Related Posts: Plans for SPX 2014 and Experience of SPX 2014.
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As promised, here is the interview Paul Roth did of me at this year’s SPX (Small Press Expo). Click the link below. Enjoy!
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Please visit my store: thepoetandtheflea.storenvy.com!
For more updates, follow me on facebook, tumblr and twitter.
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Copyright 2014 by G. E. Gallas
Related Posts: Experience of SPX 2013 and Plans for SPX 2014.
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I had a wonderful time at SPX 2014, my second time attending and exhibiting at this event (which happens to take place in the very same room of my high school prom — surreal!). I was able to reconnect with a few artists I met last year, discover some really amazing artists I haven’t encountered before, and finally meet a few artists I’ve come to know online in person.
Many thanks to Paul Roth, who interviewed me for his YouTube channel!
Also, many thanks to The Library of Congress (www.loc.gov) for adding The Poet and the Flea zine to the Small Press Expo Collection at The Library of Congress! For more information, please visit spxpo.com/about/loc.
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The first time I was exposed to Charles Burns’s work was through Mark Morris’s The Hard Nut, which I used to watch over and over again on a VHS recording as a kid. Years later, I revisited The Hard Nut and consequently really got into Burns’s Black Hole. I was ecstatic to hear the Burns would be at SPX! To my absolute surprise, I was first in line. Not only did I get his autograph and chat with him, but he seemed excited to receive a copy of The Poet and the Flea preview zine. :)
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I’ve been following Noah Van Sciver for a few years now and really admire his unique style and use of historical characters and events. I actually picked up A City of Whisky & Fire and The Death of Elijah Lovejoy at Forbidden Planet during my last trip to New York, but brought them with me to get his autograph. I also picked up a copy of his new zine Slow Graffiti which has some interesting, more contemporary stories. It was wonderful meeting Noah and I hope to see him again next year!
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I was so excited to finally me Ryan Thompson in person!!! I’ve admired his work (Comics I Admire: “Frolic”) for a few years now and was excited to receive his zine Esper’s Toxin. He and his girlfriend were really sweet and I can’t wait for him to reboot Frolic! :D
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After meeting Santi at DC Zinefest in August, I wanted to get my hands on a copy of the full collection of Lunatic Tales, inspired by old-fashioned cartoons. Through Twitter, I asked Santi to bring one to SPX for me and was ready to pay the full $10 for it, but he gave it to be for free! (I insisted he take a few of my art prints, so I didn’t feel guilty.) I can’t wait to have a moment to sit down and really enjoy this awesome series.
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I met Anuj Shrestha at last year’s SPX, immediately fell in love with his series Genus, and bought volumes 1 through 3. So I just had to get my hands on volume 4 this year. The story reminds me a bit of The Matrix for some reason, but with a floral twist. I was very excited that he remembered me and we had a fun and hilarious chat!
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R. Bensen seemed so incredibly excited to pick up a copy of The Poet and the Flea zine, I just had to return the favor. And I’m so glad I did! His work has many biblical themes, but with a wonderful splash of whimsy and mischief. I particularly like The Garden of Earthy Delight, which the artist said was his most accomplished work. Another artist I hope to see next year!
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I was very surprised to see Josceline Fenton at SPX — she traveled all the way from the UK just for this two-day expo! I’ve been following her whimsical webcomic Hemlock for some time now. I was actually a bit nervous to talk to her, but she was so incredibly friendly. She even gave me a free art print (above), which I hope to frame. :D
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I just happened to stumble across this little gem that features adorable Jane Austen-esque spiders in empire-waist dresses who accidentally eat their suitors. So charming and clever! I wish there was a whole series!
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This is a funny little comic I was given by one of its artists (I’m not sure if it was Alex or Raynato). He was a nice guy and the zine has a cute, little concept that reminds me a bit of Courage the Cowardly Dog and Nodame Cantabile for reasons I can’t quite explain.
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These are the zines of my SPX table neighbors Carlos and Bryan! I had a lot of fun chatting with them throughout the expo and I can’t wait to sit down and take a closer look at their work. I’m especially amused by the way in which Bryan draws Carlos — it looks just like him!!
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Please visit my store: thepoetandtheflea.storenvy.com!
For more updates, follow me on facebook, tumblr and twitter.
***
Copyright 2014 by G. E. Gallas
Related Posts: Experience of SPX 2013 and Experience of APE 2013.
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Smudge was an interesting experience. Firstly, it was held in a very lovely space in the Artisphere. And, because it was only one day (rather than the usual two), it was pretty crowded throughout the whole event. The one thing that drove me crazy though was that they played soundtrack music consisting primarily of Darth Vader’s theme for most of the day for no apparent reason. But overall I met some nice people who I’ll most likely see again at SPX in September and discovered that there’s a lot of interest in Scared Stiff. :)
Smudge in the Artisphere!
