Brian Clopper.

3) How, and why, did you get into comics?

BK: Friends of mine in grade school were into comics which got me interested in them at a time when my interest in art was developing. So for me, comics were pretty much all I wanted to do. I love the combination of story and picture. Naturally for the late-70’s, the only real options for comics work was Marvel or DC and so for many years my goal was to work for one or the other. Today, I don’t see the material they are putting out to be good comics and what I’ve seen of comics editors these days is that they are more interested in office politics and promoting themselves as the ones responsible for the success of the books, than in knowing how to tell a good comics story, so my interest in being yet another X-book artist is non-existent.

4) Do you have a "day job" or are you lucky enough to support yourself doing this?

BK: Art is what I do. If I’m not doing comics-related work, I’m painting or writing.

5) What was behind the decision to self-publish "Faith" and "Thorn"?

BK: I decided back in the mid-90’s to self-publish. At that time, the industry was imploding and I figured that if an editor was looking for an artist and had a choice between me and someone who had worked for the company before, he would take the safe choice and choose the guy with a track record of work and Image-style artwork he could comprehend. Today if I could find someone to publish a book for me, I would go that route but publishers are antsy about material. What I do isn’t superheroes, it isn’t slice-of-life autobiography and it isn’t Fantagraphics-style “art” comics so the possible publishers are few.

6) You were also the first winner of the previous incarnation of this award, The Day Prize. How did winning the Day Prize affect your life and/or art?

BK: It was very nice to win it, but I can’t say it changed the way I live or work. Unfortunately, when that first Day Prize was announced, September 11 happened a few days later. SPX was cancelled and thus a great opportunity to promote the Prize. We take internet promotion for granted now, but even in 2001, it was harder to get press about something like the Day Prize than it is now. The instantaneousness of blogging wasn’t really being done and the old models for promotion were still being used. On the plus side, my wife and I had a terrific dinner with Dave and Gerhard before the 2002 SPACE show, I have a nice plaque and I received $500.

7)Besides winning the SP, how has "Thorn" been received critically and commercially?

BK: How is any self-published book being received these days? I have received some good reviews that really seem to understand what I’m trying to do with this story. It seems to me though, that my take on comics is difficult for some people to get a hold of. By that, I mean that the material I do doesn’t fit the catagories of what people now expect comics to be. As I noted in Question 5, it isn’t superheroes, it isn’t autobio, it isn’t expanding the boundaries of comics art. What interests me is telling a good story, regardless of genre, in a way that anyone reading the book could understand. My influences in comics are very old school with an emphasis on storytelling and clarity. Batton Lash, of Wolff & Byrd fame, has talked extensively about the true mainstream of comics, which are works that don’t fit the narrow ideas of the comics industry’s interpretation of mainstream. If A Thorn In the Side was a prose book, no one would question its theme or style. The only thing that would matter would be “Is it a good story”. In the comics field though, people seem to want material to fit the narrow definitions of what they define comics to be. Take people out of their comfort zone and there is a lot of resistance.

8)What exactly drew you to the story of Johnny Hopper?

BK: Quite simply, it’s a fascinating story. There isn’t much that has been written about Hopper and I wanted to try to do something that would keep his memory alive.

9) You say in the introduction that you first encountered Hopper's story in 1993, but didn't begin work on "Thorn" until 1999. Why, after the better part of a decade, did you feel that the time was right then to tell this story?

BK: At the time, it just wasn’t a story I was ready to do. I was still trying to get on the freelance merry-go-round. When I began self-publishing I had other stories I was trying to tell. After I finished Faith: A Fable I felt it was time to give it a go. I think it turned out to be a good thing I had to wait on it as it gave me experience writing and working on other types of stories before trying to tackle a true-to-life story.

10) A friend of mine is illustrating a Graphic Novel set during WWII, and another friend of ours asked him if he was afraid of comparisons to "Maus" Now, especially, given that approximately the entire second half of "Thorn" takes place in concentration camps, I put that same question to you.
BK: This isn’t a story about the Holocaust and concentration camps and Jewish persecution during the war. It’s a story of one man’s experiences during the war, part of which took place in a prison camp. I think if someone tries to compare the two stories, it’s really an apples and oranges thing. So many really fascinating stories came out of World War II, amazing experiences of survival, courage and fighting for what you believe, and many of them involve some stretch of time in a prison camp. If they didn’t shoot you outright, it was pretty much the Nazi response to problem individuals. You can tell your friend that on a historical accuracy level, there is also quite a difference between the extermination camps the Jews and Russians were dumped into purely so they could be killed out of sight and the prison camps people like Hopper and the group he was with went through. The end result was expected to be the same but the events leading to it were very different.

11) What's your next project, and when can we expect to see it?

