[PRESS RELEASE] 19th ANNUAL FLUKE MINI-COMICS FESTIVAL – March 26th, 2022

CONTACT

Robert Newsome, flukeathens@gmail.com, 706-614-3499

19th ANNUAL FLUKE MINI-COMICS FESTIVAL – March 26th, 2022

This year’s FLUKE Mini-Comics Festival, sponsored by Bizarro Wuxtry, Inch-High Button Guy, and The Sequential Artists Workshop will take place on Saturday, March 26th at The 40 Watt Club, 285 West Washington Street, Athens GA from 11:00 AM until 6 PM.

Admission for the public is $2.00 per person.

Masks and proof of vaccination will be REQUIRED for all exhibitors and attendees.

FLUKE’S STATEMENT OF PURPOSE / MISSION

FLUKE is a mini-comic festival that has been organized by Athens-area comic artists, underground publishers, and their enthusiasts since 2002. That’s a really long time. Conceived as a venue for the discussion and exchange of timely ideas related to mini-comics, ‘zines, and other independent publications, FLUKE is not a large comic convention or advertising-saturated extravaganza. This isn't to say we don't like our share of stuff—'cause we do. However, we have kept the organization of the event as simple as possible to ensure that it remains focused on work and ideas rather than merchandising.

FLUKE is an enjoyable, affordable event for people of all ages and interests: Flagpole writer Hillary Brown remarks:

"Part of the delight of FLUKE is encountering new folks and browsing through undiscovered material. There’s stuff for kids, stuff for grown-ups, stuff for people who like serious autobiographical narratives, and stuff for people who’d rather read a mini-comic about mice shaped like a wedge of cheese."

EVENT SPECS

Exhibitors register in advance for exhibition spaces at FLUKE. FLUKE 2022 is now sold out. It is possible that a very small number of additional spaces will be made available. Those wishing to obtain one of these potential spaces should watch for announcements on FLUKE’s website and social media.

FLUKE’S SPONSORS

With gratitude, we acknowledge our sponsors.

• Bizarro Wuxtry

• Inch-High Button Guy

• Sequential Artists Workshop

SELECTED IMAGES

Photo of FLUKE 2018 inside the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia. Photo credit: Saginaw-hitchhiker - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

FLUKE 2022 poster. Design credit: Devlin Thompson, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/ 

SELECTED HASHTAGS

#Fluke2022, #MiniComics, #Zines, #AthensGa, #SmallPress #Creators #Festivals #ComicCons

FLUKE 2022 UPDATE: Here's what's hapening.

 Hello, friends. We are (as I write this) 40 days away from FLUKE 2022. Covid cases in Athens are on the decline, and we are looking forward to seeing you at the 40 Watt on March 26 for FLUKE 2022.

Here are some things to know if you're planning to attend, either as an exhibitor or you're just coming to hang out and see what's going on.

• Exhibitor Spaces for FLUKE 2022 are sold out. Those who registered for the cancelled FLUKE 2020 were allowed to keep their reservation, and the majority of them chose to do so. If you would like an exhibitor space, it's possible to get on the waiting list, by emailing Robert at secondperiod@gmail.com, but please keep in mind that the current waiting list is over 40 people long. 

FLUKE 2022 PANDEMIC-RELATED PROTOCOLS

• Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination is required to enter the 40 Watt Club. This is the club's rule, but even if it weren't, it would be FLUKE's rule. Please come to FLUKE with your vaccination card. We are not prepared to discuss or debate this. If you don't have proof of vaccination, you will not be allowed into the 40 Watt Club for FLUKE.
• Masks are required for all attendees and exhibitors. This, again, is the 40 Watt's rule, but even if it weren't, it would be FLUKE's rule. The bar will be open, and obviously people are gonna take their masks down to have a drink, but the more time you spend with your nose and mouth behind a face covering, the less your germs, whatever they are, can make their way into someone else. We are not prepared to discuss or debate this. No mask = no entry.
• Social distancing is unfortunately impossible at an event like FLUKE. We understand if this makes you worried about attending, but we feel obligated to be upfront about this.
• Ventilation is another issue over which we don't have a lot of control. The doors to the 40 watt will remain open during the event, but that's about all we can do with regards to this.
• We've talked to a couple of medical doctors (who, it should be said are not epidemiologists nor can they predict the future) about FLUKE because we don't want to inadvertently host a super-spreader, and we think we're being safe by having FLUKE with the above requirements. If things change for the worse in the next 40 days, we'll re-evaluate and make a decision based on any new information that comes our way. 
• Because of the ongoing pandemic, there will be no free cake at FLUKE 2022. This is very sad, but that's the world we live in now. 

The 40 Watt is wheelchair accessible and nobody will have to climb or descend any stairs to make it into FLUKE but if you are an exhibitor or potential attendee and have any mobility issues you want to make sure are accommodated, please email Robert at secondperiod@gmail.com and we'll work out anything we need to do to make sure you can enjoy 100% of FLUKE. 

We are incredibly excited to be back and we can't wait to see all of you on March 26th. There will be more updates here and on FLUKE's twitter account (@flukeathens). We'll see you soon!