I created The Olympia Comics Festival to be the kind of event I'd want to go to myself. I'd been to a few cons which were primarily glorified flea markets. They seemed like such a waste of the cartoonists brought in -- no panels or interviews. They seemed to exist for no other purpose than making money. Just as sad were store appearances where all the cartoonists did was sign autographs. I remember meeting the Brothers Hernandez briefly at the old Fallout store in Seattle. They were shy and introverted and I didn't want to be a jerk so our interaction was reduced to:
- “Gosh, I love your work.”
- “Thanks, here's your autograph.”
There's something wrong with that experience. Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez are two of the most talented and fascinating creators in comics and to waste their time with nothing but autographs was crazy.
So when I started working at Danger Room Comics, one of my goals was to host cartoonist events in the store which were as fun and engaging as I could make them. This has culminated in The Olympia Comics Festival. The festival has panels, a cartoonist and small-press publishers only expo with no dealer tables, and an entertaining two hour stage show featuring short interviews, slide-shows, and skits. We also do everything we can to promote a social atmosphere between fans, pros, and amateurs.
By the way, a couple years ago I finally got Gilbert Hernandez to be our Guest of Honor. He was stellar, and I finally got to yak with him as much as I'd wanted to all those years ago in Seattle.
Frank Hussey