On September 9th, at 7 pm, Atomic Books continues their tradition of a pre-SPX party in Baltimore. Details here.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Sept 11: NP Clearly signs The 9-11 Comic Book in Arlington
I'll be interviewing Ann Telnaes at SPX when this happens so I won't be able to make it...
Sunday, Sept 11 at 2 pm: Reflecting on events of 9/11 10 years ago, N. P. Clearly discusses her graphic novel, "The 9-11 Comic Book". Haunted by 9-11 after her husband's escape, she wrote the graphic novel to seek expression for her feelings. A portion of proceeds benefits The Yellow Ribbon Fund.
A unique teaching tool, here's what some teachers have said:
"THE 9-11 COMIC BOOK is not only timely, tightly written, and boldly illustrated, it should be in the hands of everyone who remembers. It also must be read by kids who were too young to remember and should be aware of this horrific event. As a teacher, I'd wish a copy for every student. Graphic novels are a potent medium to inform, and this one is very effective." Helene C., California
One More Page | 2200 N. Westmoreland Street | #101 | Arlington | VA | 22213
Remember, in addition to street parking, there is retail parking available in the WestLee garage while you are shopping at One More Page. Follow the store signs to our back door, ring the buzzer and we'll welcome you in.
We are only 5 blocks from the East Falls Church Metro! Go right on 19th Street and follow the curve right to Westmoreland Street.
Phone: (703)-300-9746
Sunday, Sept 11 at 2 pm: Reflecting on events of 9/11 10 years ago, N. P. Clearly discusses her graphic novel, "The 9-11 Comic Book". Haunted by 9-11 after her husband's escape, she wrote the graphic novel to seek expression for her feelings. A portion of proceeds benefits The Yellow Ribbon Fund.
A unique teaching tool, here's what some teachers have said:
"THE 9-11 COMIC BOOK is not only timely, tightly written, and boldly illustrated, it should be in the hands of everyone who remembers. It also must be read by kids who were too young to remember and should be aware of this horrific event. As a teacher, I'd wish a copy for every student. Graphic novels are a potent medium to inform, and this one is very effective." Helene C., California
One More Page | 2200 N. Westmoreland Street | #101 | Arlington | VA | 22213
Remember, in addition to street parking, there is retail parking available in the WestLee garage while you are shopping at One More Page. Follow the store signs to our back door, ring the buzzer and we'll welcome you in.
We are only 5 blocks from the East Falls Church Metro! Go right on 19th Street and follow the curve right to Westmoreland Street.
Phone: (703)-300-9746
Comics A.M. links to FOUR local writers about comics
Comics A.M., in one post, linked to my Craig Thompson interview, Greg McElhatton's review of Mike Dawson's collected webcomic, Troop 142, Xavier Xerxes review of Zahra's Paradise webcomic and a profile of Falls Church's comic book stores.*
*there's also at least 2 cartoonists living within blocks of those stores, but they don't do comic books.
*there's also at least 2 cartoonists living within blocks of those stores, but they don't do comic books.
Weldon on superhero movies
The Spandex Awards: The Highs And Lows Of The Summer's Superheroic Cinema
by Glen Weldon
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (September 8, 2011)
A Chat With Dustin Harbin online
Meet an SPX Cartoonist: A Chat With Dustin Harbin
by Mike Rhode on Sep. 8, 2011
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/08/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-a-chat-with-dustin-harbin/
PR: Small Press Expo welcomes diverse comics guests from the The New Yorker, ‘70s Comix Underground, and animated political cartooning.
Everybody under The Big Tent: Small Press Expo welcomes diverse comics guests from the The New Yorker, '70s Comix Underground, and animated political cartooning.
For Immediate Release Contact: Warren Bernard
E-Mail: warren@spxpo.com
Bethesda, Maryland; September 8, 2011 – SPX boasts an exceptionally diverse exhibitor and guest list this year, featuring one of the long time top cartoonist working at The New Yorker, a vanguard editor/creator in Underground Comix, as well as a Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist and animator.
