Advertisement
Gabe Fowler: I wanted to create a free-admission show that celebrates underrepresented comics and artists. When we started there weren't any comic shows in the US that were free to get in, and lots of them [were] saddled with marketing and horseshit.What do you think of MoCCA?
The Mocca festival has gotten better since it was taken over by the Society of Illustrators, but for a while there, people were pretty bummed about it. Everyone remembers the 2008 show, when it was literally 115 degrees inside the building, cost $15 to get in, and was filled with middling content. That low point at their show is what inspired me to want to start a curated free Brooklyn show the following year.
Advertisement
In the years since starting the show in 2009, I've seen a bunch of similar shows spring in different towns all over the US. I'm super happy to see this DIY spirit kicking ass all over the country, and I'm happy to have some part in that community. But I also have a small, modestly successful business, so I really can't travel. I go to the New York-area shows, and that's about it.What do you like about comic conventions, and what do you not like?
It's awesome to get all the creative energy together in physical reality and get artists talking and hanging out. Modern life is really isolating and artists need that social friction to generate new ideas. So that part is really crucial. But the problem with living in the most capitalist place on Earth is the pressure for artists to make money, and the commerce aspect can be a bit draining. But it's still awesome to support an artist directly by buying a comic right out of their hands.
It has a homemade feeling from the beginning to the end, and every aspect is done with love. In that sense, it is closer to an old-school comic con than most things happening today, but it also has carefully selected new-school content. That balance just works. It feels more like a bunch of creative people exploring and celebrating each other's work.
Advertisement
I want this show to stay small so it can make an artistic statement rather than becoming a miasma of advertising. This year we had 386 applications for 72 tables, which forced us to omit many worthwhile artists, and it's difficult, both emotionally and financially.How much money do you lose doing this?
If every exhibitor had been accepted and our costs had stayed the same (an impossible scenario), we would have made an additional $94,800. It is meaningful to me to say no to this money and keep the original vision intact.How mad do some people get?
People may get annoyed if they apply to exhibit and are not accepted, but it's not personal. We want each show to have a special combination of artwork, and those decisions are not judgmental, they're curatorial. There's a difference.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement