Dean Christakos« It's Indietastic! | Main | Stuff You Can't Make Up »
October 14, 2006
I'm a Fanboy for Political Cartoonists
This Saturday I hopped on the metro and headed out to North Bethesda, Maryland to go to the Small Press Expo, which is just another word for "Comic Book Convention" -- but they were independent comics and authors.
While there, I got a chance to meet political cartoonist, columnist, and writer Ted Rall, whom I've been reading for years and years.
I tried not to get too overexcited while talking to him. There's nothing as sad at a comic book convention as a fawning fanboy. Deep inside, though, I was that fawning fanboy.
I picked up a copy of his book To Afghanistan and Back. Next on my reading list is his book Silk Road to Ruin. Rall spent much time travelling in Central Asia back before September 11th and the fall of the Taliban, and he had to conspicuously avoid Afghanistan and didn't go there until late 2001. I've wanted to read about his experiences in Central Asia for a while (which he also covered a bit in his columns), and these books seemed like a good place to start.
He signed my book(!):
Other interesting finds:
- The work of Mikaela Reid, the "Angry Cartoonist" (that's what it says on her business card!)
- Jonathan Rivera and Nick DeStefano of Heartbreak Comics
- The t-shirts available from Questionable Content
- Paintings from Cheap Paper Art
- Dignifying Science: Stories About Women Scientists (it's for you, mom!) from GT Labs, along with most of the rest of their catalog.
UPDATE: Mikaela describes Ted Rall, given his indefatiguable professional pace:
In addition to producing three biting and brilliant cartoons a week, he manages to write a column, draw graphic novels, blog, travel around Central Asia, and promote and edit the work of obscure cartoonists like yours truly. My current theory is that he is some kinda weird sleepless android man cobbled together by benevolent aliens with good taste in music.
UPDATE #2: Tom Spurgeon scours the internet to find blog entries and photos of the Small Press Expo from various attendees.
Posted by Dean at October 14, 2006 6:26 PM
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