Caturday isn’t over yet. Here’s my weekly Caturday sketch featuring some key figures of the Beat Generation as cats. Hanging out in front of City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, California are William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady, and Jack Kerouac. When I visited San Francisco in 2000, I had a drink in the bar that was right across the street from the famous bookstore. It was late night, and had just arrived in town. Didn’t get a chance to go inside the shop. Perhaps next time.
That’s right. It’s a blog post about a comic con I vended at in Cambridge, MA during Oct. 2016. Finally having the chance to post some long delayed photos from when I was lucky enough to get a table at MICE 2016. It was one of the best comic cons I’ve had the pleasure of taking part since I’ve started publishing my own comics.
MICE, which stands for the Massachusetts Independent Comic Expo focuses mostly on indie, alternative, undergound, and art house comics. Many of the comic artists were self published. The annual event takes place in Cambridge area just outside of Boston.
Despite my NYC loyalty, I’ve always loved Massachusetts. Particularly Boston, Salem and Cambridge. Best part was MICE 2016 took part during Halloween weekend. After MICE was over, I managed to zip down to Salem on Halloween day, right before taking the bus back to the Big Apple. In between MICE and Salem was a night at karaoke in Quincy, MA at some old style Chinese/Polynesian restaurant.
The night before MICE was going to kick off, there was a cartoonist party at HUB Comics. Located in the Somerville, Union Square area, the next town after Cambridge. Was very impressed by Hub comics. If I opened my own comic shop, this is what it would resemble. A very good mixture of mainstream and alternative comics, graphic novels and other merch. Also got to mingle with the other local cartoonists. My friend and fellow cartoonist E.J. Barnes (who helped put together the tribute anthology to Luisa Felix along with Paul Curtis) showed me around the area, and helped introduce me to the locals.
Also checked out the main drag around Cambridge. Discovered a shop called Cheapo Records, ate at a vegetarian diner, checked out and paid a visit to the Middle East.
Back to business. After setting up my table, anyone who had a table was treated to breakfast and a quick lecture, if anyone wanted to listen. Through out the day, the artists were given water and snacks by volunteers. MoCCA could use a few pointers from MICE.
Michele Witchipoo/WitchesBrewPress table at MICE 2016. Oct. 2016.
After the first day, there was a celebratory dinner for everyone in MICE 2016 at another venue. Artists were encouraged to doodle on the wall with some free art supplies. Some even showed up in costume.
Day two was more or less the same. Breakfast and someone was doing a quick lecture on the floor before the con started. Since it was Halloween weekend, many showed up in costume.
The other day I was having a conversation with two other people about writer Anais Nin. Apparently she lived in Queens for a while. Then we briefly discussed her work, including her erotic short stories along with the Henry and June saga.
Afterwards by myself, I thought about Anais Nin, and then about relationships in general. There’s sex, and then there’s love. Every once in a while, the two mesh together. Love is a very tricky thing though. It comes in many forms.
There’s also something else. The heart is not a toy. Especially when it comes to women. If a woman loves you unconditionally, then consider that to be a gift. When a woman gives her heart, she is showing her vulnerability, her loyalty, her devotion . In cases like this, the cruelest thing to do is to break her heart. Many times heartbreak hurts more than actual physical pain.
“Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.” – Anais Nin
Not all Anais Nin quotes are this melancholy. There’s some other quotes I favor over the one posted above, but this one rang true at the particular moment.
Anyway, here’s the sketch of week.
Anais Nin and Henry Miller. Based on the comic written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo on WitchesBrewPress. Feb. 2018.
Craft fairs are common now, but the first one put together by the new NYC collective Rock Paper Scissorswas a success. The collective, based in Queens, NY was formed recently to promote local work of artists, artisans and writers in the Queens and Brooklyn boroughs through group exhibitions & pop-ups.
It even received some local press such as QNS.com.
The pop-up Krampus Holiday Fair went fairly well. It took place at The Cobra Club, located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC.
The website Dangerous Minds, which I’ve been following for years, did an article on the Bowieand Lemmy coloring books. If you scroll down, the article shows the Bowie (Aladdin Sane) piece I had submitted for the book.
Two of my illustrations have been published by Feral House for their coloring book series. One for David Bowie, and the other for Lemmy Kilmister. Both of these new releases are available for purchase now from the website.
For the Lemmy submission, I including Wendy O Williams from The Plasmatics. Lemmy and Wendy did a duet together, a cover of ‘Stand By Your Man.’ The Bowie one I’ve simply titled ‘Saint Bowie.’
Two of my illustrations have been published by Feral House for their coloring book series. One for David Bowie, one for Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead). Sept. 2016.
I’ve been a fan of Feral House publishing for years. Have quite a number of FH books in my collection. So to get into this book series means a great deal to me. So if you’re a fan of either musicians or rather icons, you might want to get these books.
Since I have your attention, it should be noted again that the purpose of this particular comic con is to raise awareness to stop bullying. Admission is free, and it’s near public transportation. So get your ticket and drop by June 4th.
Art for MoCCA Fest 2016. Artist: Noelle Stevenson.
The past weekend of April 2 and 3, 2016 was a good one. It was my first time back at MoCCA Fest since 2013. Like back in 2013, I had shared a table with two other associates: artist/writer E.J. Barnes and writer Paul Curtis.
Photo of my table at MoCCA Fest 2016. April 2016. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
This time around, I mainly focused on the latest WitchesBrewPress releases. Okay, my own self-published comics. Also on hand was my line of greeting cards, featuring Krampus, Lemmy Kilmister and Wendy O Williams valentines, and a steampunk Cthulhu.
In my opinion, MoCCA 2016 went well.
Scene from MoCCA Fest 2016. April 2016. Photo by Paul Curtis.