BK: Since I finished A Thorn In the Side I’ve been doing a lot of painting and having a lot of fun with it. Working in color on single-image pictures isn’t something I’ve done much of over the years, so I want to see what I can do with it. I’m scheduled to have my first solo show at a gallery in Lafayette later this year, so I guess that would be my next project. I’ve been looking at a lot of work over the last few years by the great illustration artists of the 20th Century and like the idea of telling a story with one image. There are a couple comics-type projects I’ve been working on too, but I work so slowly and they are in such early stages that it’ll be some time before they would be finished.

*************************************************************************************

Everybody involved in organizing SPACE, this years judges and Cosmo's Corner wish to congratulate Bill Knapp on winning the 2008 SPACE Prize. We proud to have Bill’s work set the standard for future awards.

Quick Update

It's been awhile since I've updated this thing, even though I really should have posted when Bob announced the finalists for the SPACE Prize. Well, better late than never, and the list will appear below. Voting for the Prize among the exhibitors at this year's SPACE ended on Wednesday, and Bob has sort of promised to tell me as soon as we have a winner determined. I'll have to hit him up this weekend at Mid-Ohio Con and see what he's got.
Speaking of Mid-Ohio, it is this weekend, and I'll try to get a wrap-up posted either Monday or Tuesday, including details on the web-comics panel that I'll be participating in Sunday afternoon.
Talk to ya later.

Birth
Alterna Comics
Michael S. Bracco
23 Trumpet Lane Suite ALevittown NY 11756http://www.alternacomics.com/$12.00

Blink: Barefoot in America,Breakfast in the Park
Onward Studio
Max Ink
1440 W. Rich St. #5Columbus OH 43223
http://www.onwardstudio.net$4.00/

Breathers #1
Justin Madson
708 Birch St.Baraboo WI 53913
http://www.justmadbooks.com$6.50/

Clockwork Creature:Chapter One
Ambrrosia Publishing
Kyle Strahm- Artist Writer
Wesley Craig Green-Editor
96 Wilcox St.Timmins Ontario, Canada P4N 3K9http://www.ambrosiapublishing.com/$6.95

Concepcion
Pretentious Comics
Rickey Gonzales
P.O.Box 14376Chicago IL 60614
Pretentiouscomics.com$3.00

The Secret Historyof the Ineffables Part 1
Mystery City Comics
Craig Bogart
2714 Ruhl Ave.Bexley OH 43209
http://www.theineffables.com$3.00/

Lackluster World #5
Gen:Eric Publishing
Eric Adams
2245 Hannaford Ave.Cincinnati OH 45212
http://www.lacklusterworld.com$7.00/

The Serial Squad !
Bad Place Productions
Paul E. Schultz- Writer/Artist
Jon Hodges- Editor
P.O.Box 18755Cleveland Heights OH 44118
http://www.badplaceproductions.com/$5.95 & $2.00 S&HA

Thorn in the Side
Carbon-Based Books
Bill Knapp2526 Rainbow Dr.Lafayette IN 47904

Day Prize to become SPACE Prize

Little did I know when posting my video of this year's Day Prize ceremony last week that it was apparently to be the last such event. Seems Dave Sim has taken himself off the convention circuit for next year and taken his award with him. SPACE promoter Bob Corby has announced that he plans to institute his own award tentatively dubbed the SPACE Prize
Here's the straight poop in Bob's own words from the e-mail he sent to all 2008 SPACE exhibitors on Thursday:
"Many of you may have already heard that Dave Sim has cancelled all his convention appearances including SPACE 2009. He has also recently informed me that the Day Prize for the books we collected at SPACE 2008 is also canceled. He did give me the okay to pick it up myself. What I plan to do is take the submitted books and start the SPACE Prize (working title). I will review the books and pick 4 to 6 finalists and then have the registered SPACE 2008 Exhibitors vote for the winner. One of the few rules will be that you can't vote for yourself (or a book you're in). The winner will win a cash prize of $300.00 (sorry I can't afford the $500.00) and a plaque (or figure, that's not finalized yet). I haven't figured out the time table yet but the plaque presentation will be during SPACE 2009.If you want to opt out because the rules changed let me know and I'll ship your book back. If you want to complain call Dave Sim not me. I'm just the guy picking up the pieces.I also like to publicly thank Dave for his participation in SPACE and bringing the Day Prize here for the past 7 years. He only promised me a year or two so I can't complain. Without his help SPACE wouldn't have survived past the second year. I wish him the best of luck with Judenhass and Glamourpuss.The SPACE Prize is actually something I've wanted to do for awhile. I had applications for this at SPACE 2008. I was going to announce it on Sunday but I pulled it because the gate wasn't were I wanted it. We had about the same attendance in 2008 that we had in 2007 even with the move into early March. So next year being back in April I expect attendance to pick up and the funds will be available.(I'm not opposed to a co-sponsor if anyone else wants to chip in)."
The only part I don't like is that not voting for yourself thing. However, nowhere did he say that you could not pay others to vote for you. Look for my SPACE Prize acceptance speech on YouTube next year.
Bob goes on to say.."I'll also have another Hair-brained Scheme or two to boost attendence..." I can't wait to see what those might be. My plans usually involve snatching people off the street, stuffing them in the trunk of a car and bringing them to the show. That's probably why I'm just the blogger.

