So. Tell Me About Alternative Press Expo.

[Donal DeLay]

Or, A.P.E. as it were.

I know it's all about the small press, do it yourselfers.

What's the con actually like from a fan perspective? Fun, big, small, crowded, expensive, what?

What's the con like from a creator's perspective? Slow, exciting, entertaining, what? If anyone here has sold at one, how well did you do?

[Ben Rosen]

i hear its like a poor man's--nay--hobo's mocca.

no actually i've wanted to go for a few years but it hasn't worked out. it's supposed to be a really fun show

that said, hobo's mocca.

[Wastrel]

awsome. small, fun, you get to rub elbows with new guys as well as folks like los bros hernandez or ragnar. everyone is there because they love what they do. absolutely fun.

[Corwin: Bear Fighter]

Or, A.P.E. as it were.

I know it's all about the small press, do it yourselfers.

What's the con actually like from a fan perspective? Fun, big, small, crowded, expensive, what?

What's the con like from a creator's perspective? Slow, exciting, entertaining, what? If anyone here has sold at one, how well did you do?

I just got back from doing APE as a self-publisher.

At first I thought I did horribly, but I really only ended up doing slightly worse than my last convention (Phoenix Cactus Con).
It's different. On one hand, it's filled with an assload of creators doing stuff that Ben Rosen, Andy French, and Goddard eat up with a spoon. Jeffrey Brown was there, Jeremy Tinder was there, Renee French was there, etc. Great stuff, too. At the same time there's stuff that I consider a little different from that, like Kaiju Big Battel, Super 7 magazine, and Giant Robot. My table was parked next to Wildcard, who publish Gumby. Rafael Navarro (creator of Sonambulo) had a table and he was secretly showing off his sketchbook filled with late night drawings of Captain America fighting the Red Skull. I guess it's just the most interesting and different collection of creative types I've been a part of. And since it's small, it's a bit more intimate than San Diego.
Oh yeah, and they serve beer, wine, and hard alcohol at this thing. Some of my neighbors brought their own cases of beer. It was quite fun.

[Blake Sims]

It's different. On one hand, it's filled with an assload of creators doing stuff that Ben Rosen, Andy French, and Goddard eat up with a spoon.

Im not gonna lie and say i wasnt hurt to not see my name in that list...

[Donal DeLay]

So, it's pretty much just like any con (allowed to have beer at) where people just go to sell their books?

Is it all smaller publishers and indie creators, or does it have the vendors, too? Like the shops selling books, and t-shirts, and swords n such.

Keep in mind Megacon and WWChi are the only two conventions I've even been to.

Where is Mocca?

[t00lverine]

I think it's a great show. The convention center has open space, but there's plenty to look at. Everything is run very efficiently and it seems that all the expo-goers are pretty friendly. The crowd is split pretty evenly between scenesters and more average comic folk. It's definately something I look forward to each year.

[Blake Sims]

So, it's pretty much just like any con (allowed to have beer at) where people just go to sell their books?

Is it all smaller publishers and indie creators, or does it have the vendors, too? Like the shops selling books, and t-shirts, and swords n such.

Keep in mind Megacon and WWChi are the only two conventions I've even been to.

Where is Mocca?

MOCCA is in NYC.

It's a show that Fantagraphics goes to. Same for Top Shelf and D&Q so that gives a small indication of the comics that will be there.

[Corwin: Bear Fighter]

So, it's pretty much just like any con (allowed to have beer at) where people just go to sell their books?

Is it all smaller publishers and indie creators, or does it have the vendors, too? Like the shops selling books, and t-shirts, and swords n such.

Keep in mind Megacon and WWChi are the only two conventions I've even been to.

Where is Mocca?

There are a few shops that get tables, such as Comic Relief, but not a whole lot.
The big companies there were Slave Labor, AiT/PlanetLAR, and Top Shelf, and all were selling their stuff.
There are no swords, no props. A lot of prints, urban vinyl, handcrafted items, and the like. Plenty of t-shirts.
They also have panels, none of which I went to. I know Art Spiegleman had one.
No superheroes. Somebody showed up in an Archangel costume and everybody kinda just stared at him. The really odd ones were a pair of fat guys in trench coats that were carrying around lightsabers and looking really out of place.

[Corwin: Bear Fighter]

Im not gonna lie and say i wasnt hurt to not see my name in that list...

I knew I left someone out!