Attending New York Comic Con is an annual tradition for me. I’ve been attending the second biggest comic con in the U.S. since it’s inception on Feb 2006. Back in 2010, I had even had a table in Artist Alley.
This year brought back so many memories. I had a table in Artist Alley back in 2010. Doubt that will ever happen again, but at least I can say I sold my comics in NYCC.
While I did enjoy myself, there was a sad feeling I couldn’t shake off. Upon returning home, I read about a cosplayer’s passing on location.
Comic book artist Kim Jung Gi was slated to have a table at Artist Alley this year, when he passed away suddendly. Fans dropped by what was supposed to be his table, leaving flowers in his tribute instead.
One of the highlights of my NYCC experience 2022 was the George Perez panel. The artist passed away on May 6, 2022. Colleages and friends gathered on the panel to pay tribute to the well respected penciler who was known for his work on Wonder Woman, The Avengers, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Teen Titans, and many others. Perez not only had a long career in the comic book industry, but also much beloved in his personal life. At the panel it was discussed how he took in friends, making them honorary ‘family’ members and his dedication to his wife Carol. After the panel, free enamel pins bearing his signature were given out to the panel attendees.
With this quarantine now in place back in NYC, I finally have a chance to post about the past few months. Of course, the pandemic wasn’t the way I wanted this happen. With that, let’s look on some happier times.
Exhibit of panels during MICE Expo 2019.
I was invited to stay with a friend during MICE Expo 2019. October 2019 was particularly special, because it was their tenth anniversary. For those into indie, alternative, underground and non-superhero comics, MICE, which stands for Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, is one of the best indie comic cons. It takes place annually over at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In conjunction with MICE was Podtales, taking place next door.
One of the 2019 guests of honor was Xamie Hernandez, one half of Los Hernandez Bros. He had a panel discussing his career, from Love and Rockets onward. It should be noted that one of the sections, formely known as the Robert Crumb room, was renamed after Xamie Hernandez.
There were two other MICE panels worth mentioning. One was titled Understanding Nancy. The panel, moderated by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden spoke about the classic newspaper strip. Based on the Eisner-winning book How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, they discussed how Nancy had an impact on the cartooning medium.
Drawing Power was the name of the panel discussing the anthology Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival. On the panel was respected underground cartoonist Diane Noomin, along with three contributors, Katie Fricas, Claire Folkman and Kelly Phillips. Noomin was the anthology editor, gathered the contributors by invite only. The recent #metoo movement was one of the catalysts behind this collection.
The crowds at MICE 2019. Cambridge, MA. Oct. 2019.
On Saturday night, MICE had an after con party celebrating their 10 year anniversary.
After con party celebrating 10 years of MICE. Oct. 2019.
The next day, the event was just as crowded. Attendees discovered new comics and art.
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, MICE is reassessing whether or not to go ahead with the 2020 con. This was the right thing to do. By June, MICE officials should know whether or not to go ahead. You can check any updates on the website. Other comic cons scheduled in 2020 have followed suit. Until then, here’s to perhaps, 2021.
The first weekend of June 2019 was Cradle Con. Cradle Con is an annual comic con taking place at The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Long Island, NY. I had a table in artists alley for June 1st and 2nd, 2019. It was also the ‘official’ debut of my latest self-published comic ‘The Temptation of Squeaky.’ In all, I actually did very well.
My table at Cradle Con 2019. June 1st & 2nd, 2019, Long Island NY, at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.
This past Saturday, IncrediCon over in Middletown, NY went pretty well. Now that I’m back from Upstate NY, here’s the Psycho Bunny sketch of the week.
It’s a sketch from 2018, but decided to post now.
Punk’s not dead. Psycho Bunny takes a clue from The Exploited. Based on the comic written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo on WitchesBrewPress. Drawn 2018, posted on June 2019.
Of course I have some new greeting cards for sale. Three new designs. Below is a photo of two of the new designs. Each card is $3.00, comes with envelope, card and envelope inside plastic sleeve. Unless ordering by mail, the cost is $4.00 ($3.00 + $1.00 S&H). The Siouxsie Sioux card is already sold out. While I’m printing another Siouxsie batch, check out my Quentin Crisp card, just in time for Pride. While I need to update my website to include an online shop, I’m currently taking payments through Venmo and Square. My Venmo is @Witchipoo.
Latest greeting card designs from Michele Witchipoo/WitchesBrewPress. Siouxsie Sioux and Quentin Crisp. June 2019.
You can also order my latest comic, Temptation of Squeaky, again through Venmo. If doing mail order, the comic is $4.00 ($3.00 + $1.00 S&H). Please specify what you’re ordering, and include your mailing address. Example: Quentin Crisp card, Siouxsie card or Squeaky comic.
