The Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase took over the courtyard in Industry City yesterday and in the interest of time and my own typing, it will be referred to as BICS for the rest of this summary. So according to my research, BICS was an idea from the mind of Mitch Cutler who has run the famed St. Mark’s Comics for over thirty years. Though no longer a shop on St. Mark’s Place, the legendary comic book store is now inside Industry City. This event made its debut in 2022 and brings together a wealth of independent creators in one convenient location. It would be located in one of the courtyards available in this shopping and event space and I was excited to explore and learn more about it. Traditionally speaking, I’m not really the biggest Independent Comics fan but I did go to the MoCCA Art Fest last month and got a little better idea about it all. Let’s begin exploring shall we? Narration will come and go in this photo presentation.
Now before I get too deep into this I should point out that I was not attending this event as a member of the approved media. Since this is a free event I didn’t bother looking into any kind of press badge and I didn’t notice any additional happenings going on other that artists tabling. So as you’ve seen above, my first contact was artist Chuck Kaslow and I enjoyed chatting with him quite a bit.
Sean Von Gorman was there and we’ve met him before. He is a talented cat for sure and his creation “The Pedestrian” is worth investigating.
Here’s the guys from Eyeland. A fun creation and it was nice to see them again as we met at last months MoCCA Art Fest.
We also met Corinne Halbert there so it was becoming familiar face time.
That’s Kevin Alvir who was showing off a MoCCA Art Fest win.
Artists Patrick Sinnott and Danielle Draik were sharing a table. We met them at the Cosmic Con out in Queens a few months ago.
Peter Rostovsky we met at NYCC and did a chat for our video series from that convention. You should look it up. Really, you should.
Steve Urena was also there and also someone we met at NYCC. Yes there is a video with him from there as well. Can I shameless plug all of that stuff? I think I can since its my website after all.
We enjoyed learning all about Alligator Dog from Izzy and Company. This seemed like a very fun creation.
The whole team from Panico Press was there and so they get some photos. I liked the idea of many of these creations and will talk about them more if they add me to any sort of media servicing list. Not too sure I’d be able to review actual issues but I’d take a stab at it. We are a very busy website as you know and just recently celebrated our own 19th Anniversary. Diehards knew this already but if you didn’t click HERE to learn more. I know, I know, shameless plug. Truth be told its all about website retention my friends now where was I.
I spoke to artist John Kitses about the “Last Days Of The Iron Triangle”. This was a very active industrial section of Queens that was decimated so they could begin putting up a soccer stadium. Way to go City of New York.
As I was making my goodbye’s I swung past Chuck’s table again and added a couple of more images. I love the Brooklyn Boredumb shirt.
That’s Gideon Kendall, freezing and giving a pitch to prospective purchases. By this point it was quite cold and the wind was unrelenting. Fortunately I had a knit cap in my backpack as well but was thinking the motorcycle jacket was not the best idea.
You’re probably wondering if anyone attended and this photo down below should answer the question quite visually. Not only do you see a half city block of vendor aisles but there are lots of people with cash in hand. Or Venmo in hand whatever your preference.
So there you have it. A brief but too the point visual narrative of the 2024 BICS. Overall this is a wonderful event and I had met a number of the creatives already from events like New York Comic Con, MoCCA Art Fest and even the Cosmic Con and had this been a pleasant Spring Day it would have been so much more enjoyable. However, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up which made this a logistical nightmare for those who that were not moved into the upstairs space that you see some of these photos from. Don’t get me wrong, I just love outdoor events but only when its warmer and no rain is on the horizon. I did enjoy myself for the most part and felt that I made some fun new connections. Will I return again next year? Who knows. For me a return always depends on what is happening around it and next year is fairly far away now. At the moment I am hoping to attend this years Five Points Fest, Anime NYC and the mega-event of them all, the New York Comic Con. I’ll say if you love the independent side of the fence then you will love this particular event if its accessible to attend. Wrapping up let me remind you that PiercingMetal is super active on social media and you can help the masses rise by supporting the platforms listed on our Official Linktree. See you again soon for sure.