There’s a strong and steady community of artists in Athens creating mini-comics - the handmade, sometimes crudely but efficiently assembled illustrated works often focusing on autobiographical tales. But mini-comics are unassuming and seemingly modest pieces of art, often created by unassuming and seemingly modest artists. Fluke, the annual local mini-comics and zine festival now in its seventh year, brings what’s often kept between friends and like-minded artists out for public display, consumption and appreciation.

“The thing is, every year it’s a bunch of nerds in a room talking about comic books,” says Robert Newsome, one of the festival’s organizers. “We seem to have stumbled upon a good formula, so we’re going to keep that up.” Fluke, started in 2002 by former Athens resident and illustrator T. Edward Bak, also offers attendees a chance to view the indie underbelly of comics, the stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into the mainstream presentation of chiseled testosterone-fueled superheroes in tights beating up on one another. (Though a reliable number of artists at Fluke lean towards genre fiction stuff as well - you may find vampires, robots and monsters alongside weepy bedroom dramas or existentially evocative pieces). All of it’s on display and much of it’s for sale. A small festival like Fluke, where most of the attendees are local or regional, offers an accessibility to the artist that’s comparable to the legacy of ‘90s indie rock and roll. A lot of the artists there exhibit a “Hey, if I did this so can you!” enthusiasm for creating comics.

As for specific artists who’ll attend Fluke to display, sell and share their artwork, Newsome says he doesn’t have many details yet, as artists can arrive the day of the festival to take part.

“It’s weird, because every year I show up at Tasty World an hour or so before it starts to set up, thinking, ‘Oh man, nobody’s going to come this year,' and it’s always the opposite. People show up!” he says. “It’s a lot easier to start a blog now than it is to start publishing a zine, but even though that online aspect of publishing is taking over, the community itself is still pretty close-knit. I think there’s this magical wave of art that somehow gets out that I don’t even know about. I hope to God that this year’s isn’t the one that proves me wrong,” he says, laughing. Fluke sponsors Wide Awake Press and Top Shelf Comics will have displays at the festival, and local festival regulars like Patrick Dean, Missy Kulik and Eleanor Davis can be counted on to show up, says Newsome.

“I think it’s a testament to how tight the community is,” he says. “It’s weird, because [these comics] are not the sort of thing you see all the time, but these people exist in Athens and are active, and these artists continue to support something like Fluke every year. It’s surprising, but in a really good way.”

Fluke also produces an anthology comic every year, featuring short works by a number of the artists involved in the festival. This year, as in 2007, the book should be published in late summer or early fall.

“The anthology will be coming out later in the year, as it did last year,” says Newsome. “I think it worked best to put out the anthology mid-year, because it kept the name of the event out there year-round.”

Past years have seen Fluke augment the comics portion of the festival with sets from live bands, or even with performances by local trapeze artists. This year, however, as in the few most recent years, the organizers have pared back on the spectacle to keep the attention on the comics themselves.

“We decided to focus a little more on just the printed material,” says Newsome, “not because we don’t love trapeze, or bands or that kind of thing, but it became a weird split thing to have an all-day deal. If we’re going to do something with music, we’d rather do something that’s specifically music-oriented, rather than trying to split the day in half. Plus, everyone gets really, really tired,” he says, and laughs.

The event starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 12, and costs $5 both for artists wishing to display works and for attendees curious to browse. Artists interested in displaying their comics at Fluke need only to show up early to secure a table - space is doled out on a first-come, first-served basis. Everything’s packed up around 5 or 6 p.m., says Newsome. “That’s about when everyone’s leaving and we all start to get too hungry anyway.”

Chris Hassiotis

For more information and details on Fluke, including details on displaying work there, please visit www.flukeathens.com.

WHAT: Fluke Mini-Comics Festival
WHERE: Tasty World Upstairs
WHEN: Saturday, Apr. 12, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5