The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

An event held in Brooklyn, NY

Took place November 10, 2012

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

·         The panels were held a few blocks from the exhibit hall, which was in a church

·         In the church, the top and bottom floors had tables with independent artists and comic persons.

·         Notably the works displayed on the tables were predominantly aimed towards an adult audience or experimental phase of art, unlike the more kid friendly and slightly more mainstream MoCCA Fest (Museum of Cartoon and Comics Art).

·         The two panels I saw were “The Architecture of Comics: Mcguire, Spiegelman and Ware” and “Art/Comics/Sexuality/Pornography.” (Antico, Benjamin and Negron were the artist on the program for the latter)

·         I got a picture with Spiegelman at the end. :D

·         The first panel I saw talked about how formats used by the artists aimed towards the experimental phase as they played with how panels could be read or how space and time can be played with each panel.

·         The second and last panel talked mostly on the artists’ opinions on pornography in the current media and how they feel about their own depictions of sexuality in art

·         The first panel had a lot of people, so much so that people had to sit on the floor and stand around to fit in the room. The second did not have as much though notably no children were permitted in the second one.

·         A noted quote in the first panel was “Architecture is Frozen Music,” said by Goethe

·         The second panel about pornography had sexual tones but to a more grotesque form: with the art being violent or saddening sex, stressed weight of women like R. Crumb and just biographical tones depending on the author.

·         Two of the three artists in the second panel admitted that Japanese erotic art, like woodblock paintings and Sailor Moon somehow, were inspirations for them to have sexual tones in their art

·         The works sold in the exhibit hall were cheaply printed and cheaply priced, a reflection on the independent nature of the works made by the artists. This can be contrasted with the industrial market of Comic Con where all things are fifty dollar and above priced goods.

·         While leaving the church for the Festival, regular church services were being held right next door. This is ironic as some of the art sold in the church’s exhibit halls were indeed pornographic and sometimes blasphemous in nature

·         Overall, I liked the festival though wished for it to be in a central building like other conventions (Comic Con having its own Convention center and MoCCA Fest in the Armory). My major complaint is just that. Otherwise it was enjoyable and free though I did not buying much myself.