"Indie, underground, alternative": Staunton cartoonist organizing comics and zine fest

STAUNTON — Before it closed, Basement on Byers was an art gallery in the Wharf district. Staunton-based cartoonist Ryan Brosmer remembers walking into that space, located at 3 Byers Street, and thinking it would be perfect for a comics and zine fest. Unfortunately, it closed before Brosmer got to act on his idea.

Fast forward to the end of 2023 when another art gallery, SolArt Center, opened in the same location, in the basement below Eclectic Retro. The gallery opened in early November. Wes Wyse, who runs both Eclectic Retro and SolArt, envisions the new gallery housing "unpolished, amateur, experimental, weird" art, an alternative to most traditional art galleries.

Wyse contacted Brosmer, explaining about the new space and telling him they needed artists. Brosmer suggested his idea about a zine fest.

"We were off to the races," Brosmer said. "They were excited to get something going quickly and I was more than happy to put out the word to lots of friends and acquaintances all around the region."

Surprisingly, to Brosmer, there were a lot of people interested in the idea. Thus was born the Staunton Underground Comics and Zine Fest, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 20 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. at SolArt.

Brosmer is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator who has self-published comic books, zines, mini-comics and graphic novels, including his most recent work, "Swap Meet and Other Stories!"

"Part of why I want to do this is to both bring an event to the city at a time of year when there isn't much else going on," Brosmer said. "January can be part of the dead season for businesses and people. There's not much to get you out of the house. Hopefully we give you a reason to get out of the house and explore all of the businesses down here on the Wharf and elsewhere around town."

It's also a slow time for comic conventions and art markets, so Brosmer felt like it was a good time for them to come to Staunton.

"There's a lot of people who, this is how they make their living," he said. "They are dependent on these events and selling their works in person."

Brosmer is trying to keep it to about 20 vendors, ranging from artists who live locally in Staunton, Augusta County and Harrisonburg to those who will travel from Lynchburg, Northern Virginia and even as far away as North Carolina.

One of the more well-known artists will be Richmond cartoonist Ben Snakepit, who Brosmer described as a punk-rock cartoonist who pulls from his own life experiences for content. The ComicsBlogger, who is based in North Carolina and writes zines about comics, is also expected to be at the event. Richmond's Brian Baynes is also scheduled to appear.

"He is just one of the most interesting independent journalists around," Brosmer said of Baynes. "He is interested in more than just comics and has few other zines he does that aren't just comic focused. You'll find him everywhere. Actually, two days later, he is flying to France to be part of the Angoulême International Comics Festival."

Brosmer said anyone is welcome to attend — it's free and open to the public — but he is really targeting people who like comics that are a little bit different, maybe flying under the radar. This isn't necessarily your traditional comic books like Marvel or DC.

"It's people that are self-publishing that you maybe won't see their work unless you know them, follow them on Instagram or see them in person," Brosmer said. "It's indie, underground, alternative comics is normally what it's referred to."

Brosmer said there will be a mix between family friendly comics, like he writes, and comics aimed at more of an adult audience. There will also be stickers, t-shirts, prints and more.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton Underground Comics and Zine Fest to be held at SolArt in the Wharf