Cartoonist Roz Chast has been one of the most versatile and talented cartoonists at The New Yorker since she became a staff cartoonist in 1979, a year after her first cartoon was published in the magazine. Respected for her talent as a writer and for her canny eye for finding the humor in trivial everyday things, she has published 10 collections of her work that appeared in The New Yorker. Ms. Chast has also illustrated other peoples books, as well as writing her own childrens books, her most recent one is titled Too Busy Marco.
As one of the original contributors to Wimmen's Comix, the first series of comics drawn exclusively by women, Diane Noomin challenged the male-dominated landscape of '60s underground cartooning and helped set the stage for the extraordinary diversity of voices in contemporary cartooning. Her character Didi Glitz was introduced in 1974 in the comic "Didi Glitz: She Chose Crime", and in 1976, Noomin founded the Twisted Sisters anthology series in collaboration with Aline Kominsky (now Crumb).
SPX is proud to have Ann Telnaes, one of only two women to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, as a guest at this year's show. Telnaes started as a designer and worked for several years at Walt Disney Imagineering, later working for different companies across the world as an animator. She turned to political cartooning where she won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, and a few years ago decided to combine her passions. She now does two to three animated cartoons a week for the Washington Post, which can be viewed at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/telnaes.
Roz Chast, Diane Noomin and Ann Telnaes are but three of the over 120 women creators who will be at this years SPX, the list as well as links to most of their web sites is available at http://www.spxpo.com/exhibitors/women.
The SPX website also features a full list of exhibitors and guests at http://www.spxpo.com/exhibitors. Watch the site for expanded profiles of these Big Tent cartoonists.
About SPX
SPX is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators, as well as a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests.
SPX has established the first of its kind Small Press Expo Collection at The Library of Congress to preserve the works of the creators in the indie comics field who either exhibit or are a guest at SPX, as well as the history of the SPX Festival istelf.
As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which gifts graphic novels to public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org.
The hours for SPX 2011 are 11am–7pm Saturday, September 10, and 12–6pm Sunday, September 11. Admission is $10 for a single day or $15 for the weekend.
For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.spxpo.com.
For Immediate Release Contact: Warren Bernard
E-Mail: warren@spxpo.com
Bethesda, Maryland; September 8, 2011 – SPX boasts an exceptionally diverse exhibitor and guest list this year, featuring one of the long time top cartoonist working at The New Yorker, a vanguard editor/creator in Underground Comix, as well as a Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist and animator.
Cartoonist Roz Chast has been one of the most versatile and talented cartoonists at The New Yorker since she became a staff cartoonist in 1979, a year after her first cartoon was published in the magazine. Respected for her talent as a writer and for her canny eye for finding the humor in trivial everyday things, she has published 10 collections of her work that appeared in The New Yorker. Ms. Chast has also illustrated other peoples books, as well as writing her own childrens books, her most recent one is titled Too Busy Marco.
As one of the original contributors to Wimmen's Comix, the first series of comics drawn exclusively by women, Diane Noomin challenged the male-dominated landscape of '60s underground cartooning and helped set the stage for the extraordinary diversity of voices in contemporary cartooning. Her character Didi Glitz was introduced in 1974 in the comic "Didi Glitz: She Chose Crime", and in 1976, Noomin founded the Twisted Sisters anthology series in collaboration with Aline Kominsky (now Crumb).
SPX is proud to have Ann Telnaes, one of only two women to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, as a guest at this year's show. Telnaes started as a designer and worked for several years at Walt Disney Imagineering, later working for different companies across the world as an animator. She turned to political cartooning where she won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, and a few years ago decided to combine her passions. She now does two to three animated cartoons a week for the Washington Post, which can be viewed at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/telnaes.
