This weekend, I made the trek from my Boston hovel to glamorous, glittery New York City to attend Titans of Small Town, a webcomics gallery event sponsored by TBG and held at Street Attack’s 303Grand space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This event had a real A-Team of webcomics in attendance:

The event began with a Question and Answer session, MC’d by our very own Benjamin Palmer (who was showing his very own River Vader Hippo Wing). The panelists discussed their comic’s individual and linked histories, the fun and supportive webcomics community that has developed over the years, and the time Ryan North was indirectly responsible for nearly getting a group of teenaged girls arrested. Afterward, over Laos beers and a surprising amount of Sparks, the artists mingled and discussed their works. Onstad revealed some scintillating tidbits suitable for the back of his trading card. Favorite White Wine: Screaming Eagle. Favorite Rap Artist: The Clash. (Yes.)

The three comics in attendance are each very different in style, ranging from Dr McNinja’s traditional comic book art style, to Softer World’s photo and text juxtapositions, to Dinosaur Comic’s usage of the same bitmap of dinosaurs in every comic, with only their words changing. This disparity was reflected when a large collaborative drawing was undertaken later in the evening.

While I don’t have a photo of the finished work, I know that each artist added something unique and special: North contributed his talent and height through a high cliff and sun. Hastings anchored the piece with an angry, middle-aged mega man riding a pteradactyl and a T-Rex wearing jet boots. Softer World’s Horne’s incorporation of a toaster and an appropriate Battlestar Gallactica quotation tied it all together into a sublimely geeky gestalt of Sharpee and silliness.