New England Webcomics Weekend 2

I attended the New England Webcomics Weekend 2 this weekend. It took place in the Eastworks building, which is about a twenty minute drive from my house. The Eastworks building is an old factory awkwardly (in a good way) retrofitted to be a shopping mall and office space. It's also the permanent home of TopatoCo, who sell merch for most of the biggest webcomics artists on the internet- I never stop learning about this area's importance the the comics world.
The show... I won't say that it was poorly organized, but it was certainly lightly organized. I could not find the registration table to pick up my passes all weekend. It wasn't a problem, not having a pass didn't raise any eyebrow from anyone. I had assumed that they were just not collecting tickets until I finally did happen across it on my way out. Panels started over half an hour late with seat-of-their-pants tech setups. My favorite part was that it took place in the halls of the building, rather than in any of the from what I can only assume are hundreds of empty rooms in the building, and the stores were still open. Women in the salon sporting freshly did hair staring out in a kind of confusion over the circus outside. I wasn't turned off by any of this however, only charmed. All the biggest names in webcomics had traveled from all over the world to exhibit at what essentially looked like a weekend flea market. This thing has every reason to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years, and I can't wait to snobbily regale people with stories of how I was there when it was so small.

Here's our haul, comprised exclusively of free takeaway promos and items purchased by my girlfriend, as my bank account literally reads $0 at present. Clockwise from top middle: Pugs dressed like peppers salt and pepper shakers (not purchased at show), beautiful pin and postcard from Tiny Kitten Teeth, horrifying postcard from Andrew Bell, those hard to find passes with artwork from Girls With Slingshots creator Danielle Corsetto, Coffee Time sticker from Bad Machinery creator John Allison, card and a copy of French Milk by Lucy Knisley, Hourlies 2010 mini and Darwin Carmichael is going to Hell cards by Sophie Goldstein, free four page mini from Erika Moen, Ectopiary promo by Hans Rickheit (who wasn't exhibiting, we just happened to pass him in the hallway and he handed us this- wish I realized who he was and said hello before he sped away), and Rice Boy promo card (a comic I will surely be checking out some day).

Some exhibitors.


Girls With Slingshots creator Danielle Corsetto, Dr McNinja colorist Anthony Clark and Dresden Codak creator Aaron Diaz (who apparently has three days to live), speaking on the Coloring is Awesome! panel.

Girls With Slingshots creator Danielle Corsetto talking about coloring her strip.

Inking is Awesome! panel with Gastrophobia creator David McGuire (who inks in Flash!), Octopus Pie creator and NEWW organizer Meredith Gran and The Abominable Charles Christopher creator Karl Kerschl.

Meredith Gran shows us some Octopus Pie art files.