[ neil and girlcate prepare for the morning rush. ]

look, i’m not complaining. mocca was, in my opinion, more or less back to its old, awesome self this year.

and the armory is growing on me. sure, it’s impersonal and climatically oppressive on even the balmiest of april days, but it also allowed for smooth flow of foot-traffic and reasonably egalitarian table assignations, neither of which were merits boasted by the festival’s old digs. and, while one should always exercise caution disagreeing with ms. tryharder, i will admit to loving the cluster of out-of-the-way reading tables. and okay, exhibitor space is still impractically expensive, but a critical mass of us remain willing to lose money when doing so is this much fun.

my only serious lingering complaint is how freaking terrible my pictures look. they leave me longing for the flooding daylight and luminescent walls of the puck building, which, despite its crowded corridors and unreliable climate controls, gave us such picturesque memories.

but whatever. the point is, comics:

[ get to the point, below the fold. ]

[ frida ulvegren's "little furry book" with its new friends midnight and cloud. ]

the months are quiet and cold from a.p.e. to stumptown, as long as their days are short. we get out less; we begin to miss friends in our own neighborhood, to say nothing of those who reside in the far-off lands to which our festival travels bring us. likewise, we bring less in, and the ‘zines and minicomics and other self-published wonders which surely would help us to pass the winter hours become considerably harder to procure. we make use of what recourse we have, and begin to mistake benjamin linus and lorelai gilmore for the friends we’ve been neglecting.

but this off-season has proven somewhat less bleak. thanks to the wave of new local comics shows and the tireless efforts of postal services around the globe, wondrous little tomes of unsung literary and graphical achievement have continued to trickle our way through the bleak midwinter, bringing with them glad tidings of acquaintance new and auld.

[ recommended reading, below the fold. ]

breakfast at tartine is so totally worth the wait.

[ other matters of interest to the wandering northeasterner, below the fold. ]

times, as you may have heard, have changed. comics, however, remain unfalteringly awesome.

[ all manner of mocca goodness, below the fold. ]

you’re looking at neil “the libido” brideau as he surveys the expanses of his dominion, affectionately referred to by his loyal subjects as the 2009 stumptown comics fest.

[ more on the merits of this magnificent man, along with stumptown standouts and recommended reading, below the fold. ]

let’s talk, below the fold, about a.p.e.

why bother, i ask you? shall i fidget and fuss with this feeble language, attempt to render from it an awesomeness words are clearly inadequate to describe? if you saw it, you know, and if you were unable to attend, i don’t wish to compound your regrets.

[ recommended reading below the fold. ]