For graphic novelist Eddie Ahn, SF Zine Fest is where it all began

Love what you read? Love that it was free?

Mission Local will never have a paywall. All our articles are free for everyone, always. Help us keep it that way — donate to our end-of-year fundraiser to make Mission Local free for your neighbors.

Donate today!

Eddie Ahn first set up a table at the SF Zine Fest in 2012, when it attracted a few hundred people to the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park. By day, he was starting out as a nonprofit lawyer, but for fun, he drew comics. “Fictional stories about an angry and ambitious turtle trying to sell coffee across San Francisco” is how Ahn describes them; the turtle’s personality was based on his grandfather. As a promotional gimmick, Ahn brewed small batches of coffee and served festival attendees in hand-stamped cups.

“I learned about the Bay Area’s strong enthusiasm for local artists and creativity via SF Zine Fest,” remembers Ahn, now an established graphic novelist who is also the executive director of the San Francisco environmental justice nonprofit Brightline Defense.

This Sunday, Sept. 1, Ahn will return to the annual event once again, as he has done for the past 12 years. This time, however, he’ll be the invited guest of honor, with a bestselling graphic novel called Advocate that was published by Penguin Random House in April. And when he sets up his table, it will be at a much larger venue — Metreon’s City View, where the festival moved in 2022. A far cry from the event’s humble beginnings in 2001, this year’s fest is expected to draw more than 3,200 people to browse some 236 exhibitors. [Disclosure: This reporter will also be tabling at the event.]

Ahn says he’s “honored and a bit overwhelmed” to be receiving special recognition at the festival. “My art and nonprofit work are both very hard to do, and they come from humble beginnings and limited resources,” he says. “Returning to SF Zine Fest as its guest of honor feels like coming full circle in the best way possible.”

A graphic memoir, Advocate tells the story of Ahn’s childhood in Texas as the son of Korean immigrants, his move to San Francisco to earn his law degree, and how he found his calling in environmental justice, ultimately showing his parents how living life in service to others is more valuable than one that’s purely financially driven.

That ethos runs through the festival as well: Admission for attendees is free. To exhibit, self-publishers and established independent companies all submit the same application, competing for a half-table or table at the event, where they may sell items for as little as a dollar up to around $50. Beyond getting to meet and talk to everyone who supports their art, participants also enjoy trading their zines with other makers and planting seeds for possible future collaborations.

For Ahn, that social element is priceless, though it hasn’t always been easy. “When the Fest switched to virtual-only due to the pandemic, SF Zine Fest staff and volunteers worked really hard to keep the festival engaging and maintain a sense of community,” he says. He appreciates that organizers continue to think about accessibility: Masks are required, and the City View venue has better ventilation and air conditioning than the County Fair Building, which used to host the event, he notes.

A self-taught artist, Ahn ultimately credits his participation in the festival and other local, scrappy art events for fueling his creativity over the years. While the production value on his recent work is polished, he looks back fondly at the long nights he spent folding and stapling photocopied comics to create zines, he says. “Those DIY experiences … laid the foundation for telling better stories.”

SF Zine Fest takes place on Sunday, Sept. 1, at City View/Metreon (135 Fourth St.). Admission is free and masks are required. A free kickoff party will be held on Saturday, Aug. 31 from 6 to 9 pm at Mission: Comics & Art (2250 Mission St.).