You’re probably asking yourself, “what the hell’s a Brimp?” Well, the short answer is, it’s an inside joke from the Image comic Sex Criminals, but that doesn’t quite cover it. The comic itself also defies explanation, but the very basic premise is that heroes(?) Jon and Suzie can stop time when they orgasm. So, of course, they start robbing banks. The comic is filled with frank, often silly discussions of sex and during a flashback to Suzie’s adolescence, her friend Rachelle drew various sex acts on a bathroom wall including “brimping,” which–in the least graphic terms possible–is when a guy has sex with a girl’s hair. There wasn’t any actual brimping at Brimp Forum (at least not out in the open), but there was a raffle featuring SexCrims-related prizes, an appearance by the series’ artist Chip Zdarsky and a serenade.
Last year, the event attracted 200 people to Javits-adjacent-ish bar Mustang Harry’s when Fraction and Zdarsky began promoting the event on social media and then crashed the party themselves. “It was awesome,” said Briana Raimondo, who organized Brimp Forum with friend Andrea Towers. “It wasn’t like they contacted us,” she explained. “One of them reblogged it first with just, ‘I’m coming.’ And we were like, ‘Wait, what? No, that wasn’t the plan!’” This year, Fraction was unable to attend and Zdarsky wasn’t supposed to show either, but the artist rearranged his schedule to attend. He spent most of the night signing things for fans while wearing a Jughead hat. “That is how much he loves all you people,” Raimondo said. The assembled Brimpers showed their love to Zdarsky and sang the chorus of “Wind Beneath My Wings” Fraction’s request.
The crowd also showed its love for the comic by buying raffle tickets to win items inspired by or taken directly from the pages of the comic. “I reread the comic because I really had no idea what to do,” Raimondo said of making the prizes, which included shoes covered in panels from issues 7-9, a t-shirt Jon wore in the comic that reads “Don’t Worry Be Worry” and dildo nunchucks. “I am so happy to have them off my hands,” she said of that final item, which Towers helped make. “They are disgusting. I’m so sorry that we decided to do that.” They were, however, the most popular item in the raffle along with a BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Spider Man, of course) tote bag that will now forever be prominently displayed in my apartment. The raffle raised $720 for The Hero Initiative in honor of Fraction’s father Dennis Fritchman, who passed away earlier this year.
Attendees who didn’t win in the raffle didn’t go home empty handed. Everyone received a swag bag that included a temporary tattoo, a bracelet, an Official Brimper card and pin. Those who got the highest number of correct answers on a Zdarsky and Fraction trivia quiz also received tiny glow dicks.
While the turnout was a bit smaller than last year (Brimpers still filled the top floor of Mustang Harry’s), everyone in attendance seemed to have a great time. “And now people are already asking us about next year,” Raimondo said, already sounding a little exhausted at the prospect of spending a few months next year making penis-themed tchotchkes. Here’s hoping she and Towers decide to despite the risk of having to make potentially gross raffle prizes.
