Keith Knight and Ellen Lindner display blue ribbons!
The Si Mocca Fest in New York was another successful event. You can succeed and find others to watch and buy great comics, chat with old friends, or chat with old friends.
Once again held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, I have never seen the attendance but passed the “busy” test. Every time I approached the table to chat or check out, I had to wait for someone else to buy/end the chat. This is quite rare at a “regular” comic con. This comic-con is often eager to make eye contact to start interactions, urging them to go through alleys and develop the ability to ignore these same attempts that bartenders around the world complete. Mokka was humming!
Therefore, the interaction was 100%. Was there any sale? I didn’t actually check, but I saw some “sold out” signs on Sunday, and no one had burst into the news of the sale. I mentioned the slow sales, but usually from people who don’t have very new materials.
That being said, I had to leave early on a Sunday, but I saw a pile of books at the table, which usually runs out by the end of the day. I don’t want to say that the utter state of economic unrest that has involved us has affected sales in Mokka, but I’ve heard some people wonder if it’s suffering from Mokka.
Still, when I was around, the mood was generally bright. My Mokka kicked off on Friday with a talk in P&T knitwear with Chinese artist Badiu Kao and author Melissa Chang. I’ll talk about their books. There was a full home when the three spoke about the fight for human rights in China and the current crisis in the US. A great book that illuminates these dark times.
After that I jumped on the L and checked out new locations on my journey to a new space just as seen in autumn. This place was packed for signatures by Linnea Sterte and Julia Gfrörer. The owner, Gabe Fowler, was all smiles and was so happy that everyone was meeting each other, talking about the comics and thanking the local institutions still existed.
Saturday’s event was criticised as pointed out. I caught up with most of the large publishers set up and asked about diamonds, customs duties and more. Though he was a creditor, no one seemed to have been heavily affected by Diamond’s bankruptcy.
Jason Ryvian of Floating World pointed out that he already has a small distribution company that handles things like Santos Sisters comics (the collection is by Fantagraphic). Although current distribution shuffles have not really affected me, things like floating worlds and Domino’s books are very small and show that specialized distributors are already alive, surviving in cartoons, carrying adventurous books that I and several others like to read. If the diamond is split into different parts, I think we’ll see more integration and team up.
Elsewhere, people were excited to see Jaime Hernandez, making the first appearance in NYC over the years (and the first appearance of Mocca in over a decade!) with most of the panels packed in. If you have one advice about Mocca, if you want to see the panel, you’ll get there early and missed Marquise events like the Marquise Event, such as the Lectures Between Hernans.
Mocca will award the award, but this year the format was different. They are only invited after a party is held a few blocks away, not the Illustrators Association. I missed the social atmosphere but was able to go a few blocks away to see it was convenient. I think this was actually very cool to the winner who was announced in one of the panel rooms and gave him the opportunity to rise and accept the prize money and a big blue ribbon at the state fair! Also, there was a loud cheer when someone particularly popular in the cool- community won. It was similar to the spirit you saw at the Ignuts Awards, but small but good. (I would like to emphasize that all winners were cheered, but some beloved community members cheered a little more.) The next day, the winner announced that they would be given balloons on the show’s floor, leading to more cheering at PA. General approval feels good!
I felt disappointed so I had to leave early as mentioned. Three shows in 4 weeks are more than I can take anymore! However, after the show, some debate arose after Leivian posted this on Bluesky:
“I was very impressed with the artist who crouched down on my folding table on Mokka during both days, and only had two hours left at the show.”
This setup was pretty visible in front of the room, and definitely expressed the rebel spirit that indie comics should have shown. There is a long discussion about the comments on this post. This, as Austin English, calls the high cost of the Mokka table and sums up the discussion of what an indie company is absolutely.
I didn’t walk, but here I give my thoughts. It is true that mokka tables are very expensive. It’s even more expensive than the New York Comic Con! I think the table is $500.
I disagree with this being a high hurdle for small presses who make comics while working on business days. However, the economics of the show is the size of New York City, or the pricey one. The Metropolitan Pavilion is the only venue of its size and capabilities in an ultra-major location in the heart of Manhattan, and it charges absolutely everything. I’ve heard this from other people who have held the show, but it’s not a cheap place to do the show. I was eager to have the area sit and read and rest, but just putting up a few chairs cost money and all the space needed for the exhibition. (There was a gentle fraud room that offered quiet and relaxed things, but it was reserved for those who needed such an environment.)
Why can’t Mocca move? Well, that’s NYC. They have many different locations, but they are all priced and demolished, and it’s hard to find space big enough to hold hundreds of exhibits in Manhattan. I don’t know about the economics that run the society of illustrators itself – it’s a New York institution, but it’s not cheap to have a permanent and beautiful space for the arts either. Let me tell you that I have a few events in my time and finding space to do something in New York is exhausting and expensive.
Former show director Anelle Miller set the show’s patterns by increasing the number of exhibitors at institutions that could purchase show costs. And there were many sponsors, including The Beat, the festival’s proud media sponsor.
All prices have been acquired from New York, including the Indie Comic Festival. Brooklyn’s BICS is a much cheaper alternative and hopes the show grows and serves a different audience.
We are very pleased to see that the Mocca Festival exists and is being held in a central location. Its organizers are now able to bring guests from all over the world. Considering the cost, I’m worried whether people can make money by selling books. You should also hear concerns like Austin English voiced, but I don’t think there’s an easy solution.
Now some photos before we go!
Talk with P&T knitwear! Along with amazing panelists Francis Jetter, Matty Lubuchansky and Kay Sohni, I met cartoon historian and curator Paul Gravett after a panel in New York. I learned that François Vingo and Jason Lavian are not the same people. Part of CCS Tablers The Joy of Shows is just looking at these random encounters, like Yen Press’ Mark de Vera and writer Alex Segura. Peow2 made a very huge bag.
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