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4.14.2006

APE report

Sorry folks this is a long one...

FILE # 56789
Report on APE (Alternative Press Expo) in San Francisco

Day 1: Thursday
I arrive into San Francisco at 11pm. Go to my friend Beth's apartment and promptly go to sleep.

Day 2: Friday
I awake and greet the day.
With map in hand I hop on a bus down Geary to Gough (pronounced Gof for some inane reason) and walk down to check out Isotope comics lounge. Isotope is a great store I do a lot of shopping at dingy old basement style comic shops but I do have to say there is something cool about the new style hip stores. I chatted for a while with James Sime (the fine proprietor of Isotope) about comics and the DC Conspiracy, who then pointed me towards a great burrito place where I had a burrito tortilla soup and two Corona lunch (man I love vacation).
Having gotten fine Directions from the ever-helpful Mr. Sime I wandered Down Fell to Market and over to seventh to check out the Concourse Exhibitation Center where APE was held. I then wandered the back streets of San Francisco to find the Offices of Last Gasp. Then took a long walk back to my starting point.
Later that Evening Beth her friend Tara and I went to the Last Gasp (www.lastgasp.com) pre-registration party. Once I was registered I proceed to enjoy their horderves and have a few glasses of wine. I also hung out with fellow East Coaster and DCC member Noppie (www.angrydogpress.net).
I then meet up with some San Francisco friends for dinner and drink a lot of sangria, then go back to Beth's and promptly pass out.

Day 3: Saturday
I awake at 5:45am and am in a panic to find my glasses (they get found). Around 7am Tara and I get lost in Beth's neighborhood and eventually find a greasy spoon called the Lucky Penny to eat at.
I take a cab down to the Concourse Exhibitation Center with my big ass bag of wares. Since I only got a half table I am sharing a table with Joshua Boulet from Texas he is a stellar artist and had a great comic of short stories. To our right is Joshua Moutray and Eve Engleyos with their comic Icecreamlandia (www.icecreamlandia.com) a brilliantly drawn and hilarious comic. To our left are Mike Wellman and Guy Leman of Atomic Basement Entertainment (www.atomicbasement.com), who produce the great comic "Gone South" and Rafael "SONAMBULO" Navarro (www.sonambulo.com), I've been lovin' this book long time.
This was a great day I spent most of it carrying on with Mike and Rafael or quietly commiserating with both Joshuas. I also met Jett Boy and ShRiek of 7000 BC (Bram and Monica's Santa Fe comics group www.baaadasssscomics.com) and picked up Jett Boy's great 24-hour comic "Crossing Lines" and "Re-enactment" ShRiek's beautifully rendered adaptation of a poem by Ariadne.
Around mid-afternoon Beth came to give me a break from my table. I ate at the greasy spoon across from the center (this was a bad idea, which my tummy regretted later) I then did a bit of wandering around. I chatted with Scott Morse and picked up his new book "Nobel Boy" (available through Ad House). I then stopped by Rick Geary's table and had a long chat with his wife where I gushed like a fan boy over "Junior Carrot Patrol", "Tales of Victorian Murder", and the "Blanche" series, which it turns out is loosely based on Rick's grandmother. Rick and his wife were very kind and indulged my fanaticism. I picked up "Cravan" written by Mike Richardson and the free preview ashcan of the "Gumby" book illustrated by Geary and written by Bob "Flaming Carrot" Burden. I never cared for Gumby much as a kid but I loved this ashcan I am very excited for this book to come out.
Back at my table things were business as usual. I only sold one t-shirt and as usual my best seller was the "Death by Sexy" flyer comic (people just can't resist the concept or the giant space cherries). I did learn that it is harder to sell a jam book by your comics collective when you are across the country from where they are based.
At the end of the evening Mike Wellman invited me to meet up with his crew for dinner before the Isotope party. I hooked up with Jamie of "My Fair Matey" (www.cantaloupecounty.com), another DCC member and East Coaster, I proceeded to get us lost getting to Isotope by confusing Mission st for Market st. We finally found our way there and then found a pay phone for me to call Mike from when I realized that I had left Mike's cell phone number at my table. Luckily the phone had a phone book (a rarity now-a-days) and we looked up the restaurant, which turned out to be right across the street with a giant sign on it (D'oh). Then as we walked across the street we ran right into Mike and his party posse. We gathered in the restaurant and drove our waitress nuts because our group kept growing (final tally was 16). At the restaurant I met Joey Andrade the writer of the mystical adventure comic "The Descendants" (www.descendantscomic.com) and his buddy whose name I forget (because I am a jerk) but who was a great fountain of knowledge about the band Fantomas and Mike Patton. I also met the lovely Ms. Barbie, Mike and Rafael's friend and our local guide around SF.
After we finished up our meal we all wandered over to Isotope, where the party was runnin' full steam with both engines. If you are ever in San Francisco be sure to go to Isotope it is a great store, but if you are ever in San Francisco for APE it is imperative that you go to the Isotope after party. The place was packed wall to wall with comic creators and their friends and there was an open bar, I repeat OPEN BAR, how do you fuckin' beat that. There was much cavorting and mingling as I was drunkenly thrust into the world of West Coast independent comics. Barbie tried desperately to keep us in line but it was to no avail, Mike was all over the place, Rafael was all over the ladies, and I just all over two fistin' it. They handed out the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics and in a brilliantly humble move winner Danica Novgorodoff said some thank yous and simply requested to wear the Dr. Strange cape. Another thing to mention is that the bartenders at Isotope had to be the some of the nicest I've ever dealt with and they were working solely for tips. At the end of the evening one of the lovely bartenders Kirsten Baldock, special projects director for Isotope convinced me to pick up her graphic novel "Smoke and Guns", which is one of the few things a girl has convinced me to do while drunk that I was not ashamed of the next day (not only was I not ashamed but I quite enjoyed reading it).
I left around 2am when the party was winding down and caught a cab back to Beth's where I passed out.

