DEAR DIARY : OLY CON : I GOT MY PMA

(herein lies my report on the olympia comics festival 2011)

quick hour to oly

i blinked and we were there

nutritional burgers at jack in the mctaco

more coffee please

thanks for the free parking

we brought our stuff into the show and set up

routine

i can never drink enough water at these things

regrets about the morning burgers

like most shows it was a slow start

surveying the room i sensed the pma had been brought

i know i was bringing it

i was still smelling the foul fumes from last year

last year was dismal

depressing

brutal

by the first hour there was a nice murmuring buzz and sneaker squeak serenade from all the foot traffic

folks seemed to be digging the mix of mini comics, undergrounds and zines i had to offer

yes! people were buying zines at a comic show (scandalous)

talking talking talking

and selling stuff

i talked horse

no pit stops just a couple of water breaks

i was busy busy

i managed to get out from behind the table one and a half times and checked out only half the show

in real life i'm not one of those people that plays dog and has to sniff other dogs

but at these shows i like to sniff

so i'm wistful about the lack of odor i took in

blink

the show's over

it was a short show

a lil guy

only four and half hours

but i was beat from all the jawing

i was also hungry

quick tally of sales surprised me and more than made up for last years loss

before expenses i took in two hundred and fifty bucks

figger fifty bucks for table / gas / food / coffee

figger minus a hundred for what i pay out for merch

so i made around a hundred bucks in four and a half hours

it'd be cool if i could average that at other shows

success

i had lots of fun

met cool new folks

and made a little scratch so i can re-up my depleted stock and buy new stuff for the hill

a gaggle of us went to darby's to get some eats

i used to work at darby's

it was nice to be back

new owners but still good eaten (i recommend the rueben)

when i worked there i'd show up early in the morn after working graveyard shift at toys r us

after walking in the door and taking my coat off

someone would hand me a mimosa and a spliff and away we'd go

i was the dishwasher

(when i told this to dylan he sed being a dishwasher is the common bond between most cartoonists (that and alcoholism))

i'd wash those dishes buzzed and sleep depped until three when

i'd then go to the spar bar and continue drinking and dance to the juke box until

i had to go back to toys r us and work another graveyard shift

and then i'd go home and take a shower

and then go to darby's to drink mimosas, smoke a lil sweat and wash dishes until three

and then go drink a bunch and finally crash broken

up for three days of obliteration...

it was fun to reminisce with friends about that youthful destructive behavior

but i'm glad i can be energetic and regenerative with my actions today

my haul:

jagoff by al frank published by teenage dinosaur

i'm a big tad martin fan so i'm always happy to see and read new comics by al frank

we rode with the clowns by steven stwalley, maximum traffic, ed devour, chelsea baker, harry bell, roldo, bob vojtko, brad w foster, bruce chrislip and steve willis

instant classic

the 2011 cartooning class giveaway special! by madison and aki kurose middle schools

comics like this always help me to look at things differently

which is a very good thing

glitter tooth and the godly goop by pylon prometheus

stoned stoner jams

this was free

untitled by calvin wright

crass doodle mania circa bored in tenth grade math class

this was free

one great taste by marc palm and max clotfelter

classic new wave mini comic by two classy guys

a matter of life and death by tom van deusen

just diving in

looks awesome

bad breath #2 and #3 by josh juresko

haven't read these yet but the look great

classic style executed in a similar vein to eric haven

untitled by joel skavdahl

this might be my favorite thing i got

wonderful drawing merging in and out of narrative

joel's had work in smoke signal

this zine is beautiful

reminds me of a mash between bruce bickford and orc stain

but really its own beautiful thing

ebbits #0 by michael s liven

wonderfully complete and exhibits a mature graphic style

impressive for a first

untitled by drew miller

awesome silk screen zine

edition of twelve!?

i feel very fortunate

void is god #1 by cullen beckhorn

fascinating and welcomed addition to the burgeoning onesheet form

stun nuts #2 by chris cilia

cilia is one of my favorite artists

and stun nuts is my current favorite series

very happy to get this tract from 2002

too dark to see by julia gfrörer

beautiful personal fantasy stuff going on here

consequential

go get it now!