Samuel Edme
[Editor’s note: we cover a lot of comics events here at The Beat and with series we aim to take a more qualitative look at some of the many comics events out there.]
With March this year, typical madness and celebrations. For some of us indie comics and illustration enthusiasts, especially on the East Coast of the United States, the illustrator-hosted Mocca Fest is a symbol of the month. This year, held on the weekend from March 15 to 16, bringing together more than 9,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors, mainly alternative/small news publishers, art school collectives and independent artists.
Place
Over its 23-year history, Mocca has undergone changes in four venues: 69Th The original hockey building (2002-2008) location of the Team Armory (2009-2014); Center548/High Line Hotel (2015); and Metropolitan West (2016-2019), then returned from 2022 at Metropolitan Pavilion (Metropolitan Pavilion) and the event has been held since. Well, to be precise, the exhibitor’s space is located at the Metropolitan Pavilion at W. 18 St.Th and 7Th Chelsea Avenue. The panel takes place on three blocks facing the parallel SVA Flatiron Gallery and SVA MPS brand building W. 21 St., which is not ideal, but it is still closer than going from one end of the center of Javits to the other.
Located in central Manhattan, the area is public transportation links with F, M, 1, A, C and route train linesroad St Corridor; R&W Line 28Th Yingshi; several bus stops scattered throughout the process. For people with disabilities and limited travel attendees, there are 14Th ST station of W 15Th ST (rows 1, 2 and 3) and Union Square 0.7 miles. There are countless dietary options nearby, so there is no need to worry about being stuck with overpriced foods – not to say you’ll find anything at Indie Comics Convention.
Despite these advantages, event organizers can make some improvements to mentors. In case of credit payable, the guide provides a useful map for navigating gazebos and other buildings. However, there is a lack of signage at any venue to guide participants to be confused by the participants, especially with MPS branded buildings, which simply has no visible signs. If there were more volunteers standing outside, I probably wouldn’t be as late as some panels.
programming
As in previous years, panels occur between 1 and 4 pm hours. To make sure I allocated equal time between the rest of the show, I made my rule to attend two panels a day. This year includes special guest performances Michael DeForge, Linya Stettand Jaime Hernandezthe last three are listed in the Saturday panel “Ink River”. Bill Cartalopoulos and Josh Bayerthey reflect on decades of work and influence. This All-Star group is one of them, and it’s the first time I’ve met any featured cartoonist in person. With the features of “Swordsman Trio”, the room is so full of enthusiastic fans that less than half of them will not spend more. I’ve been lucky enough to have a front seat since I sat on the previous panel of the same room Julia Gfrörs and Prosperityhost Sally Maddenit turns out to be an unintentional improvisation miracle. As with almost all, if not all, panels, slides are expected to accompany the presentation, but the projector is not working properly due to technical difficulties. Therefore, it is necessary to describe all the visually relevant materials perfectly conform to the invisible and invisible themes in the works of Gfrörer and Boum.
On Sunday, I participated in the “Today’s Comics” group hosted Karen Green and featured by United Cartoonists Keith Knight There are six more Chix artists Bianca Xunise, Isabella Bannerman and Marisa Patrinostalk about how newspaper comic artists remain socially relevant in the modern era, when viewers are distributed between aging print readers and young audiences who mainly consume content online.
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I’ve participated, too R. Sikoryak’s Model comic reading shows the carousel. This return of multimedia wonder exaggerates a strong lineup, including those like Alt-Comix Darling Caroline Cashrising talents Bim Eriksson (His first book “Light Blue”, I highly recommend it), Olivia Fields, John Vasquez Mejilasand Katie Skelly. There are no complaints here.
Back at the gazebo, some art school stalls held workshops and portfolio reviews throughout the day. SVA, in particular, attracted a large crowd through the free shooting workshop, and the seminar spans from college students to attendees interested in trying new things.
Layout and exhibitors
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The exhibitors’ floor plan is neatly organized, mainly consisting of parallel corridors, while the center section and edges are scattered and divided into 3-4 groups, which undoubtedly helps to reduce the overwhelming feeling of crowding during peak hours of Mocca. Even better, their latest addition space is a nerve-scattered lounge for attendees to decompress. Materials such as sensory toys and activity books are provided that can be used in the space and can be taken home.
In terms of publisher representation, larger alternative comics like Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, and Sliver Sprocket are vending all day and have author signatures held. Small news businesses are booming, with some notable being the Chinese comic publisher paradise system, Glacier Bay Books (Alt Manga), and living line books. Shout to my friends on Cram Books too!
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Although many self-published/independent artists have their own tables, thanks to the high $500 form fee for the holiday, many vendors can see shared spaces, and even set up informal stalls outside the metropolitan pavilion. This is particularly common among students, most of whom appear under the group of official art schools. SVA, the Center for Cartoon Studies at Montclair State University and the Linlin School of Art and Design are representatives of numerous institutions.
As the trend continues in recent years, some companies and mainstream elements have slipped into Mocca, conflicting with its independent roots. If Wacom’s presence in 2022 seems too far away, Adobe’s is an amazing leap. Fortunately, this is the same as other events, except for the booths at other event sponsors, Penguin Random House and Xencelabs. Otherwise, most sponsorships come from international government, education and other nonprofits, so it’s relatively safe to say that Mocca won’t be turning to Megacorp Expo anytime soon.
Editor’s Note: Beat is the official media partner of Mocca’s official media partner for 2025. The opinions expressed in this article are only the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors.