Day 4: Sunday
I awake, eat some buttery croissants and get a ride from Beth to the show around 10:30am.
I re-setup my table and wait for the show to begin. Joshua stumbles in a bit after me and Mike, Rafael and Guy stumble in about the time that the show opens up (they stayed at Isotope until around 3am). Barbie comes by later and we all complain about how we don't want to move, but the show is on and the adrenalin soon returns.
The lesson I learned today is that it is hard being across from the Nucleus table mini-comics just can't stand up to fine art prints and cute hand bags.
This day was a lot slower sales wise at-least up top Jamie said his sales were better (he was in the lower hall). But the slowness allowed me to not feel bad about escaping my table and I wandered around a lot more.
Today was my day to wander around and pick up stuff that caught my eye. My best purchase was a comic made on an old Rubik cube by Peter Conrad (www.peterconrad.com). It is an amazing follow up to his cigarette box comic. A review and better explanation of the comic can be found here www.sfsite.com/columns/matt008.htm.
Despite being a slow sale day I had a great time. I picked up some great comics got re-acquainted with people I had met the night before (like Shannon O'Leary of "Fortunes Bitch" and "Pet Noir" www.fortunesbitch.com) traded some comics traded some business cards and capped the whole day off with a shot of tequila.
I have a dinner of Indian food and pass out.

Day 5: Monday
I awake read some comics and pack.
Eat a breakfast of buttery croissants, walk a dog, go to the top of a hill where I can see all of SF, have lunch in Berkeley with John, Beth and Tara, eat a sushi dinner and get on a red eye back to the east.

This was a great trip, in a great town, at a great comics expo.
I defiantly want to go back next year and get into trouble with my new West Coast friends.

Lessons I learned...
Bring business cards everyone wants one so that they can "check out" your work later, it's not exactly a sale but at least they have your name somewhere on their person.

People may find the shirts I'm selling cute and talk to me but they will most likely not come back to buy one.

Bring your own soda, $2 for a can of coke that's fuckin' ridiculous. The $6 sandwiches were a little more of a value, but not much.

Even though you make your comics cost pocket change people still want to look at everything in the show before buying. Ah who cares if I wanted to make money I wouldn't be in comics.

And if you get a chance go to APE!

End of report.

ETK at 2:00 PM  |  link to this   

7 Comments

Isotope has to have an open bar because liquor licenses in SF are so high priced it's hard for bars to turn profits - let alone comic shops.

Sounds like you had a great time though, I'm going to go next year. I love SF.

Blogger Jason at 4/14/2006 2:52 PM   

It is still super nice of them to provide booze.

Blogger ETK at 4/14/2006 3:05 PM   

Agreed - I just like to spew trivia now and again.

Blogger Jason at 4/14/2006 3:11 PM   

that's some pretty detailed info, bk! thanks for the write-up!

fyi: i think rafer roberts used to go to high school with one of the store folks/bartenders at isotope. he went to ape one year and ran into her there serving him drinks. how weird is that?

Blogger Dembicki at 4/14/2006 3:28 PM   

http://www.isotopecomics.com/archive/2006_04_01_index.html#114486045856198475

Video from the afterparty - I think I maybe might see Evan quickly walking by at one point. Maybe?

Blogger Jason at 4/14/2006 3:36 PM   

Dude. Seriously. No one calls me Barbie. Where did you get that?

:) It was really great meeting you - can't wait to do it again next year!

Blogger Barbara at 4/14/2006 11:24 PM   

Good times were had. San Francisco is a great town. Too much to do. Nice write-up. See you at SPX or about town. Cheers.

Blogger jaime at 4/16/2006 8:32 AM   

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