Time to open up the ol’ Oxford Fleenic Dictionary, see what’s new in the language

• class·y [klăsˈē]
  Over the weekend it was announced by MoCCA that registration for next year’s Fest was open, but also that there was a change of date; the previously-announced 14-15 April, 2012 had become 28-29 April. Wee problem: that’s the same weekend as the long-since-announced Stumptown Comics Fest across the country in Oregon, and a week before TCAF. A lot of indy creators that might have done both MoCCA and Stumptown will now have to choose, and even those on the East Coast will have to decide if they want to be in New York or Toronto in the spring.

  After a weekend of speculation as to whether or not the MocCA people knew they were stepping into a particularly busy period of time (there’s no mention of it on their website, and consensus ran to “no”), Indigo Kelleigh (showrunner for Stumptown) stepped up with an announcement:

  I just wanted to state for the record, that I know the difficulties in arranging for a venue for an event of this size, and more often than not our own final dates are dictated by the venue’s availability moreso than our desired schedule. I can’t assign any malice to this announcement on the part of the MoCCA organizers, and I hope nobody else does, either.

  It is going to be a challenge for small press exhibitors, and obviously many will need to choose at which of the two shows to exhibit. Having two shows on the same weekend obviously removes one of them from many exhibitor’s schedules, and for those who rely on the convention circuit for income and promotional opportunities, this will clearly have an impact on their bottom line. To that end, we’re looking forward to working with the organizers of the MoCCA Art Fest to find ways to minimize that impact.

  The spring season has become crowded with conventions all over the continent, and I do look forward to continuing to communicate with the organizers of other conventions like MoCCA, TCAF, SPACE, SPX, Emerald City Comicon, STAPLE!, and APE to help ensure that scheduling conflicts like this don’t arise to inconvenience the exhibitors, or attendees, in the future.

  It would be nice to see a similar announcement at the MoCCA, but as has been noted here in the past, that show has been less organized in the years since it left the Puck Building for the Armory, and we may or may not see MoCCA get their act together. In the meantime, Stumptown opens for registration in a week, a bunch of creators have some decisions to make, and Indigo Kelleigh should be acknowledged for being the pro that he is.

• in·spir·ing [ĭn-spīrˈĭng]
  A wee tweet from Vera Brosgol (whose Anya’s Ghost retains my Best of 2011 designation even after the summer releases) caught my eye yesterday:

  I wrote a piece about my life for the Wall Street Journal Speakeasy blog

  You should read it, as it’s a nicely done bit about finding who you are is sometimes an awful lot like who you used to be, and that’s not such a bad thing. I particularly enjoyed reading Brosgol’s essay because it’s not so long now since the Journal ran a remarkably ill-informed opinion piece that essentially shit on the entire contemporary offerings of Young Adult publishing. I can’t say that inviting Vera to have her say is the result of some editor coming to their senses, but it would be nice to think so. In any event, there’s plenty of nonsense for those that desire it, in the form of one of the most amazing comments I’ve ever read. I’m going to quote it verbatim because it is beautiful. In reaction to other comments on Brosgol’s piece:

  Gary Ru wrote:
  You are Mankurts. Thank God that such as you (Mike&Rita) have left my country. Otherwise you would spoil till now in entrances of houses implementing the teenage complexes in powerless hatred to my country. Let your children watch the American cartoons, it’s possible once having something learnt they otmudohayout you by baseball bats as Tom does with Dzheri and will send you na her using the cleanest English language.

  In its own way, it’s also inspiring.

• o·pen bar [ōˈpən bär]
  Well, metaphorically at least. Open Fire!, a new collective of webcomics artists and writers, has launched and is holding a party to celebrate the event. This Saturday, 13 August, at 6:00-8:00pm Pacific (GMT-7), they’ll be broadcasting the festivities here (password: omgcomics), where you’ll be able to meet the creators and mingle with fellow lovers of our chosen artform. Remember: it’s poor etiquette to show up without bringing something, and try not to puke on anybody’s shoes.