Reflections on the NCAF art show

It’s been about a week since the Nashville Comic Arts Festival (NCAF) 2025 wrapped up and I gotta admit – I had a pretty good time! Sure, there is a lot to setup, rearrange — and then rearrange again — but for the first public show where Monochrome Mythology was present, I’d say it was a major success! I want take this opportunity to dig a bit deeper into the elements that made up my booth.

The Display and Prints

With help from my neighbor, the table was prepared and set for the show. Arranging the items and using the space effectively is critical for any show as is choosing which prints to display in fronts, on stands, in bins, etc. alongside the various zines and comics.

As the first vendor outing experience for Monochrome Mythology, I was really curious which prints might sell best compared to online or private sales. While no clear pattern could be found among all of the prints sold, the animals overall were the fastest movers. Speaking of, the sea turtle seen in Dive-In took the top spot in terms of velocity. Swim fast!

Comics and Zines

My favorite item to hand out for free was the Angry Goose zine. This mini, simple story depicts a Canadian goose getting defensive over some scraps of bread at a lake. This is the very same goose that terrorized my brother while on his walks around the Franklin area during his work shifts. I like to embrace some ambiguity with the comic book stories I tell and lean on symbolism but here it was a nice change of pace to go with a simple, funny little slice of life.

The next item is more serious in nature – the Melancholy zine.

The original version was done back in 2018 and modified this year a bit. Using some references provided by artists Rachel and Noah Bradley, Melancholy is a fictional story of a woman who feels tremendous guilt surrounding the deaths of her husband and daughter and the unraveling after. It is a heavy, short story and characterizes how I was feeling myself at the time (but for different reasons). I got comments such as “that’s what I am feeling right now” and “relatable.”

This story is not one that has been available before and I think it makes sense to keep it in a quarter-zine format as this is similar to what it was before.

And finally there is the Burden first printing.

While it’s not quite ready for mass distribution yet via Amazon and other channels as of the writing of this blog, here I was able to get a good sense for just how well it was coming together. This printing showcases the story in a solid way with only some minor edits that I’d like to approach this month. The audience for this one is much more specific – those with PTSD experiences, military, or Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) history. I got some great feedback on the bonus content and how readers will appreciate seeing the “how to” section.

Until Next Time

The NCAF staff did a wonderful job building a show that encompasses all manner of art styles. It was a welcoming experience and a good skill-builder for someone a bit newer to the art show scene. They had a large expansion of the program compared to last year and I am excited to see what they’ll do next year.

Keep telling stories,

Jeremy