New York’s SI MOCCA Fest was another successful event, if by successful you mean the chance to see and purchase a lot of amazing comics, chat with old friends and spot other people chatting with their old friends.
Held once again at the Metropolitan Pavilion, I haven’t seen any attendance numbers but it passed the “busy” test. Every time I approached a table to chat or check it out I had to wait for other people to finish their purchasing/chatting. This is pretty unusual at “regular” comic con, where tablers are often desperate to make eye contact to initiate interaction, prompting those making their way through the alley to develop the same ability to ignore these attempts as perfected by bartenders the world over. MOCCA was humming!
So interactions were at 100%. Were sales? I didn’t really check, but no one was bursting with news of sales, although I did see several “sold out” signs on Sunday. I did hear mentions of slow sales but usually from people who didn’t have much new material.
That said, although I had to leave early on Sunday I did see piles of books on tables, which are usually depleted by the end of the day. I don’t want to say that the complete state of economic anxiety engulfing us came affected sales at MOCCA, but I definitely heard several people WONDERING if it had affacted MOCCA.
Still, the mood was generally upbeat when I was around. My MOCCA kicked off Friday with a talk with Chinese artist Badiucao and writer Melissa Chan at P&T Knitwear to talk about their book YOU MUST TAKE PART IN REVOLUTION (Street Noise Books), moderated by James Tager. There was a full house as the three spoke about the fight for human rights in China, and the current crisis in the US. Fabulous book to illuminate these dark times.
Afterwards I hopped on the L to check out the NEW location of Desert Island, whose journey to a new space up the street we watched over the fall. The place was PACKED for a signing by Linnea Sterte and Julia Gfrörer. Owner Gabe Fowler was all smiles, and everyone was so happy to see each other, talk about comics and be grateful that a local institution was still around.
Saturday’s event was slamming as noted. I caught up with most of the larger publishers who were set up and asked about Diamond and tariffs and other sad stuff. No one seemed to be hugely impacted by the Diamond bankruptcy, although a few were creditors.
Jason Leivian of Floating World pointed out that they already have a small distribution company that handles things like The Santos Sisters comic (a collection is due from Fantagraphics). While the current distribution shuffle hasn’t really affected them, things like Floating World and Domino Books show that very small, specialized distributors are already alive and surviving in comics, and carrying the kind of adventurous books that I and a few others prefer to read. I imagine we’ll see more consolidation and teaming up if Diamond does get broken up into different parts.
Elsewhere, people were excited to see Jaime Hernandez, making his first NYC appearance in many years (And first Mocca appearance in more than a decade!) Most of the panels were packed – if I have one piece of advice about MOCCA is that if you want to see a panel, get there early – and I missed the marquee events like a talk between Hernandez, Charles Burns and Adrian Tomine…I’ll have to catch it on the website.
MOCCA gives out awards but the format was different this year. An invite only after party was held a few blocks away instead of at the Society of Illustrators. Although I missed the ambiance of the Society, being able to go a few blocks away to see it was convenient. The awards were announced in one of the panel rooms, giving winners who were present a chance to go up and accept a cash prize and big blue ribbon of the kind you might see at a state fair, and I think this was actually very cool! Also cool – when someone particularly popular in the community won, there was a big cheer. It was similar to the spirit you see at the Ignatz Awards, although on a smaller scale, but a good feeling. (I want to stress that all the winners were cheered – but a few beloved community members got a little more cheering.) The next day the winners were given balloons on the show floor, and announced over the PA leading to more cheering. Public approbation feels good!
I had to leave early, as noted, because I was feeling crappy. Three shows in four weeks is more than I can take any more! But after the show, some debate arose after Leivian posted this on BlueSky:
“Very impressed by the artist who squatted with their own folding table at MOCCA for both days and only got kicked out with 2 hours left in the show.”
This setup was pretty visible in the front of the room, and definitely expressed the rebel spirit that indie comics shows should always have. There is quite a long debate in the comments to this post, which I’ll summarize as Austin English calling out the high cost of tables at MOCCA and some discussion over just what is an indie company at all.
I didn’t wade in but I’ll give my thoughts here: It is true that tables at MOCCA are very expensive – even more expensive than New York Comic Con! I believe it’s $500 for a table, which is a LOT.
I don’t disagree that this is a high hurdle for small press folks who make comics while working day jobs. However, the economics of the whole show are on a New York City scale, i.e. expensive. The Metropolitan Pavilion is the only venue of its size and capabilities in a super prime location in the heart of Manhattan, and they charge for absolutely everything. I’ve heard this from other folks who put on shows there, and it is just not a cheap place to put on a show. I desperately wished for an area to sit down and read or rest, but just putting up a few chairs would have cost money, and all the space was needed for exhibits. (There was a Calmer Con room which offered quiet and relaxing things to do, but it was reserved for people who needed that kind of environment, as it should be.)
Why can’t MOCCA just move? Well, that’s a NYC thing. They have had many different locations but they are all priced out or torn down and it’s just hard to find a space large enough to hold hundreds of exhibits in Manhattan. I have no idea of the economics of running the Society of Illustrators itself – it IS a New York institution – but having a permanent, beautiful space for arts programming is not cheap either. Let’s just say that I’ve put on a few events in my time, and finding a space to do anything in NYC is exhausting and expensive.
The previous show director, Anelle Miller, set a pattern for the show by getting more institutional exhibitors who can afford the show costs – every cartooning school sets up, there’s the Riso Lab and other larger tables. And there were a lot of sponsors – including The Beat, who was the proud media sponsor for the festival.
Everything is getting priced out of New York, including indie comics festivals. BICS in Brooklyn is a much cheaper alternative, and I hope that show will grow and serve a different audience.
I’m very glad the MOCCA festival exists and is held in a central location, and that organizers are able to bring guests from around the world to attend. Whether people can make money selling books given the costs is a worry. Concerns like those voiced by Austin English should be heard as well, but I don’t think there is a simple solution.
Now a few photos before we go!