Roz Chast, Diane Noomin and Ann Telnaes are but three of the over 120 women creators who will be at this years SPX, the list as well as links to most of their web sites is available at http://www.spxpo.com/exhibitors/women.
The SPX website also features a full list of exhibitors and guests at http://www.spxpo.com/exhibitors. Watch the site for expanded profiles of these Big Tent cartoonists.
About SPX
SPX is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators, as well as a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests.
SPX has established the first of its kind Small Press Expo Collection at The Library of Congress to preserve the works of the creators in the indie comics field who either exhibit or are a guest at SPX, as well as the history of the SPX Festival istelf.
As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which gifts graphic novels to public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org.
The hours for SPX 2011 are 11am–7pm Saturday, September 10, and 12–6pm Sunday, September 11. Admission is $10 for a single day or $15 for the weekend.
For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.spxpo.com.
PR: AUTHOR GALIT SELIKTAR AT SPX THIS WEEKEND
Just a quick note to let you know that Galit Seliktar, author of our Spring release 'Farm 54' has confirmed that she will be attending the superlative SPX in Bethesda this Saturday, 10th September. Come along and meet her at our table E7 during the day. Signing times will be posted in the morning but she will be around for a chat and to introduce her daughter Tamuz who is five and a quarter.
The inimitable Stephen Vrattos will also be there and will happily guide you through all our titles and ensure you participate in our free entry prize draw.
If you are not attending this year then you are missing a great event that you can learn more about here: http://www.spxpo.com/about
Enjoy your weekend whatever you're doing.
Stephen Robson
Darryl Ayo's SPX interview online at City Paper
Meet An SPX Cartoonist: A Chat With Darryl Ayo
by Mike Rhode on Sep. 8, 2011
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/08/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-a-chat-with-darryl-ayo/
by Mike Rhode on Sep. 8, 2011
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/08/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-a-chat-with-darryl-ayo/
Small Press Expo, Sarah Glidden, and Kate Beaton featured in Express
Drawing Power
By Fiona Zublin
[Washington Post] Express September 8, 2011, p. E5
online at http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2011/09/drawing_power.php
Jim Woodring at Politics and Prose tomorrow, and in the paper today
Creature Discomfort: Artist Jim Woodring takes his characters to unexpected places in a new graphic novel.
Stephen Deusner
[Washington Post] Express September 8 2011 p. E7
online at http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2011/09/creature_discomfort_jim_woodring.php
Comix Riffs interviews Collardey for SPX
SPX 2011: Pizza Island's DOMITILLE COLLARDEY sings the creative praises of shared artistic space
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog September 8 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Meet a Visiting SPX Cartoonist: A Chat with Rob Ullman
Rob Ullman should be familiar to Washington readers of the City Paper because he illustrated Dan Savage's Savage Love sex advice column for years with both humor and hot babes. I believe I may have one of DC's largest collections of original sketches by Rob...
CDC: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
RU: I'm kind of all over the place...I started doing auto-biographical comics and strips about 15 years ago, and have continued to do them in various forms over the years. I also have recently been doing hockey comics: biographies of players (usually those who've met untimely deaths...I have a thing for tragedy), strips about odd events and funny incidents in the sport's colorful history. I also have managed to make a bit of a name for myself as a drawer of pretty cartoon ladies...pin-ups and whatnot. It's a label I embrace wholeheartedly.
CDC: What work are you best-known for?
RU: In DC, I'm probably best known for doing the spot illustrations for Dan Savage's Savage Love column in the City Paper from 1999-2008. It's the one thing I've done that everybody in Washington has seen, and was instrumental in my discovery that I could draw naked people pretty well.
CDC: How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
RU: Traditional for pencilling and inking, then all computer for coloring and layout. The computer is just another tool, like a brush or a bottle of ink. I'm not adamantly anti-drawing-on-the-computer, but I haven't found/invested in a method of doing so that doesn't end up making the process more difficult and slow rather than less.
CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?
