Notes from Vannotes - Behind the Scenes of BCAF Presents

Whoa nelly is it a busy time! Juggling my 9:00 - 5:00 work in college student services, 5:00 - 9:00 work writing graphic novels, and the joys of medication changes has been wild…all while preparing for Boise Comic Arts Festival.

In this little calm before the storm, I wanted to quick do a pre-cap of Boise Comic Arts Festival, including sharing more details about BCAF Presents!

So what is BCAF Presents?

BCAF Presents is a free publication given out to all attendees of the festival. It’s the brain child of myself and Josh Shapel, the lead organizer of the festival. The whole idea is to promote the comics medium to attendees, especially those who’ve never purchased a comic book before. No matter what, even if they don’t come with any cash, attendees will have the chance to enjoy a comic book! I hope we all live in a world with more free comic books in it.

This year’s main comic was drawn by Alieha Dryden, who is an incredible local cartoonist! Her comic “Marion and the Goathead” is sure to delight readers both young and old looking for a fun and meaningful portal fantasy adventure.

I also have a comic in BCAF Presents this year, featuring a fun little critter named Mountain Leon. The fun part is that the comic features little puzzles the reader can solve to progress in the story. It’s the kind of fun comic that I loved myself as a kid. Also multiple people have told me that the villainous Cliff Witch might be the breakout character of BCAF Presents 2025…I’ll take that praise!

How can you find me at BCAF?

Look for the produce stand! With a lot of assistance from my dad, last month I built a signature display that looks like a produce stand for my brand Seasonal Produce Publishing. I’ve been looking for ways to stand out from the standard convention tables and this beautiful display made of recycled wood is an exciting way to engage customers.

BCAF Schedule

If I’m away from my table, where will you be able to find me?

Saturday - Room 120C

12:00 p.m.-12:45 p.m. Life Drawing - Join creator and model Sugar May and artist Vannotes for a life drawing session. Bring your own art supplies or borrow paper and charcoal from our session sponsor Catalyst Arts Collaborative.

Sunday - Room 120B

12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Dungeons and Drawing - Hark! A fearsome monster stalks the capitol of the fantasy kingdom of Odahi! Will three plucky hero adventurers be able to brave this beast? Will three special guests be able to play at the same time as they draw their adventure on the spot? Featuring local cartoonist and GM Vannotes with players Cassie Anderson, Rose Bousamra, and Sarah Pincock, this epic Monster of the Week and live drawing session set in a fantastical Idaho is sure to make you laugh, cry, and cheer.

You can see even more information about BCAF at: https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/using-the-library/boise-comic-arts-festival/

Other Notes from Vannotes

What Am I Reading? I just finished the first G.I. Joe Compendium collecting 50 issues of Larry Hama’s run and they might be the best licensed comics in the industry’s history. Every issue had something fun, something dramatic, and a big action scene…pure genius.

What Am I Watching? Like everyone else who seems to be trying to tap into the zeitgeist, I’m watching Social Studies on Hulu FX. It’s the kind of show that makes me wish TikTok was shut down as they expose how drastically smartphones and social media are shaping the development of children with little accountability. I hope this is the first of many steps in raising awareness of how we are negatively impacting young people through algorithms. I can guarantee it’s a must watch.

What Am I Listening To? Was Big Frieda putting out a gospel album on your 2025 list? It wasn’t on mine, but I adore the queen of bounce’s album Pressing Onward. Trade your confessions for your blessings and enjoy a gospel album that will make you shake your postierier.

What Am I Playing? The person I’m seeing is into fitness, so I figured I better at least try to get a bit healthier and picked up my Ringcon again. Ringfit Adventure is a fun game and I do find myself compelled to exercise more with a narrative reason to do so. I’m averaging about 15 minutes of light exercise and 50 calories burned, so that’s better than nothing…I don’t know if you’ll be finding me in the gym anytime soon though.

That’s it for this newsletter!

All my best,

Vannotes