My table! :)
My table from an angle!
From another angle!
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Please visit my store: thepoetandtheflea.storenvy.com!
For more updates, follow me on facebook, tumblr and twitter.
***
Copyright 2014 by G. E. Gallas
Related Posts: Plans for SPX 2013 and Long time no see, D.C.
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SPX was a surreal experience — so many exhibitors and attendees, it was sensory overload for everyone!
Unfortunately, I didn’t sell as much as I had hoped. But I did pass out a couple hundred postcards, so that was an accomplishment!
The best part — I met so many amazing artists and hope to keep in touch with them. Maybe I’ll see them again at SPX 2014?
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Very special thanks to my friend Tina Lee! We’ve been friends since high school and have kept in touch over the years even though I’ve moved away from Maryland. Tina let me crash at her place, share a table with her and her college friends, drove me around, and even cooked dinner for me. So many thanks to Tina! :D
Dreamcatcher minicomic by Tina Lee.
Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!
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Desmond Seymour and Jade F. Lee.
Here is my high school friend Jade F. Lee and her collaborator Desmond Seymour. I had a good time venting about racism/anti-semitsim/sexism/political correctness with them over dinner. Also, I thought it was cute that Jade’s mom stopped by my table and bought a button. :)
Weapon Girls: Waltz by Jade F. Lee
Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!
3:16 by Desmond Seymour and Jade F. Lee
Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!
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My neighbors Henry Eudy, Kelly Williams, and Christian Sager
These guys were the best! I had a lot of fun chatting with them, and I think they were kind of surprised that I had similar tastes in film, etc. as them. :) We ended up trading zines/comics at the end, which was wonderful. Hope to see them at SPX 2014!
Works by Henry Eudy.
Works by Christian Sager and Kelly Williams.
Works by Christian Sager and Kelly Williams.
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Nepali-American illustrator Anuj Shrestha.
I kept passing Anuj’s table and just couldn’t resist buying all three volumes of Genus. I think his flower-headed characters are so cool and really admire the two-page spreads in each volume. I think he was a bit surprised by my enthusiasm, ha ha ha.
Genus Vol. 1-3 by Anuj Shrestha.
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While exploring the floor, I spotted a man carrying two copies of Little Fish, published by Zest Books (where I interned/for whom I am doing some freelance illustrations). I felt a little silly not knowing that Ramsey Beyer was attending SPX, but now that I knew I wanted to introduce myself. Ramsey was really sweet and even bought a copy of The Ink Drinker! Liz Prince, who I believe Zest Books would like to publish, was also there — so I was excited to meet her too.
Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer (Zest Books).
Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!
Self-Portrait by Liz Prince.
Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!
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To my surprise, James recognized me from Tumblr. I had a wonderful chat with him. :D He gave me some free mini-comis and even bought one of my zines — so many thanks to James!
Minicomics by James Point Du Jour.
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Paul bought The Ink Drinker and liked it so much that he asked me to contribute to his anthology. Yay, I am so excited for that!!!
Zine by Paul Starr.
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Rio and I connected via Twitter, and he stopped by my table to trade. So awesome! Very happy to have his zines in my library.
Works by Rio Aubry Taylor.
Inside the Works of Rio Aubry Taylor.
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I am very impressed by Aodhan Cumming’s After Uruk (based on the Epic of Gilgamesh) and can’t wait for future chapters. :)
Works by Aodhan Cummings.
From After Uruk by Aodhan Cummings.
From After Uruk by Aodhan Cummings.
From After Uruk by Aodhan Cummings.
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The film-noir aesthetic of G’Night Old Man immediately caught my eye and I had a nice chat with Jared Cullum too.
Works by Jared Cullum.
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Please visit my store: thepoetandtheflea.storenvy.com!
For more updates, follow me on facebook, tumblr and twitter.
***
Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
I met my Barcelonian friend Elena in Tokyo of all places. We were both studying at Sophia University for a year.
We met through a mutual acquaintance and the three of us ended up on a three day trip to Okinawa. Both Elena and I share an enthusiasm for Okinawan culture and were so excited to go. We managed to see everything on our checklist and had an overall wonderful time there.
As it turned out, a few weeks later, Elena ended up moving into the same dorm as me. We ended up spending memorable times together, staying up to the wee hours of the morning chatting and eating candy.
Now, having only recently moved to San Francisco, we live on practically opposite sides of the globe. But we still Facebook and tweet at each other. And, most excitingly, we send packages through snail mail to each other, back and forth from Spain to the States.