Latest comic. Temptation of Squeaky. Written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo on WitchesBrewPress.
Another reminder, I will be at the second IncrediCon this Saturday. (First one was back in October 2018) Free admission, located in the Hudson Valley area of Upstate NY. Middletown to be exact. The comic con will take place at the Galleria at Crystal Run Mall, 1 Galleria Drive, Middletown NY.
I’ll have my latest comic available for sale, along with other titles and greeting cards. Also doing commissions.
Sunday May 19th 2019, we took a quick bus ride over to the Jersey side. New Jersey that is. It was to check out the annual East Coast Comic Con over at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. I didn’t have my own table, but that was okay. It was nice to check out other established artists like Rick Parker, Howard Chaykin, Peter Bagge, Stephen Blickenstaff, Larry Hama, Russ Braun, Drew Friedman, Al Milgrom, George Perez, and many others. What sets East Coast Comic Con apart is that the emphasis is on the artists themselves. Without a doubt, there was also media guests, panels and cosplayers.
You knew you were on the right place when you saw Batman on line. Guess his Batmoblie was in the shop for repairs.
Batman in Port Authority. The Batmoblie must’ve been in the shop for repairs. Photo by Ben Herman. May 2019.
East Coast Comic Con is a three day event, but we could only check out Sunday. Which worked out fine. Plus I was personally still on that high from both the Jaz Coleman spoken word event, plus the Killing Joke concert earlier that week.
It should be noted that East Coast Comic Con was one of the last appearances for retiring comic book artist George Perez. Which means I totally missed most of the good panels. There was panels such as one for actress P.J. Soles (Rock n’ Roll High School, Halloween), and The Book of Weirdo. I did mange to catch the panels later Sunday afternoon. That we’ll get to later.
Peter Bagge at East Coast Comic Con, New Jersey. May 2019. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Comic book artist Al Milgrom
Comic book artist Al Milgrom
The first panel I attended that Sunday was about The Infinity Gauntlet comic book series. Infinity Gauntlet lead into other media franchises, such as video games and film. Most notably the current Avengers film series. The panel featured  Jim Starlin, George Perez, Ron Lim and Joe Rubinstein.
The Infinity Gauntlet panel at East Coast Comic Con 2019. Jim Starlin, George Perez, Ron Lim and Joe Rubinstein. Photo by Ben Herman. May 2019.
Afterwards I stuck around for another panel. This one was pure nostalgia from my adolescence years. Titled Flash Gordon: Stars of An American Classic, it focused on the 1980 film adaptation rather than the original comic book series. The two stars from the film spoke at the panel: Sam Jones & Melody Anderson.
Flash Gordon: Stars of An American Classic panel at East Coast Comic Con 2019. Sam Jones and Melody Anderson.
Flash Gordon: Stars of An American Classic panel at East Coast Comic Con 2019. Sam Jones and Melody Anderson.
Flash Gordon: Stars of An American Classic panel at East Coast Comic Con 2019. Sam Jones and Melody Anderson.
Flash Gordon: Stars of An American Classic panel at East Coast Comic Con 2019. Sam Jones and Melody Anderson.
Flash Gordon: Stars of An American Classic panel at East Coast Comic Con 2019. Sam Jones and Melody Anderson.
This was followed by yet another panel titled Denis Kitchen: 50 Years of Kitchen Sink Press. Being an underground and alternative comic book fan, this was an avid interest of mine. On this panel was Denis Kitchen, John B. Cooke, and Mark Schultz. Here Dennis Kitchen discussed mainly the history of Underground Comics, and Kitchen Sink’s role. Kitchen Sink later published titles like Omaha The Cat Dancer. (You can also check out info about Omaha hereÂ
Denis Kitchen, John B. Cooke, and Mark Schultz speak at the Denis Kitchen panel during East Coast Comic Con 2019, New Jersey. Sunday, May 19th, 2019. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Quickly ushered in after the Denis Kitchen panel was the annual Cosplay contest, held only on Sundays. The cosplay contest was broken down into two categories. The kids contest started at 4:30 pm. Below are a few highlights.
Immediately following was the adult section of the cosplay contest.
The East Coast Comic Con cosplay contest stands out, due to the focus being on the craft. The judges asked various questions in regards to materials used, where parts of the costumes were retained, if they were made by hand, etc. For the dedicated cosplayer, a lot of time and work goes in.
Although I didn’t get to meet all the artists, or attend all the panels, East Coast Comic Con is one of the better conventions to check out. Until next year.
Michele Witchipoo (author of this blog and artist) with comic book artist Rick Parker. East Coast Comic Con, New Jersey. Sunday May 19th, 2019.
