STAPLE! 2009

I dropped off Twitter for a day because I have an iPod Touch, not an iPhone, so I couldn't Twitter the show. It was a great one, though. Rambling post ahead.

We co-sponsored with Austin Books to bring in Jeffrey Brown and Stan Sakai, and I helped run Stan's table most of the day. We did a brisk business... Stan sold out of almost everything he brought, I sold out of about 80% of the Usagi graphic novels I bought. Including a pretty sizable number of volume ones and a way too small number of Art of Usagi. Two shows in, I'm still learning how to order for STAPLE!

Oh, and the food, by Mike Barnes, was awesome. I had a chicken and sausage gumbo for lunch, a cuban sandwich for, uh, let's call it lunch part two and another cuban sandwich for, uh, we'll call that "pre-dinner." Seriously awesome food.

Pre-party at Austin Books was fun as usual. Every time I go there (which is generally once a year for the STAPLE! party) it looks all the more impressive. The new glass doors are particularly swanky, but I'm always just floored by the deep stock that Brad's got at that shop. I'm proud of Rogues Gallery, but Austin Books always does make me feel a little bit tiny by comparison.

What I love about the pre-party, and STAPLE! in general, is that I get to feel like I have this huge group of friends. I know a ton of people in this community, both local and not, and although I never see them more than once a year, that once a year is always a blast.

Post-pre-party (labored time description, I know), a bunch of us wound up at T&S Seafood, which I didn't know stayed open until 1 AM. Nick Derington's wife Tonya stunned us all by ordering for the table, and getting a great selection of traditional favorites along with Peking Duck, Salt and Pepper Shrimp (with shell on, and now that I've had that I'll never eat it the other way again) and a bunch of other stuff. For $20 each, we all got stuffed.

Dean Trippe stayed with me for his first STAPLE!, and he seemed to have a great time. I got to spend a fair amount of time at the Live Art show hanging out with Kristian Donaldson and Jason Murphy, two friends I've had for a while, plus a lot of time chatting with Kristin Hogan, who is just super-cool and fun. I also met a bunch of new people and discovered a bunch of new artists. I really dug hanging out with and getting art from Evan Bryce and Monica Gallagher, and I loved the stuff I picked up from Kennon James. And she's a longtime friend who I never get to see enough at these things, but I loved hanging out a little with Danielle Corsetto, and got to pick up the second book of Girls With Slingshots.

Oh, btw, I did podcast interviews for STAPLE! that are up on the STAPLE! site, and guested on the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen (or LEOG) podcast over at Spill in advance of the show... anyone who dug the Comic Pants podcast should listen to the crazed rambling of the LEOG show, which in this case was focused on Daredevil and STAPLE! If you liked the Comic Pants podcast, you'll like the LEOG 'cast. I may be guesting on a few more down the road, if I can find the time and the LEOG guys don't wise up and rescind the invitation.

I bought two pieces of live art (one from Stan, one from Monica) and a few prints, and those will all go up around the store in the next week or two, as I get time to frame them. It was a great show, and I'm sad that it's over for another year, but glad I don't have to do anything more in regards to planning or making sure things are done on my end for another year either. :)