While we were friends in Tokyo, Elena had no idea I drew at all. This was during my college phase of not having time to draw. Boy, was she surprised when she learned I was working on my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea. And, quickly, she became my #1 fan!
Elena became smitten by the rose from page 27 of The Flea (as seen on Part 4 of Behind the Scenes). So, for the winter holiday, I sent her the following ink and watercolor rose.
In return, at the end of January, I received a wonderful little New Year’s present from Elena (see photos below)! She sent me a delightfully long handwritten letter, a bag of candy, and a flyer of a favorite Japanese band called exist†trace (which I believe Elena was handed by the lead singer named Jyou after a The GazettE concert).
I would love for Elena to come visit San Francisco one day, or for me to visit her in Barcelona (when I’m not an unpaid intern making absolutely no money). Elena is really the only person I keep in touch with from my year abroad and I’m proud to have such an awesome friend! Maybe someday we’ll even return to Japan and even Okinawa together.
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
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Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
On December 8th, I attended the EBABZ (East Bay Alternative Book & Zine) Fest in Berkeley.
I found out about the EBABZ when I picked up a postcard about it at APE (Alternative Press Expo) in October.
EBABZ was a small but interesting Fest and I enjoyed walking around, checking out what other people were up to, chatting, building my zine library, and getting some advice.
＊ Milk & Carrots #2
Milk & Carrots is an anthology featuring a number of artists with vastly different styles of illustration and storytelling. I think this is a good start for anyone who’s just getting into the world of zines! Printed by Keness.com. For more information about Milk & Carrots, please visit www.ebbandflood.net.
＊ Between Here and Here by Brendan Monroe.
This zine is a dream-like abstraction filled with science, sexuality, and emotion. Might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but anyone can see that Brendan Monroe is insanely gifted. Check out his amazing paintings, sculptures, and comics/zines on his Tumblr!
＊ Murder Dollhouse No. 1 by Teppei Ando
Murder Dollhouse is a completely bizarre but wonderful little zine! This volume includes The Man Who Lived In Their Attic (part 1 & part 2), the full-color and delightful short She Made Me Feel Four Inches Tall, and a number of fun extras. If you like a good pulp fiction, then this is the zine for you!
＊ Melancholy Rainbow: A Sitcom, “Tastes Like July” Issue One by Nina Kim
Melancholy Rainbow feels to me like a mix between Daria and The Book of Bunny Suicides — a perfect blend of sarcasm and sadism. This is an autobiographical affair and, judging by my brief interaction with the artist, a pretty accurate one at that. Read Melancholy Rainbow for yourself at www.melancholyrainbow.com.
Also, I discovered this wonderful local printer. Their products are really beautiful, high quality, and fairly priced. They gave me their very useful pricing list as well as a cute free notebook. I’m seriously considering using them down the line, whether for a small zine or possibly a bigger project.
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After stopping by the EBABZ, Wes and I ended up at this great soba restaurant called Ippuku. The whole experience was very authentic and I’d love to go back sometime.
Then, somehow, we ended up in Haight-Ashbury. We visited some of Wes’s favorite stores like Super 7, Kidrobot, and Amoeba Music, which were all a lot of fun.We also went to The Booksmith and proceeded to drool over all the gorgeous Penguin Classics hardcovers.
So, all in all, it was a very exciting day!
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
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Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas
Today, I wanted to share the work of the extremely talented Ryan Thompson.
I befriended Ryan back in July through Twitter — I followed him, he followed me back, and then we got to chatting a bit. He told me how he’d learned a lot from the first webcomic he did and was starting a new project “from the ground up.”
And that new project turned out to be a fantastic webcomic named Frolic.
In short, Frolic is a fairy tale about an animated doll who finds herself in a nightmarish world. Frolic just recently premiered (only 10 pages up online so far), but anyone can tell Ryan has invested a lot of time and effort into this project. And his dedication is clearly paying off! Frolic has a wonderfully unique and quirky style, set (at least so far) is beautiful shades of pink and blue to compliment its intriguing premise.
Meanwhile, you can catch up on Ryan’s first webcomic called Fajita. Fajita is fun and action-packed, following the adventures of a strange girl named Widow and a possibly stranger girl named Shea. There’s a whopping total of 448 pages thus far, so you’ll have a lot to read while waiting for a new page of Frolic each Monday.
Below are a number of my favorite images/pages from Frolic.
The following images belong to Ryan Thompson.
For more from Ryan Thompson, please check out the following websites…
Frolic
Fajita
Ryan Thompson
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
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Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas
