This past weekend, the 2012 edition of the Small Press Expo invaded the commuter town of Rockville, Maryland.  It was a jam-packed affair, with more artists than ever, more attendees than ever, and generally, a perfect encapsulation of the current, amazing state of the independent comics world.

Creative artists are able to produce comics easier than ever, whether publishing on the web, through the multitude of amazing indie publishers (such as Top Shelf Comics or Oni Press) or by appealing directly to their fans via Kickstarter.

It was my third year attending the show, and the first time for my girlfriend, and my experience this year just underlined why SPX continues to be my favorite show go to as an attendee. Every table provided something unique and eye catching, and for as proud as I am of the things we picked up, I feel like there were dozens of items I regret having not picked up.  Sure, I was at the show in an official capacity, performing alongside Super Art Fight, but even if I weren’t, I would have moved heaven and earth to be there this weekend.

Either way, I wanted to share my hauls with you, dear reader. Call it a mix of wanting to brag, and wanting to share some great work.

Amazing Everything: The Art of Scott C. Scott Campbell has quickly become one of my favorite artists going today, between his amazing art appearing in various pop culture art shows, and his sublimely fantastic Great Showdowns site (which has a book of its own coming out this October).  I knew for sure I wanted to pick up his first book at this show, and upon meeting him, he couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He signed and personalized my book, and apparently, I’m the first Marty he’d ever met.  That’s a cool and interesting statistic to learn.

Boat Print from Ramsey Beyer As you’ve probably gathered from the content on this site, we’re big fans of art prints, and since the lady is moving in, we’re making moves to get even more amazing art on the walls. This print comes from Ramsey Beyer, a Baltimore area artist behind everydaypants, a great comic and art site.

Art Print from Sam Bosma I was not familiar with the work of Sam Bosma before the show, but his art grabbed my eyes as soon as I walked past his table. I could have easily bought everything from his table (there was a Kaiju print in particular that I loved), but this was the one I had to have on my wall.

Art Print from Becky Dreistadt Ever since the lady saw a video on Becky on SoulPancake’s YouTube channel, she wanted to see and get more of her work. While the Tiny Kitten Teeth book ended up a bit out of our budget (spent too much too soon) we got this beautiful art print to spice up our walls. Seriously, how cute is this thing?

Beartato And The Various Things That Happened Anthony Clark is an artist I consider myself friendly with, and he’s always been a joy to talk to. Also a joy? His comic, Nedroid Picture Diary, which I assume you’ve probably read by now. Last year, I picked up his first two collections, and this year, he released his third, Beartato and the Various Things That Happened. I can’t wait to crack into it, and he was nice enough to sketch in his latest release for me.

Art Prints by Mike Mitchell I’ve long followed the work of artist Mike Mitchell, and this year, we finally picked up some of his work.  The lady grabbed the Ariel print, and thinking of me, she picked up ol' Bill.  They’re both part of his super fun “Just Like Us” series, and I love them to pieces. Don’t you?

Bits In Multiples of 8 I previously saw Bits In Multiples of 8 on Kickstarter, and unfortunately forgot to pledge for it before it’s deadline. But, how could I really go wrong with a locally created, video game based art book? Suffice to say, the $10 was theirs.

Two Star Wars Fan Comics The brainchild of Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb and a collection of creators, these two comics, titled “Only What You Take With You” and “…And Don’t Forget The Droids” are smart, funny and adorable. Totally a great pick up.

The Punchclock Hero Holiday Special Hand delivered to me by the Ohio native Joe Hunter, this is equal parts a sentai love fest, and great story for the holidays. An awesome read, and I can’t wait to see what Joe puts together next.

All and all, I had an absolutely fantastic weekend, and I already can’t wait for SPX 2013.  I’ll just need to remember to budget better. And maybe I’ll see some blast-o-rama readers there next year?