comics

I had the pleasure of attending this year’s MoCCA (Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art) Festival, a gathering of independent publishers and illustrators selling goods and signing autographs. In past years attended it was held on multiple floors of the Puck building, leading to much stair-treading and, on the top sunroofed floor, heat stroke. Moving it to the 69th Regiment Armory was an excellent idea, not only because the spacious layout easily held all the vendors in neat rows, but as a working military building from the turn of the century the location is filled with neat stuff.

Jeeps and Humvees lining the street were the first sign comics had displaced military. Much like former Pizza Huts, there is no mistaking the Armory for anything other than its original intent, so it was very strange to see nerds inhabit their natural enemies’* territory so casually. Soldiers in camo gear stepped around emo kids reading recent manga purchases, girls with neon hair leaned against cases filled with Desert Storm memorabilia. In the main hall, a balcony surrounded the main floor with some Victorian stadium seating on opposite ends; originally intended for military higher-ups to observe drill routines (complete with little balcony for head drill sergeant to yell from above), I noticed several Privates sitting and observing the proceedings with mixed reactions. I kept waiting for this to happen:

Fortunately no push-up competitions commenced. Upon first walking in, the hall split into two sections, one for the 27th Infantry Division, who appears to have served a great deal in the Middle East and had a badass double-edged axe logo:

…and the historically renowned 42nd Infantry Division, with its…less intimidating iconography.

They were Irish! It’s an Irish rainbow! What? Both Divisions belong to the 69th Infantry, apparently the fightingest infantry in the whole damn Army. Their legacy goes back to Civil War days, when they apocryphally earned their nickname ‘The Fighting 69th’ from Robert E. Lee himself. The 42nd Division’s side had cases full of ridiculous curios from that era, including stuff carved from soup bones:

…and numerous examples of hand-carved shrapnel. Man, everyone in the past had exemplary handwriting, even when digging into bullets.

The Infantry were so well-known for their fighting spirit they even made a movie about them, ‘The Fighting 69th’ starring James Cagney.

They’re also the Irishiest group ever, their main logo consisting of the motto “Gentle when stroked – Fierce when provoked”, with two Irish Wolfhounds surrounding. Not Irish enough? Their other motto’s in Gaelic- “Faugh a Ballagh”, or ‘Clear the Way’.

The 27th Division’s side had more modern items ranging from Japanese flags from WWII to IEDs from the current war. They also had a doorway dedicated to Father Duffy, a famous chaplain:

As the 69th Division were first responders to the Twin Towers collapse, they had several cases downstairs devoted to artifacts from the attacks and the shrines set up after, and specifically to commemorate their losses, this glass cross:

As for the convention itself, I spent far too much money on a number of excellent tomes, to be shared in Part II. I did pass up purchasing this, though it didn’t really sell itself:

Next up: I Am Currently Broke And Surrounded By Indie Comics.

*I’d like to note that nerds and soldiers aren’t by any means mutually exclusive. Many nerds love violence, repetitive actions, firearms, and uniforms, just as some soldiers enjoy technology, obsessively nitpicking small details, and a general sense of superiority. Boot-wearing and Frank Miller (especially ’300′) are also common ground.