Candid shot. Sharing a table with artist E.J. Barnes. She specializes in historical comics. MoCCA Fest 2016. Photo by Michele Witchipoo, April 2016.
Guess who showed up? Artists Ray Felix & Tim Kelly. Candid photo by Michele Witchipoo. April 2016.
Art for MoCCA Fest 2016. Artist: Noelle Stevenson.
Artist Rick Meyerowitz known for his work with National Lampoon. Gallery inside MoCCA Fest 2016.
Artist Rick Meyerowitz known for his work with National Lampoon. Gallery inside MoCCA Fest 2016.
Artist Rick Meyerowitz known for his work with National Lampoon. Gallery inside MoCCA Fest 2016.
Artist Rick Meyerowitz known for his work with National Lampoon. Gallery inside MoCCA Fest 2016.
Also on display inside the MoCCA Fest gallery was work by T.P. Moynihan. T.P. Moynihan was a self-taught artist who went under the pen name of “M.” He was also known as the son of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. “M” passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer. As I was snapping these pics, his friend sat in a chair watching. Still mourning over his best friend, he got up and spoke about “M.” It was touching to hear his friend speak about “M” obviously a bit still shaken up about his death.
Went back to my table as I noticed lack of sleep creeping up on me. It had been busy prior to MoCCA, so getting shuteye was far and few in-between.
Scene from MoCCA Fest 2016. April 2016. Photo by Paul Curtis.
Scene from MoCCA Fest 2016. April 2016. Photo by Paul Curtis.
There was an after-party for MoCCA exhibitors at The Society of Illustrators. An awards ceremony taking place, along with a generous bar and dinner. The Society of Illustrators is located inside a townhouse on the upper east side. Various floors had different galleries and art on exhibit.
Inside The Society of Illustrators, explaining MoCCA.
Artist Denys Wortman illustration from 1934. Inside on display inside The Society of Illustrators building.
Inside on display inside The Society of Illustrators building.
Inside on display inside The Society of Illustrators building.
Artist Coby Whitmore (1913 – 1988) who was published in The Saturday Evening Post. On display inside The Society of Illustrators building.
Artist Gabby Schultz. Inside on display inside The Society of Illustrators building.
Inside the lobby at The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
The main exhibit downstairs was a retrospective on Zap Comix. Zap is best known for Robert Crumb, but it also had work from Gilbert Shelton (Fabulous Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy’s Cat), Spain Rodriguez, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, Paul Mavrides, S. Clay Wilson, and my personal favorite, Robert Williams who did many albums covers for Marc Almond and J.G. Thrilwell, and Guns and Roses.
Zap comics retrospective at Society of Illustrators for after MoCCA party. April 2016.
Artist Victor Moscoso Zap #2. Zap comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators museum. April 2016.
The one and only Robert Crumb Zap #0, 1968. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist S.Clay Wilson Zap #14. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist Rick Griffin Zap#6. Inside Zap Comics retrospective at The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist Robert Williams Zap#10. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist Gilbert Shelton Zap#6. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist Robert Crumb Zap #1. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist Gilbert Shelton Zap#15. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Artist Robert Crumb Zap # 8. Zap Comics retrospective inside The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Robert Crumb letter Zap #8. Zap Comics retrospective inside Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Robert Crumb, Victor Moscoso, Robert Williams, S.Clay Wilson, Spain, Gilbert Shelton, and Paul Mavrides. Circle o’ Jerks. Zap # 15. Zap Comics retrospective at The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Robert Crumb, Victor Moscoso, Robert Williams, S.Clay Wilson, Spain, Gilbert Shelton, and Paul Mavrides. Mammy Jama Zap # 6 1973. Zap Comics retrospective at The Society of Illustrators. April 2016.
Next day back at MoCCA Fest itself. I took time away from my table to attend a panel about Wimmen’s Comics.
MoCCA Fest panel about Wimmen’s Comix. A feminist underground comic now available in a collected volume. April 2016.
On the panel was Diane Noomin, Phoebe Gloeckner, and Leslie Sternbergh. The long running anthology founded by Trina Robbins was discussed. What struck me most about this panel was when Phoebe Gloeckner discussed receiving payment from Screw Magazine’s publisher, Al Goldstein. Gloeckner had sold artwork to Goldstein. Apparently Goldstein wanted to pay Gloeckner in person. They met for dinner, and somehow the dinner ended by Goldstein taking out a huge amount of cash to be paid to Goldstein. He slowly started to count the amount of dollars he was to pay her, and then says to Gloeckner: “Now you know what it feels like to be a hooker.”
Hearing that took me back. While we all knew what Al Goldstein was all about, hearing this was still hard to stomach. It was like as if he was trying to demean not just her talent, but her as a person. When one hears recollections such as this, it shows how silly the current fourth wave internet pseudo-‘feminists’ really are. They don’t realize what women had to endure prior to 2016. In fact, disguised misogyny is what women still deal with on a regular basis. So while these current internet feminists complain about silly things, like shirts that scientists wear, or about a particular Milo Manara variant cover (Marvel’s Spider Woman, issue # 1, 2014), there lies deeper problems. Variant covers and pin-up shirts have nothing to do with real feminist issues.
Enough of the soapbox. I went back to my table at MoCCA. In all, despite my lack of sleep, it was a good weekend.
Good news. More positive press regarding the book I had submitted two illustrations for. The two illos can be seen in the book ‘Welsh In The Old West’ by Lorin Morgan-Richard on A Raven Above Press. Check out this link.
Book cover for Welsh In The Old West: Illustrated by Lorin Morgan-Richards. Available on A Raven Above Press. I have two illustrations inside this book. Dec. 2015.
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