Dispatches from KC Zine Con #8
Posted on July 6, 2023Time flies. I can’t believe it has been just over a month since I tabled KC Zine Con #8 on June 3rd. It feels like it happened last weekend, and I’m still riding that good, good zine fest high, all inspiration and motivation.
Time fucking flies.
I can barely begin to comprehend that I’ve been involved with this event in some form or fashion for close to a decade now: I tabled the first-annual KC Zine Con at the Uptown Theatre in 2015 and the second iteration a year later on the UMKC campus. Then, in 2016, I volunteered to help plan the event, organizing and tabling each year until KC Zine Con #5 (2019) when I took a break from selling my wares in order to focus all my energy on event planning… only to step back from being a fest organizer last year, in order to table again. It has been a whirlwind. (And I couldn’t stay outta the planning loop for long; after enjoying dinner and drinks at Chingu with the KCZC crew last month, I might’ve agreed to return as an organizer.)
What can I say? I can’t imagine my world without zine fests, specifically KC Zine Con. This fest feels like a part of my identity, like it’s part of my skin.
My KCZC #8 haul: zines (of course), art prints, my friend Mel’s mermaid-themed tarot deck, a new Buttman flyer to hang on my fridge (my old one had become too water-damaged to be worth saving), and a caricature portrait drawn by Barb that I’m going to cherish forever. Lots and lots of stickers (“Frank Iero” in the “Lisa Frank” font is sending me) and Casey’s new Cool Cat keychain. Now that I’m seeing it all piled together, I’m noticing a theme: about a third of what I bought or traded for is cat-themed. Are zinesters more likely to be cat-people?
This year’s iteration was held at Goofball Sk8boards, a sober skatepark in Waldo that centers new and under-represented skaters. It’s a great location, and I feel like it fits the spirit of the fest better than any location we’ve had in the past. While not as comfortably massive as UMKC or as centrally-located as El Torreon, Goofball has a diy, underground spirit that just feels zine-y. And this year’s event was the first to feature both indoor and outdoor vending, which is something that we’ve been talking about doing for years. Big kudos to Jaydream, Nash, Hayley, Ethan, and all the volunteers for pulling it off. KCZC #8 was tremendous. It was a blast. I left feeling like I was on top of the world. The vibes were impeccable.
Some highlights: tabling with friends and seeing friends (especially the friends I only see once- or twice- a year at fests), playing Zine Fest Bingo with Heather (we almost got a blackout!), helping shepherd tablers into the parking lot in the morning and a very cool-looking zinester shouting “you look so cool!” at me as they walked in with their boxes (right back ‘atcha… also, this compliment had me feeling like a $1000 bucks all day and I rode that high all day long, so thank you thank you thank you!), getting my caricature drawn by Barb, seeing Jammy — the copy machine mascot of Paper Plains Zine Fest — and chanting their name (and getting pumped for PPZF this September), having someone tell me they bought my witchy zines at a past fest and that they love them (I made sure that they walked away with the new edition of Hagwitch), the delicious beet sandwich from Cauldron Collective that I enjoyed for lunch, all the love shown to Coco Zine… I could go on and on and on. It was, as it always is, the best day of the year.
