Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

I used to like attending ASR at the San Diego Convention Center. It was a great chance to see friends in the skateboarding world trapped under the same roof, and we got a couple of Giant Robot articles that way.  Of course the action sports retail trade show was famously ditched by vendors who refused to be gouged by the show’s organizers, but these days it’s been somewhat  replaced by a streetwear version. I’d never attended an Agenda show, but my friend Sophia Chang suggested I check out this week’s Long Beach event since she had curated a group exhibition for it. The Babe Show was totally worth the registering, driving out, and braving the crowd. It was a cool mix of familiar favorites (Deanne Cheuk, Esther Pearl Watxon, and Sophia) and artists that are new to me (Eri Wakiyama, Chocomoo). If you’re attending on Wednesday, definitely visit it at Booth E37.

Right around the corner from Sophia’s show is Keep Company. Can’t miss the puppies and kittens at my friend Una’s indie vegan shoe booth. She says the new kitten print (above, right) is her most-liked Instagram subject ever, but I kind of like the desert boots.

So cool to see pals like Una and Sophia ruling at what they do at the trade show. But I have to say Agenda is largely a sausage party in the ASR tradition. And it’s one of the best. I caught Justin, Mike V., and Drew at the Resource Distro booth. Buyers were pretty stoked on the gnarly new Elephant decks and Paris trucks.

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I used to like attending ASR at the San Diego Convention Center. It was a great chance to see friends in the skateboarding world trapped under the same roof, and we got a couple of Giant Robot articles that way.  Of course the action sports retail trade show was famously ditched by vendors who refused to be gouged by the show’s organizers, but these days it’s been somewhat  replaced by a streetwear version. I’d never attended an Agenda show, but my friend Sophia Chang suggested I check out this week’s Long Beach event since she had curated a group exhibition for it. The Babe Show was totally worth the registering, driving out, and braving the crowd. It was a cool mix of familiar favorites (Deanne Cheuk, Esther Pearl Watxon, and Sophia) and artists that are new to me (Eri Wakiyama, Chocomoo). If you’re attending on Wednesday, definitely visit it at Booth E37.

Right around the corner from Sophia’s show is Keep Company. Can’t miss the puppies and kittens at my friend Una’s indie vegan shoe booth. She says the new kitten print (above, right) is her most-liked Instagram subject ever, but I kind of like the desert boots.

So cool to see pals like Una and Sophia ruling at what they do at the trade show. But I have to say Agenda is largely a sausage party in the ASR tradition. And it’s one of the best. I caught Justin, Mike V., and Drew at the Resource Distro booth. Buyers were pretty stoked on the gnarly new Elephant decks and Paris trucks.

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It isn’t easy for the casual fan to acquire tickets to Comic-Con. Once you get in, it’s an ordeal to squeeze past the movie studio palaces with their big screens and giveaways. But if you are willing to put in the work, Comic-Con is still pretty awesome.

Preview Night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen preview night so crowded. Of course, the first place I went was the Giant Robot booth to see my great friend and conspirator, Eric Nakamura (top right). If you looking at the GR site, you know what I mean. Also there was ace cartoonist John Pham (top left) Why is it that I see certain L.A. friends only at San Diego? One more reason to go, I guess. On the bottom row are the two other places where I lurked. Not working the GR booth anymore, I can be that guy who hangs out at other people’s booths until it becomes uncomfortable. At Super 7, we talked with Brian and Scott more about hardcore shows than toys. And then there were Tom and Peggy of Drawn & Quarterly with Peter from The Beguiling. No bow-tie on Tom yet because the table was still a work in progress, without banners flaunting their world-class  roster of indie, international, and classic comic artists.

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