The Comic Creator Expo in Richmond, Va., is getting ready for its second annual
show next Saturday, Oct. 17. The co-organizers are James Moffitt and Bizhan Khodabandeh. Moffitt is a copywriter and comic creator in Richmond. He has a master’s degree in literature
from Virginia Commonwealth University and runs Sink/Swim Press, an independent
publishing company. Khodabandeh is an illustrator and designer in Richmond. James and Bizhan chatted with us about the show.
How did the idea for the show come up?
Moffitt: The idea for the show came up last year while
Bizhan and I were
talking about how to release the first Little Red Fish (a comic book the two
worked on together). We had decided to do some sort of event at Gallery 5, but
it didn’t really gain form until I suggested the expo. It’s something I’d been
wanting to do for a long time, and our book coming out lit a fire under me to
get it done. Amazingly enough, we planned, pitched, and executed the first
event in less than 5 weeks.
Khodabandeh: Yeah, exactly what James said. It was a way to put together a con
that reflected our growing comic community in the city as well as support it
and share it with our fellow Richmonder's and tourists. Plus its more fun to
hang out with your friends than do your own book release.
How would you like to see the show
develop/evolve?
Moffitt: I’d love to see the event rival SPX (Small
Press Expo) quite frankly. That’s a huge task, but I think it’d be cool to have
another large indie creator show in the DMV area. Next year, we’re working
towards a bigger venue, panels with guest speakers, and possibly even some
workshops taught by seasoned creators. They sky is the limit really.
Khodabandeh: Just like James, I’d like to see it grow of course. I might be
putting words in James’ mouth, - apologies if that is the case - but don’t
misconstrue “rival SPX” with compete with SPX. We would just like to see it
grow organically as SPX has and in the same spirit. They do such a great job of
cultivating a community of creators that are doing some really interesting
things in the comics world. Obviously ours is currently far more modest, but it
feels as though we have already outgrown our current venue.
When selecting potential exhibitors, what do
you look for?
Moffitt: The criteria are pretty simple. If you have a
book/zine/comic in print, a positive attitude, and are somewhat local to our
area, we want you. We try to seek out people that we see as thought leaders,
and serious creators within the area, but at the end of the day, this is a
great networking opportunity for creators, and we want anyone here who’s
serious about making quality comics/art.
Khodabandeh: As it grows, the criteria of folks being regional is going to
change. We are already pulling in some creators that used to live here, but
have moved up north to: Washington D.C., Philly, Virginia Beach and Maryland
areas north of DC - as well as some creators that are outside our city.
Tell us little about the indie comics scene
in Richmond?
Moffitt: I love it. I don’t know if I necessarily give
it as much attention as I can, but I attend every event I can get my hands on.
I think that with so many big name creators here, like Barf, Rick Spears, and
Chris Visions, we’ve got a really great foothold on the national scene. As
well, I’m blown away every year by the amount of sheer talent I see everywhere.
There are tons of great collectives here, dozens of great artists, and there’s
a really positive vibe. I often see more experienced creators mentors new ones and
I think that’s great. I think Richmond will definitely be a place to watch over
the next few years in the comics world.
Khodabandeh: The indie comics scene in the city is pretty amazing. A bunch of
us used to meet regularly for coffee while we worked on comics every Sunday
morning. I learned so much from those morning coffee sessions. I have yet to
meet a single creator that I don’t like. Most folks tend to be supportive,
helpful and willing to share what they’ve learned about the medium. We also
don’t have any one genre or aesthetic. Everyone seems to eventually find their
own voice.
The scene locally is also constantly growing. It’s difficult to
keep track of everyone. I heard some gossip that the artist who worked on
Lumberjanes recently moved into the area (
Editor's note: Brooke Allen recently moved from D.C. to Richmond). So did the artist for
Atomic Robo,
Scott Wegener, who will be at the expo. There are plenty other artists I would
like to mention, but I won’t in fear of leaving out folks. You can check the
event listing for a snapshot. It is also worth noting that VCU has one of the
largest comic collections in it’s library, which is a really useful resource
for us.
Can you give us a roundup of your own
projects, both this you’ve worked on and this in progress?
Moffitt:
So this month, my projects included:
- The 2nd Annual Sink/Swim Press
Comic Expo
- Publishing Consumption by Dashiell Kirk
- Finishing a new T-shirt collaboration with
Chase Beasely (Crud City)
- And finishing The Little Red Fish 3.
At the expo, Sink/Swim will have two new books,
and a new run of T-shirts, plus all of the in-print works.
Currently beyond that, I’ve gotten really
into short story writing again, and I’m doing Noah Scalin’s month-long Creative
Sprint, which you can follow on my instagram, @jimimossyoak.
Khodabandeh:
In addition to what James said:
The
Little Red Fish series was included this past
Society of
Illustrators Comics and Cartooning Annual. Also included in the annual was the
first issue of
Kitty Meow Meow written by my daughter.
I continue to work on production with DC Conspiracy’s
Magic Bullet. One of
the strips I did in this publication was awarded a Silver Medal from the
Society of Illustrators.
Matt Fisher wrote a three-page comic I illustrated that will be
published this month in an anthology about police brutality titled,
Artists
Against Police Brutality, published by
Rosarium. All proceeds go to the
Innocence Project.
I also have a couple fun scripts for long-term projects on the
back burner.
I also do a lot of design and illustration. You can keep up with that on my
website
www.mendedarrow.com
or mendedarrow.tumblr.com
