Despite the heat, the 2025 Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (Cake) was hoping for around 2,000 participants in the two-day show for each organizer Chris Lopez. The show took place on June 28th and 29th at the Irish-American Heritage Centre. This year was the first place to be, and I was hoping to return next year. There are 142 exhibitors scheduled at the table, and the cakes can be freely attended and run by volunteers.
The cake started in 2012 and returned in 2023 and 2024 after a three-year pandemic break. I’ve heard something good, but it was my first time. When Sarah Becan (Let’s make bread!) mentioned in her newsletter that she would be at a table, I decided to attend. (I love her cookbook comics!)
After visiting the first 7 tables I saw, when I bought something with four of them I quickly realised my mistake of not having a tote bag. Thankfully I was able to drive and buy it for a car. There was free parking at the venue!
Also, the great show feature I’ve never seen before: the comic program had a section to record purchases. If you purchase a certain amount, there will be a free poster and buttons. Great ideas to encourage purchases, and homemade receipt lists for those who track them for tax purposes.
(The program was also sturdy enough to make a viable fan. The interior was very warm and a bit crowded, but everyone was generous when they hit them in the aisle of the table.)
Although I wasn’t long enough to photograph programming, the panels and workshops covered a variety of topics, ranging from “transcomic artist showcases” to “figure drawings” to “lithographic demonstrations and workshops.”
Most participants and exhibitors will be masked according to the show’s request, most tables will receive some kind of digital payment, and Venmo is a popular option.
Cake: There are plenty of mini comics!
The mini comics were abundant! Most exhibitors were artists. The only publisher I noticed was the uncivilized book. There, I had the opportunity to catch up with Matt Madden. He is preparing for the 20th anniversary of Essential 99 Ways to Tell a Story. The stylish exercise later this year, but in the meantime we featured six treasures from the Spiral, released six months ago.
Another old favorite creator is Eddie Campbell, who currently lives in the area. He self-published the Midwest Cartoon School (1900-1940), which seems very informative about the history of comics. As he said, self-publishing means there is less discussion with publishers.
I was happy to meet a few artists I met at TCAF earlier this month. It felt great to rebuild those familiarity, as it meant we missed generations a few years away from the convention circuit.
Here’s a little more interesting cartoon I’ve covered:
A mini-comic by Whitney Wasson, “How to Grief: An Illustrated Introduction to Sadness and Loss” – it’s a topic that we all have to deal with, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.
“Sees of Frustration: Virginia Cigarettes and Jimson Weed: A History of Ethnoplants by Tim Ballard” – A rather ridiculous title, but it suits the style of the material, and I like non-fiction comics. It’s a strange piece considering the content is 16 pages and the two are bibliographical, but it has colour and is an interesting topic.
Monkey Chef: A love story by Mike Freicht. It is an autobiographical graphic novel about loneliness and dating who works in South Africa and makes food in a primate sanctuary. I’ve also read Love Languages on intercultural romance, so there may be a mini-trend here.
Last note: The cake also had contact information called “International Exhibitor Display.” There was “works by artists who were unable to go to cake this year due to the unstable political situation in the United States.” It was a good idea and reminded me of hope for a time when travelling is safer again.
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