super*Market is Back! Dec. 15th
via- – Jessica Gao: www.myspace.com/supermarketla
Here’s the thing with LA comics: Los Angeles is home to amazing talent, excellent stores, and great facilities (i.e. a lot of artists have carved out enviable studios and workspaces) but it’s a black hole for cool comics shows. Sure there’s that monthly one at the Shrine, but it’s only useful if you’re looking for replica swords (seriously??) or bootleg Nirvana videos. It comes nowhere near representing the tight comics universe in LA. Everyone here is interconnected. Ready? Take a deep breath and pay attention. We’ll start with the Keyser Soze of LA comics, Gaston from Meltdown Comics & Collectibles. Here is the store that is more than a store. It’s basically a Warhol factory. Meltdown has regular events, art shows, etc but has also hosted studios to several artists including Jordan Crane (NON, The Clouds Above, Uptight, The Last Lonely Saturday). Before working out of Meltdown, Jordan used to silkscreen with John Pham (Epoxy, Substitute Life) in John’s backyard crack shack. This same shack was where the original super*MARKET press kits were hand silkscreened. Those press kits were made by Martin Cendreda (Dang!) who has been featured in numerous comics anthologies including the hotshot Kramer’s Ergot which is put together by Sammy Harkham (Poor Sailor, Crickets) who co-owns Family, a store with fancier tastes than any mere mortal could hope to achieve. Sammy’s got a studio at Family and he shares it with… guess who– Jordan Crane and John Pham. That’s just the tip of the biggest iceberg ever.
So why no love for LA? Maybe it’s how decentralized the city is or that it’s a logistical nightmare for out-of-towners. Independent shows either dare not tread or one-night stand us. We are the Butter Face of comics cities.
super*MARKET almost did the same thing to LA. It was originally a three-day comic arts festival held at UCLA in 2003. It included an art show (generously on loan from the Cartoon Art Museum in SF), a free movie screening, and tons of programming. But logistics and finance forced it into a mysterious four-year hiatus. Now super*MARKET is back! The mission is to bring creators and readers together (uncomfortably close, we always like to say) and provide a regular salon for all who are interested in comics. The events are held quarterly, each with its own theme. This way, varying genres within indie comics can all be represented. Every nerd will have his day, from cry-baby to goth.
The comeback show is Saturday, December 15, 2007. Held at Meltdown Comics (7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046) from 11am-6pm. Admission is free. Even to douchebags. You can find more info on our profile: myspace.com/supermarketla
– Jessica Gao