Dates For SPACE '09

I didn't tell this story last week, when it happened, because I didn't really have a context to put it in, and without that, it's just embarassing to the person it's about, even if I don't name him, which I shall not. Recent weather related events have provided that context, however.
Last Tuesday, I ran into a fellow local cartoonist and I asked him if he'd been at SPACE, as I hadn't seen him. "That was last weekend? I thought it was next weekend. Oh, well, see you there next year."
Well, it turns out its a good thing SPACE wasn't scheduled for the next weekend, as it probably would not have happened. Columbus, as you may have heard, was hit with what I'm sure someone has already termed the Storm of the Century, and if they haven't let me be the first, since just about every snowfall record there was, some dating back a hundred or more years, was absolutely shattered.
Fortunately, we had relatively good, if cold weather, the previous weekend for SPACE.
Next year's show, by the way, is back in the early spring where it belongs. The dates are April 18 and 19, and it will once again take place at the Aladdin Shrine Center.
Oh, well, see you there next year.

News From SPACE

And SPACE 2008 is in the history books, but this blog shall continue.

In fact, the real work is only truly beginning.

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing with you my SPACE experience, including the copious amount of photographs I took over the course of the two day event, as well as video of the Day Prize presentation. I'm also in the process of actually reading the many comics I picked up at the show, including new releases from Jay Hosler, Greg Hyland, Pam Bliss, Kel Crum, Brian Canini, and many others, and I'll be telling you about the best of them in coming days and possibly weeks.

Today, we'll cover the headlines:

The two big stories from SPACE this year both revolve around Guest of Honor Dave Sim--his presentation of the Howard Eugene Day Memorial Prize and the much anticipated unveiling of "Secret Project #1".

That no longer so secret project is called Judenhass (the word is, according to Sim, German for "Jew Hatred"), a one-shot graphic novel about the Holocaust, inspired by the sixtieth anniversary, in 2005 of the liberation of Auschwitz. Dave had the original art for the project, as well as preview copies of the published work. The art, I must say, is beautiful. Whatever else you may think of Dave Sim, it must be agreed that the man can draw.

Judenhass should be in comics shops in May. (I actually should say "will" instead of "should", since Dave has always made a point of shipping his comics on schedule.)

The Day Prize for 2007 went to, and this was hardly a surprise, Matt and Carol Dembicki for Mr. Big. Matt's been nominated one or two times before, and I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.

Well, those are the quick headlines. More later.

SPACE Parties

2-day SPACE convention deserves 2-day party!
To celebrate the 2-day Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, Columbus’ own Panel Collective is planning two days of parties.
Friday, Feb. 29 – Monkey’s Retreat
Join us for an art show and mixer at Monkey’s Retreat in Columbus’ Short North area. Monkey’s Retreat has been Columbus's best source of underground comix, art books, martial arts supplies and more since 1975 – a perfect match for SPACE. We’ll have a keg, but once that’s cashed there are several cool bars and clubs within walking distance.
Monkey’s Retreat
1202 North High StreetColumbus, OH 43201
8– 11 p.m.
Google maps reference:http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GFRC_enUS204US204&um=1&q=monkey%27s+retreat&near=Columbus,+OH&fb=1&cid=0,0,7336798876243304512&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=imageSaturday, March 1 – Momo2
Panel is taking you back to Momo2 for this year’s SPACE party. Momo2 features bowling, billiards, karaoke, bubble tea and a fine collection of Asian gifts and novelties. Momo has easy access to highways and several restaurants and bars nearby.
Momo2
2885 Olentangy River Rd
Columbus, OH 43202
8 p.m. - ???
http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GFRC_enUS204US204&um=1&q=momo2&near=Columbus,+OH&fb=1&cid=0,0,3238279955749711861&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image
Panel is a Columbus-based group of writers and artists. It features several working comics professionals, and it will debut its 12th anthology at SPACE.
SPACE, the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, runs March 1-2 at the Aladdin Shrine Temple. It brings dozens of the best regional and national small press comics.