Of course, I bought and traded for so many zines (and prints, and stickers). The complete haul is pictured above, but here are some highlights:
One of my absolute, hands-down favorite parts of tabling any zine fest is making trades. Knowing that my work is going to be enjoyed by another zinester is the best feeling (I feel like us zinesters really get each other, ya know...) and I get to add a new title to my collection. It's a true win-win situation. So when Allegra approached my table at the end of KC Zine Con #8 asking if I'd like to make a trade, I was thrilled... and when they told me they had a tarot mini-zine, even more so! I've written two tarot mini-zines myself, so this trade felt like a match made in heaven. In exchange for a copy of "Sow. Sprout. Grow.", they handed me "Teenie Tiny Tarot", which is just that: a teenie, tiny, itty bitty tarot deck that starts out as a mini-zine. Just unfold the pages and grab your scissors, and you've got yourself a new deck of tarot cards the size of a thumbprint. How cute! I'm so glad that I have this zine, although now I have to make the tough decision on whether to cut it up or not! 📓 Details: mini-zine, b&w🛒 : PWYC/trade |
One of my absolute, hands-down favorite parts of tabling any zine fest is making trades. Knowing that my work is going to be enjoyed by another zinester is the best feeling (I feel like us zinesters really get each other, ya know...) and I get to add a new title to my collection. It's a true win-win situation. So when Allegra approached my table at the end of KC Zine Con #8 asking if I'd like to make a trade, I was thrilled... and when they told me they had a tarot mini-zine, even more so! I've written two tarot mini-zines myself, so this trade felt like a match made in heaven. In exchange for a copy of "Sow. Sprout. Grow.", they handed me "Teenie Tiny Tarot", which is just that: a teenie, tiny, itty bitty tarot deck that starts out as a mini-zine. Just unfold the pages and grab your scissors, and you've got yourself a new deck of tarot cards the size of a thumbprint. How cute! I'm so glad that I have this zine, although now I have to make the tough decision on whether to cut it up or not!
📓 Details: mini-zine, b&w
🛒 : PWYC/trade
T.J. Hanscum and their original character Buttman are KC Zine Con mainstays. Amongst the sea of tablers, you can almost always spot a cardboard cut-out of Buttman — tall and pink, with their iconic, heart-shaped face — beckoning you to come visit T.J.'s table and explore their weird, weird world. This year, I took home a souvenir: issue one of "Tales From the Gutter", a comix featuring Buttman and his roommates, Gwen and Mothman. After ordering a pizza and finding it covered in live mushrooms, the gang goes on a quest in their apartment complex to discover the source of the mycelia. New friends are made, dank kush is acquired, and there's even a fun "Ask Buttman" column smack dab in the centerfold. This zine made me wish I could get my hands on issue 2 and beyond for more of Buttman's zany antics. And honestly, someone should give T.J. an animation deal to bring Buttman to life on TV, as "Tales from the Gutter" would make for a perfectly-bingeable, Saturday morning cartoon. 📓 Details: short half-size, 14 pages, b&w🛒 : "available upon request or at any tabling event" 🔗 : website • instagram |
T.J. Hanscum and their original character Buttman are KC Zine Con mainstays. Amongst the sea of tablers, you can almost always spot a cardboard cut-out of Buttman — tall and pink, with their iconic, heart-shaped face — beckoning you to come visit T.J.'s table and explore their weird, weird world. This year, I took home a souvenir: issue one of "Tales From the Gutter", a comix featuring Buttman and his roommates, Gwen and Mothman. After ordering a pizza and finding it covered in live mushrooms, the gang goes on a quest in their apartment complex to discover the source of the mycelia. New friends are made, dank kush is acquired, and there's even a fun "Ask Buttman" column smack dab in the centerfold. This zine made me wish I could get my hands on issue 2 and beyond for more of Buttman's zany antics. And honestly, someone should give T.J. an animation deal to bring Buttman to life on TV, as "Tales from the Gutter" would make for a perfectly-bingeable, Saturday morning cartoon.
📓 Details: short half-size, 14 pages, b&w
🛒 : "available upon request or at any tabling event"
🔗 : website • instagram
I really hit the jackpot when it came to table neighbors at KC Zine Con #8. Sometimes you get stuck in a lonely corner, or are seated next to a churlish hipster or a dude bro, but nah... this year, I really feel like I hit the jackpot! I shared a table with my good friend Heather — sharing a table with a friend all but guarantees you a good time — and to our right sat Barbara Lane Tharas and their partner Stephanie. Barb and Stephanie are, hands down, two of the nicest folks I've ever met at a zine fest. We spent the day chatting about our art practices and our cats (and their many silly nicknames), and as the hours flew by, we made a buncha zine trades... which is how I got my paws on "Fitting In". A memoir comix, "Fitting In" shares Barb's experiences as a fat kid dealing with rude adults who don't realize (or just don't care) that their fatphobic language is being heard and absorbed by the kiddos in their stead. Barb's googly-eyed figures and vibrant watercolors pop off the page, striking a perfect balance between cartoon silliness and realism. And while the story is heartbreaking, it's ultimately triumphant: Barb makes friends with fellow fat folks who make them feel safe, able to relax and have fun without feeling judged or excluded. The zine ends with a list of fantastic resources that Barb used to combat their own internalized fatphobia. This is a great zine with a great message - a must read. 📓 Details: half-size, 20 pages, color🛒 : $8 |
I really hit the jackpot when it came to table neighbors at KC Zine Con #8. Sometimes you get stuck in a lonely corner, or are seated next to a churlish hipster or a dude bro, but nah... this year, I really feel like I hit the jackpot! I shared a table with my good friend Heather — sharing a table with a friend all but guarantees you a good time — and to our right sat Barbara Lane Tharas and their partner Stephanie. Barb and Stephanie are, hands down, two of the nicest folks I've ever met at a zine fest. We spent the day chatting about our art practices and our cats (and their many silly nicknames), and as the hours flew by, we made a buncha zine trades... which is how I got my paws on "Fitting In".
