WOW.
Today is the second day of Stumptown Comics Fest, Portland’s awesome hometown convention and the site of Girl-Wonder’s first-ever booth, and for the first time this weekend, I have the chance to post an update (Livia and Noah are still hard at work at the con).
Stumptown rocks. It’s full of independent comics and creators, and it’s small and friendly enough to avoid the impersonal chaos of bigger cons. If you don’t know everyone going in, you will by the end of the weekend. It draws not only the best and the brightest of Portland’s (numerous) local talents, as well as folks from all up and down the west coast. With a $5/day entrance fee, it’s also accessible to fans who might not be willing or able to shell out the heftier admission prices at larger cons.
And apparently, Stumptown Comics Fest–and it’s exhibitors, volunteers, guests, and attendees–loves Girl-Wonder. We showed up and were greeted by a volunteer who first gushed about how much he dug our site, then solemnly asked if it was okay that we’d been bumped up from a half-table to a full table. We spent Saturday talking with fans and creators, and being generally overwhelmed by their tremendously positive responses. Many had heard of the site; some had sought us out to tell us how much they enjoyed the columns, or the comics, or the forums. Those who hadn’t seemed genuinely interested in checking us out. Partway through the day, we ran back to Kinkos to replenish our rapidly disappearing stickers and fliers. Phil Foglio came to say “hi” and doodle in our sketchbook. Guest of honor Shaenon Garrity stopped by to ask if we were still taking donations for the auction (we’re not, but we made an exception, ’cause c’mon!). Amy Mebberson hung out at our table for a few hours (she’s awesome, by the way!) and drew the cutest superheroes we’d ever seen.
Stay tuned for more updates…
Is Dan Clowes’ Eightball #22 “borderline pornography”?
An English teacher in Guilford, Connecticut assigned Eightball #22 to a freshmen student as a makeup reading assignment. When the parents of the student complained about the content of the book, the teacher was placed on administrative leave, and then resigned from his position.
The New Haven Advocate has run a thoughtful defense of Eightball #22 and Dan Clowes here.
What is equally (if not more so) appalling is the harassment that the student in question has suffered at the hands of her peers, due to the incident causing the departure of a well-liked teacher. The story about the students and parents has been printed in this article by the New Haven Register.
This is horrible. I wish that things like this would promote discussion, but instead a comic book is misrepresented, a teacher loses their job and a poor teenage girl becomes the target of her classmate’s cruelty.
What a bloody mess.