The Changing World of MoCCA Fest

This past weekend, I attended the premiere event in the east for indie comics.  In case you haven’t made it to MoCCA Fest, it is a fundraiser for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art.  The festival is also a great opportunity to truly hobnob with the indie creators of today.

Like last year, I attended as a volunteer, not only to get the perks of volunteerism, but to hang out with a amazing group of geeks.  I was assigned to the A/V team, which meant I was working all of the panels.  Unlike last year, I didn’t get to watch any panels this time around.  I did get plenty of time to wander the floor and meet some new people as well as catch up with some old friends.

Gary Panter accepting the Klein Award

In my opinion, the floor of MoCCA Fest had a much different feel than last year for a few reasons.  The individual creators were more likely to try and get your attention.  I felt that more and more people were stepping up to show me their creations.  This is exactly what the fans need, and I think it helped the energy in the room.  Another great addition was the presence of Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment.  These publishers represent a more mainstream presence at this event, but they didn’t take away from the indie feel.  As one Boom! representative told me, they’re trying to bring their more indie titles, not big names like Irredeemable.    Despite all of these great things, the floor still seemed fairly uncrowded.  I imagine that holding it the same weekend as Stumptown on the west coast hurt attendance.

No matter what, MoCCA Fest is still the premiere place to find new indie comics on the east coast and hob nob with all of these awesome creators.  With each table, I had the chance to meet the brains behind great comics, and every purchase I made went straight to the creator.  Especially in this economic climate, that makes me feel great.  I highly recommend that you add this to your con list next year.

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