A memoir comix, "Fitting In" shares Barb's experiences as a fat kid dealing with rude adults who don't realize (or just don't care) that their fatphobic language is being heard and absorbed by the kiddos in their stead. Barb's googly-eyed figures and vibrant watercolors pop off the page, striking a perfect balance between cartoon silliness and realism. And while the story is heartbreaking, it's ultimately triumphant: Barb makes friends with fellow fat folks who make them feel safe, able to relax and have fun without feeling judged or excluded. The zine ends with a list of fantastic resources that Barb used to combat their own internalized fatphobia. This is a great zine with a great message - a must read.
📓 Details: half-size, 20 pages, color
🛒 : $8
Casey is one of my favorite people to see at a zine fest: he's a really nice dude and he's always making something strange and interesting. This year, he debuted "Class of 1989": a pseudo yearbook featuring pages and pages of slightly off-looking figures. If you know of his work, then you know that he's a master of using collage to create eldritch characters, and this talent is on full display in "Class of 1989". Although not as absurdly whimsical as some of his other stuff (he also just came out with prints of a pizza cat riding a hot dog skateboard, and they totally rule), "Class" is Casey at his creepiest: the yearbook photos are only slightly distorted, so on first-glance they seem like a bunch of average faces... just weirdly unsettling. A closer inspection shows that those askew eyes were cut-n-pasted in from another face, like a person half-warped between dimensions. But Casey still infuses the zine with a little dose of humor: the students and faculty listed have some hilariously weird names that made me giggle; my favorites are RudyDale Dimples, Walter ToeFinger, and Vee Van Booven, but Tony Hotdog got the biggest laugh. If you're not yet familiar with Casey's work, go give him a follow on instagram and pick up this zine and others. He's making some of the consistently coolest work on the zine scene. 📓 Details: half-size, b&w glossy🛒 : etsy 🔗 : instagram • website |
Casey is one of my favorite people to see at a zine fest: he's a really nice dude and he's always making something strange and interesting. This year, he debuted "Class of 1989": a pseudo yearbook featuring pages and pages of slightly off-looking figures. If you know of his work, then you know that he's a master of using collage to create eldritch characters, and this talent is on full display in "Class of 1989". Although not as absurdly whimsical as some of his other stuff (he also just came out with prints of a pizza cat riding a hot dog skateboard, and they totally rule), "Class" is Casey at his creepiest: the yearbook photos are only slightly distorted, so on first-glance they seem like a bunch of average faces... just weirdly unsettling. A closer inspection shows that those askew eyes were cut-n-pasted in from another face, like a person half-warped between dimensions. But Casey still infuses the zine with a little dose of humor: the students and faculty listed have some hilariously weird names that made me giggle; my favorites are RudyDale Dimples, Walter ToeFinger, and Vee Van Booven, but Tony Hotdog got the biggest laugh.
If you're not yet familiar with Casey's work, go give him a follow on instagram and pick up this zine and others. He's making some of the consistently coolest work on the zine scene.
📓 Details: half-size, b&w glossy
🛒 : etsy
🔗 : instagram • website
