19
Feb/10

MoCCA ART FESTIVAL: DISAPPEARANCE DIARY

19
Feb/10

disappearance diary

DISAPPEARANCE DIARY by Hideo Azuma (Fanfare / Ponent Mon, 2008, $22.99)
69th Regiment Armory
68 Lexington Ave. between 25th & 26th Sts.
April 10-11, $10-$12/day, $15-$20/both days
212-254-3511
www.moccany.com
www.ponentmon.com

in preparation for this year’s MoCCA Art Festival, the annual benefit for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, we will be highlighting some of our favorite books and comics from past festivals. Last year we picked up a copy of Hideo Azuma’s fascinating true-life story, DISAPPEARANCE DIARY, which details the popular manga artist’s self-imposed departure from the world he knew, instead choosing to become homeless, where his alcoholism nearly killed him. In tightly drawn black-and-white panels, Azuma follows his crazy tale over the course of eight days and two “disappearances,” walking out on his wife and his regular job, scavenging through garbage for food and drink, and eventually working for a gas company while still shunning all aspects of his previous life. Throughout, Azuma reveals his wry, self-deprecating sense of humor, which is also evident in the brief interview hidden beneath the trade paperback book’s flaps.

mocca art festival 2010

This year’s MoCCA Art Festival runs April 10-11 at the 69th Regiment Armoy, featuring such participants as Kim Deitch, Emily Flake, Jaime Hernandez. Neil Kleid, Peter Kuper, Hope Larson, Frank Miller, Paul Pope, Dash Shaw, Gahan Wilson, and Klein Award recipient David Mazzucchelli. Single tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of show, with weekend tickets available for $15 in advance and $20 at the door.