Yesterday while at CradleCon I was interviewed briefly for a podcast, listed under WitchesBrewPress. It’s available on iTunes under Android’s Amazing Podcast.
Got back from Cradle Con 2019. It went pretty well. Sold copies of my latest comic, so I can’t complain. Got interviewed for a podcast, and might be interviewed for another. This upcoming Saturday I will be doing the comic con thing again. It’ll be for one day. You can buy my latest title at IncrediCon located in Upstate NY.
Admission is free. You can get my latest title as well as my older comics. I’ll also be available for commissions.
Without further ado, here’s the latest Psycho Bunny sketch of the week.
Psycho Bunny discovers the skateboarding lifestyle isn’t for him. Based on the comic written and drawn by Michele Witchipoo on WitchesBrewPress.
Stay tuned. Still have to post about Killing Joke in concert, East Coast Comic Con and Cradle Con. If you’re in the Hudson County area, come visit me at IncrediCon.
Nearly forgot. This weekend is Cradle Con. I’m going to be sharing a table with another cartoonist (Update 6/28/2019: He never put my name down when he submitted the app. Instead he just took my money. I shared a table with him, but my name was never listed on the Artist Alley role call. Not cool). Have my new comic available for purchase. So yes, I will promote my latest title until you feel it pounding on your head.
Cradle Con will take place at the Cradle of Aviation Museum and Educational Center in Long Island, NY. If you hurry, you can buy advance tickets. Otherwise day of show admission is $25.00 for adults, $12.00 for kids.
Talk about really catching up. Way back in October 2018 I had a table in the first ever IncrediCon. Taking place all the way in Poughkeepsie, Upstate New York. I was invited to take part back in the summer. Now I’m glad I did. Turns out I needed to get out of NYC, even if it was only for a day.
Usually I’m not into having comic cons in malls. IncrediCon took place in the Poughkeepsie Galleria. The Galleria looks like every other mall in America, with the same stores and the same type of food courts. Regardless, the comic con worked. Most of the participating artists were local. My friends Ray Felix and Robert j Sodaro had tables. Also got to meet the voice over actor who worked on the Cartoon Network program “Courage The Cowardly Dog.” (Amanda Stephen, the actress from “Orange Is The New Black” had to cancel.) There was a few cosplayers sprinkled about. Most of the mall shoppers thought the cosplayers were there due to Halloween being around the corner.
The highlight was doing a commission. The request was for a goddess sketch, similar to what I used to draw for Babalon Babes. I decided to do Mama Quilla, a Peruvian moon goddess. Thought the commission came out okay, despite having limited time to do the sketch.
Commission of Mama Quilla, a Peruvian moon goddess. Photo taken while the sketch was in progress. Done by Michele Witchipoo. Oct. 2018.
So traveling to Upstate NY was much needed. I could even imagine myself moving there. It would be a nice change of pace. The older I get, the more I like to be surrounded by nature. However, reality called. It was time to head back to NYC.
The Metro-North train going towards the Poughkeepsie area was smooth and peaceful. Taking the Metro-North back to Grand Central was a different story. The minute I boarded the train back to NYC, chaos ensued. There was a trashy woman who looked like she was probably 19 or 20. She argued with her boyfriend on her cellphone loudly throughout the entire ride. As much as I tried to block this out by listening to music on my iPhone, the cellphone battery was dying.
A few stops later, two men boarded the train. They were the African-American equivalent of Jay and Silent Bob. These two men were totally lost. The gentlemen looked completely lit, and had no clue where they were heading. Of course, they had to sit next to me. The black Jay was roasting on his friend black Silent Bob. He was roasting black Silent Bob for anything. For not knowing where they were going. For wearing a fisherman’s hat. For not responding to his roasting. Black Silent Bob just shook his head, probably used to his friend’s antics.
The black version of Jay stopped for a second. We listened to the woman who was STILL arguing with her boyfriend in public. So black Jay started yelling at the woman to shut the hell up. The woman completely ignored him. The guy went from busting on his friend to loudly insulting the angry woman. The woman was too wrapped up into her bickering, so this turned into an impromptu comedy routine. To fair, the woman was getting on my nerves as well. Since my cell battery died by this point, I chatted with the two gentlemen. The two gentlemen took a shine to me. They kept on calling me “sis” and trying to get me to party with them. I politely declined. At least it was entertaining. Black Jay told me that his adult daughter just graduated from UCLA. He was also a designer, but his designs were ripped off. When I asked about what it felt like having his work stolen, he offered this advice. He basically told me to never give a fuck. The way 2018 has been, he probably has a point. It’s sort of like when the Buddhists say not to have attachments. The two men bid me a gracious farewell as they got off at the Yankee Stadium stop. Welcome back to NYC and reality. Here’s to not giving a fuck.
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