Two weekends ago I went to the CCS Holiday Sale, a fundraising event for The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Tons of stuff to be had: original artwork for sale from such lumanaries as R. Crumb, Will Esiner, James Sturm, Art Spiegelman, Steve Bissette, as well as from upcoming artists and CCS students; a silent auction; a live auction, complete with hand-made bidding paddles; an ebay auction that ran at the same time as the event; book signings; CCS Sketch Factory, where visitors can order custom sketches from a CCS student; music; yummy cookies and drink.
There were lots of people in attendance and I got to chat with some of the faculty members and students, especially Steve Bissette –of Saga of Swamp Thing, Taboo, and Tyrant fame– who I met in-person at Home Movie Day last August (more about this in a future post). Several things come to mind:
- Purchased a couple of CCS shirts for myself and as holiday gifts. Only $15 bucks! That’s cheaper than a lot of the cafepress and Hot Topic crap, and a lot nicer.
- Saw someone buy a custom sketch of Harry Potter from the CCS Sketch Factory. I now pity myself for not buying one myself.
- Saw an old Royal manual typewriter with the glass covered keys intact and in working condition. Manual typewriters rock.
- Steve Bissette handing me complimentary signed copies of Tyrant. Interesting story and great Silver Age – style artwork I rarely see in today’s stuff.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mania! For sale at the live auction was a collection of TMNT paraphanalia, like a water slide and clothing, which included a TMNT-branded, short-sleeved, buttoned flannel shirt. Oh yeah, the TMNT collection was donated by TMNT creator Laird himself. And to top it all off, when the TMNT collection was up for sale, a girl dressed in a TMNT costume ran into the room. Radical, doode!
I had a blast at the CCS sale, took lots of pics, shot some super8 mm footage that will probably not come out well, and picked up a couple of nifty holiday gifts. If you reeeally hurry and contact CCS, you may be able to order a t-shirt and/or a poster in time for Christmas. Definitely in time for Boxing Day.
Click here to see the rest of the pics I took from the CCS sale.
The Center for Cartoon Studies
Email: WRITEON9000 – at- cartoonstudies DOT org
Phone: (802) 295-3319