Latest--Well, Really Just Late--News

Yep, I'm a little late in getting this stuff posted, but here it is.
First off, Dara Naraghi, of the local artist's "collective" known as PANEL, will be signing copies of his new graphic novel Lifelike this Saturday from noon to 4 pm at the Waldenbooks at Polaris Fashion Place.
Meanwhile, Bob has released the line up of panels and programming for SPACE:
All Weekend:
Dave Sim’s Secret Project #1: An exhibition of the artwork for Dave’s Secret Project #1 at TablesDave will also be auctioning off VIP sealed copies of Glamorpuss
Saturday
12:30PM
Day Prize Presentations Hosted by Dave Sim
2:00 PM
Carol Tyler Panel"The Comics Classroom -- From Kids to College to the Community": Join us for a lively discussion about teaching comics to kids and adults. Seasoned professionals will share their experiences. Discussion points: Lesson plans and curriculum development. Classroom management strategies. Grade level expectations. Board/staff presentations. Community center projects and others. With (Joe Kuth-out), Bruce Chrislip, Mike Maydak and Bill LoebsLed by C. Tyler, Professor of Sequential and Graphic NarrativesUniversity of Cincinnati, DAAP School of Art
3:00PM
Cartoon Carnival
Sunday
11:00PM
On-line Comics. Hosted by Ray Tomzcak with Andrea McEnaney, and maybe Max Ink, and a couple of others that I still have to round up.
12:00 Noon
Group Think: A method to develop story for artists and writers. Jeff Zwirek will lead the group through a unique workshop method for developing ideas with minds eye visulazation and word association. Bring a pen and paper to develop material for your own comics or prose.
1:00 PM
Antholo-geez! Anthology publishers vent. Hosted by Matt Dembicki (Attic Wit) with Dara Naraghi (Panel), Steve Noppenberger (Potlatch Project), Allen Freeman (Slam Bang), Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm), Mark Innes(Comics Eye), and Bob Corby (Oh,Comics!, Untitled)
2:00 PM
SPACE Jam
Steve Peters will perform songs from his Paradox soundtrack CD. He will explain how they fit together with his new comic, Runner's Paradox, which is the companion for the CD. Peters is the creator of Chemistry, a comic which also has a soundtrack CD and which won the 2006 Day Prize. He will be joined on some songs by Jeff Tundis, bass player for the Jazz Bastards and moderator for the Cerebus Yahoo! group.
3:00 PM
The History and Future of Small Press Co-Ops: A look at the history of small press co-ops, such as the UFO, the Small Press Syndicate and the BPP, with several key figures who helped to make these groups what they are today

Secrets of Dave Sim

So, it looks like the big news coming out of SPACE this year will be the unveiling of former Cerebus writer/artist Dave Sim's new "Secret Project No. 1". Max Ink, writing in the Sunday Comix blog, explains just what the heck this is all about as well as I could, so why waste time typing when I can just cut and paste:
"After 27 years of self-publishing Cerebus, Dave Sim wrapped it up in March 2004 and took a long vacation. Then, in the spring of 2007, he began working on an unnamed 'Secret Project.' Much anticipation and excitement was stirred among Mr. Sim's fan base. However, due to a series of unfortunate events, he put the 'Secret Project' on hold in July. Less than a month later, he began working on another "Secret Project" which then became known as 'Secret Project #2' (and then in December was revealed as being his Glamourpuss comic); thus (ipso facto) making the first 'Secret Project' #1! So, in April Mr. Sim's 'Secret Project #2' (Glamourpuss) will be available for sale at comic shops and in May, so too will his 'Secret Project #1' (the actual title of which is to be revealed at S.P.A.C.E.) be available for sale. "
Of course, I'll reveal more as details become available, though it's likely we won't know anything more until SPACE itself, Saturday, March 1.

Welcome To Cosmo's Corner

First, let me make it perfectly clear that I am not Cosmo...Cosmo is the funny looking little alien who is the official mascot of the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (SPACE), which is held each year in Columbus, Ohio. I, on the other hand, am Ray Tomczak, the self-appointed--with SPACE promoter Bob Corby's blessing, of course--official Blogger of SPACE.
The deal is that I felt I just wasn't doing enough to earn the complimentary table that my good friend Bob lets me have each year, so I offered to write this blog to help spread the word about SPACE and other small press comics projects and events.
In these virtual pages, I shall endeavor to keep you apprised of all news, info, and gossip concerning the show and small press and creator owned comics in general, especially those here in the central Ohio vicinity. At the same time, I'll be giving you my personal take on these topics from the standpoint of a cartoonist and perennial SPACE exhibitor.
Bob will, I hope, be keeping me in the loop as far as the progress of the show, and if there is any news related to SPACE or small press comics that you would like me to pass along here, drop me a line. My e-mail address is wasted_potential1965@yahoo.com
Well, that's all for now.
See you at SPACE.