This previous weekend was the 10th annual STAPLE, Austin’s independent media expo. As I have for the past seven years, I attended the festival. Sadly, I was only there on Saturday, though that didn’t stop me from getting some goodies, visiting some friends, and hopefully make some new ones.

One of the show’s pleasant surprises was the unexpected appearance of Shannon Wheeler. As long time readers know, Shannon and I go way back (chronicled here, here, and other places) so it was nice to catch up. We discussed the success of God Is Disappointed in You, the Too Much Coffee Man beer (yes, really!), his kids, and other stuff in our lives.

Then Shannon made me a very generous offer, he gave me the original of a Too Much Coffee Man strip!

I already owned a page from Wheeler’s first book Children With Glue, which happened to be the first book I edited and the title that TMCM was created to promote. This was a very welcome addition to my meager art collection.

This year beyond just the usual visiting friends and to get an idea of the goings on in the Austin pop culture/DIY art communities, there were two artists I wanted to meet.

Austinite Rob Harrell‘s graphic novel Monster on The Hill charmed it’s way onto my list of the years ten best graphic novels.

Best known for the syndicated strips Big Top and Adam@Home, Rob Harrell makes his first foray into the full length graphic novel format with the humorous Monster on the Hill. In Harrell’s fantasy vision of 1860s England, a monster terrorizes every town. Each unique creature serves as a source of civic pride and financial windfall as the terrifying monsters attract a lucrative tourist trade. Save for Stoker-on-Avon whose resident, less-than-impressive dragon Rayburn, suffers from depression. With the help of the eccentric Dr. Charles Wilkie and the fearless street urchin Timothy, the morose monster must overcome his foibles before a menace destroys the town. Recalling the best of Bone, Harell’s charming caricatures, funny asides, and creative fight sequences propel the exciting tale. Truly living up to the all ages moniker, Monster on the Hill should thrills all adventure-lovers, from 8-80 and beyond.

I found Harrell but a few feet away from Wheeler at the Top Shelf table. He signed my copy of book (complete with a sketch of Rayburn) and we talked about his forthcoming middle grade novel Life of Zarf: The Trouble With Weasels. 

Harrell also gave me a set of these fun promotional monster cards.

Francesco Francavilla, the other artist I wanted to meet, created the extraordinary neo-pulp, The Black Beetle. The first collection of this new hero made it to my list of the years ten best graphic novels.

Collecting initial tales of Francesco Francavilla’s brilliant neo-pulp, The Black Beetle Volume 1: No Way Out harkens back to the origins of the 20th century comic book hero genre while firmly planting a foot in the post-nihilistic 2010s. Clad all in black save for red eyepieces and a red chest insignia, the mysterious Black Beetle battles Nazis, super villains, and even the police on the streets of Colt City, an obvious paean to Will Eisner’s Spirit. Drawing inspiration from The Shadow, The Spider, and their ilk plus artists such as Eisner, Alex Toth, and Darwyn Cooke, Francavilla produces a dazzling new addition for the long heroic legacy of the pulp. The Black Beetle Volume 1: No Way Out successfully introduces a dynamic new hero for the 21st century. All this leaves the reader craving more.

Since Dark Horse only sent me the digital copy, I bought the physical book and had the extraordinary Francavilla sign it. Can’t wait for the continuing adventures.

I acquired two additional books at STAPLE. I’ve known M. E. Patterson for what seems like forever and since 2011 he’s published three novels including Devil’s Hand, winner of Kindle Book Review’s 2012 “Best Indie Horror Novel” award. I picked up Matt’s newest book Song and Signal.

(cover by Chris Valentine)

Promo copy:

Can a teenage hacker change the fate of the universe?
Or will a nanite-wielding assassin reach him first?

Seventeen year-old genius Zakari Sharp has never stood on the surface of a planet, never seen a sun-streaked sky. He lives on a corporate-owned mining facility at the edge of the solar system, with a mute alien for a guardian and brainwashed, muscle-bound ex-convicts for company. The day his father vanished was so long ago that Zak thought he would never hear from him again.

Zak was wrong.

Now, chased off-station by a cabal of mythical assassins, Zak and his best friend Liz embark on a harrowing journey across the galaxy, to find his father’s hiding place and learn the universe-shaking discovery that hides with him. But their enemies will stop at nothing to steal the secret themselves.

Dive into the dark Post-Helix universe today!

The last thing I got was an Alan Moore graphic novel. Courtesy of Top Shelf and Knockabout, the complete Bojeffries Saga by Moore and artist Steve Parkhouse finally sees the light of day. I’m looking forward to diving in.

Promo copy:

Jobremus Bojeffries is like any other father – trying to keep the peace in a house stuffed with two kids (Ginda and Reth), uncles Raoul and Festus, a baby, and old Grandpa Podlasp. Never mind that one’s a werewolf, one’s a vampire, Grandpa is in the last stages of organic matter, and the baby puts off enough thermonuclear energy to power England and Wales…

All right, they’re no ordinary family. And this is no ordinary book, with stories spanning decades, a whole chapter written as light opera, a Christmas episode, and an all-new, 24-page comic bringing the Bojeffries up to the present day. On every page, the wry and anarchic creativity of the creators shines through: Alan Moore’s affectionate and penetrating grasp of human nature (and British culture) creates a kind of desperate poignancy in the characters, brought to memorable life by Steve Parkhouse’s deft and articulate line work.

It’s all there, untutored, unpolished, ramshackle, and always on the edge of collapse. Very much like Britain itself.