RU: As far as new books, I'll have the brand new issue of Old-Timey Hockey Tales, which has stories by Jeffrey Brown and I. I'm really proud of it, and I can't wait to show it off. I'll also have all my other books...a hardcover artbook of all my Savage spots and pin-up work called Atom-Bomb Bikini, two collections of my autobiographical strip Traffic & Weather, Grand Gestures from a bunch of years back, and about a dozen other mini-comics. I'll have a ton of prints and original art as well.
CDC: You've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience? RU: This will be my 14th SPX...I haven't missed one since 1997. It's the closest I have to a "local" show, and it's always my favorite weekend of the year.
CDC: What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fanboy experience?
RU: Hoo, boy...we had a baby back in May, and I've been so busy with him and my other kid that I haven't even been able to even find out what'll be there! SPX for me is like a yearly class reunion, catching up with old pals and having a drink or five.
CDC: What's your favorite thing about the DC area? Least favorite?RU: Favorite thing? So much to choose from. Great vibe, amazing restaurants. Least favorite has gotta be the traffic. Or maybe the Capitals.
CDC: What monument or museum do you like or wish to visit when you're in town?
Always like to visit the Hirshhorn when I have time.
CDC: What do you think will be the future of your field?
RU: I can't speak for the larger comics "industry", but I think type of people who exhibit at SPX will always make comics, whether it's in print or on a screen, whether there's money in it or not, because they're compelled to, against all common sense. It is nice to make a few bucks, though.
CDC: Do you have a website or blog?
RU: Both! My oft-neglected "professional" website is robullman.com, but it's mostly for Fancy-Dan illustration clients and whatnot. The real fun is over at my blog, atombombbikini.net. Updated a few times a week. Usually. I promise.
PR: The 2011 Top Shelf Massive $3 Sale
Note that these prices will be available at SPX!
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September 9: Cartoonists at U of MD
Lifted from Carolyn Belefski's blog...
University of Maryland this Friday, September 9, 2011 from 1-3PM.
University of Maryland this Friday, September 9, 2011 from 1-3PM.
Bleeding the Narrative: Comics in Art and Culture
Panelists: Jim Rugg, Robert Ullman, Monica Gallagher, Alexis E. Fajardo, Carolyn Belefski
The University of Maryland is in College Park, MD, 20742. The roundtable will be in the Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture, which is on the 4th floor of the Art-Sociology Building.
Open to the public.Griff the Invisible reviewed in City Paper, Onion
Griff The Invisible C+
by Alison Willmore
by Alison Willmore
Onion (online August 18, in print September 1 2011): 14
http://www.avclub.com/articles/griff-the-invisible,60576/
http://www.avclub.com/articles/griff-the-invisible,60576/
Griff the Invisible: Yet another film about a wannabe superhero with a heart of gold [in print as Caped Copycats, p. 38]
By Tricia Olszewski
By Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper September 2, 2011
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41410/griff-the-invisible-reviewed-yet-another-film-about-a-wannabe/
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41410/griff-the-invisible-reviewed-yet-another-film-about-a-wannabe/
Jen Sorensen interview online at City Paper
Meet an SPX Cartoonist: A Chat With Jen Sorensen
by Mike Rhode on Sep. 7, 2011 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/07/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-a-chat-with-jen-sorenson/
by Mike Rhode on Sep. 7, 2011 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/07/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-a-chat-with-jen-sorenson/
DC Conspiracy’s SPX plans
I was able to check in with members of the co-op DC Conspiracy about their SPX plans - the biggest of which is debuting the free newspaper tabloid comic Magic Bullet #3.
Carolyn Belefski says Curls Studio will be at SPX - Table F3B.
CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?
CB: Curls Studio will have some of the latest Curls comic strips and new prints. In addition, we will have our comic books Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales, and The Legettes available for purchase. We have a Black Magic Tales story in the free issue of Magic Bullet #3, which will be premiering at SPX and I will be doing sketch commissions.
