2023 Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE)

Last Saturday was my first time attending the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE).

I made sure to stop at the Sequential Artist Workshop’s table and say hello. And while there, I discovered a new anthology showcasing the works of many of my colleagues from the Graphic Medicine and Memoir group.

I like how such gatherings always have interesting workshops. This time, Derf Backderf led a workshop on researching nonfiction comics, in which he shared insights on how he gathered material for two of his graphic novels, My Friend Dahmer (2012) and Kent State: For Dead in Ohio (2020).

Following that, there was time to explore all of the tables and talk to the authors. And this year, the lineup included over 100 tables. I was delighted to see MariNaomi, one of my favorite authors, who signed a copy of her book, Turning Japanese (2016), for me.

It was fantastic to attend such an event in person and meet all of the creative people who are making their dreams of creating comics a reality. At CAKE, I saw a lot of artists that were present at the 2023 Chicago Zine Festival last month, and I'm starting to get comfortable in this community, with more and more faces becoming familiar. Without a doubt, events like these, which bring together the Chicago comic community, have now become permanent fixtures in my calendar.