CDC: You've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience?
CB: I've been attending SXP since 2004 and Curls Studio has been exhibiting since 2006. SPX is always a great gathering of folks interested in discovering new stories. There are books available at SPX that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. Some are rare, some are limited edition, and others are so fringe that they may not be available at mainstream bookstores. The beauty of SPX is exploring the show floor and finding books that interest you. SPX shows people there's a comic out there for everyone.
CDC: What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fangirl experience?
CB: I am looking forward to hanging out at the table with Jim Coon and Joe Carabeo and saying hi to Raina Telgemeier, Katie Omberg, and the DC Conspiracy group. Most of all I am excited about the chocolate fountain after the Ignatz Awards.
Andrew Cohen writes in, "I'll be at SPX this year (table W7), with three new books:
- Dr. W #1 and #2, continuing the formalist anarchy
- Porter Black: Murder Under Midnight Suns, a satirical crime comic written by Art Haupt
- Surrealia: Chapter One, a kids' book for adults, written by writer/composer Billy Lopez.
"Every year, I always think about how I'd like to take a break from the table to go and see some of the panels and discussions, and every year I fail to find a spare hour or two to do so. I hope I can change that track record, this year!"
R.M. Rhodes says, "I will be at SPX."
CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?
RMR: I've got the two new graphic novels in the Oceanus Procellarum series this year - Books 4 & 5. The whole series allowed me to do make a large-scale structure. Book 1 was the prequel. Book 2 was the main book. Book 3 was the sequel. Book 4 is the anthology of short stories based on the characters we've met so far. Book 5 is the apocrypha.
Artwise, these two books are just as experimental as the rest of the series. I had a different artist for each of the stories in Book 4, so the art looks more uniform from story to story than in previous books.
I even put together a sampler for the series that I'll be selling for a much lower price as a "gateway comic." If you like the sampler, you'll probably like the series as a whole. If not, then you're only out a few dollars.
CDC: You've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience?
RMR: SPX is a fantastic event. The staff is great to work with and the audience is always enthusiastic. The creative energy in the room from all of the passionate creators is very refreshing and almost tangible. It's the local show for those of us who live in the DC metro area and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
CDC: What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fanboy experience?
RMR: I always enjoy browsing the Fantagraphics table, even though they take all of my money. I enjoy catching up with the Trees and Hills group from Vermont - Dan Barlow and I always end up having really interesting conversations. I've gotten to know some other creators over the years - SPX is where I first met the Timony brothers, for example. I'm also going to try and catch up with some of the people I talk to online - Darryl Ayo is at the top of my list. And there are some people from the DC Conspiracy that I really only see at shows when we're working - John Bintz and his fiancee Meredith, for example.
Jamie Noguchi also answered my interview questions –
CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?
JN: I'm debuting my first book, Back to the Grind: A Yellow Peril Collection. It collects the first year of the web comic along with some bonus strip commentary. And anyone who picks it up at the show will get a QR code that will give them access to digital versions of the book which includes a detailed explanation of how I did the cover painting.
CDC: If you've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience?
JN: Last year was the first time exhibiting at the show and I had a blast. Since I didn't have my book ready, I borrowed an iPad to show off my comics. Got a lot of people to come by and swipe through and actually had some pretty good conversations about digital comics. The show also convinced me that I needed to work my butt off to get my first book ready for this year.
CDC: What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fanboy experience?
JN: I'm pretty excited because this year, Super Art Fight has been booked to perform after the Ignatz awards! We're all huge comic nerds and to get the chance to participate in SPX as part of programming is just too cool. I've also never experienced the famed Chocolate Fountain so I'm looking forward to that.
From Evan Keeling, we find out, "The books I'm premiering at the show are…
Nancy Boy - 12 page preview - If Veronica Mars is a teenage Sam Spade, Nancy Boyle is the teenage version of Richard Stark's Parker. One girl. One hockey stick. Nine circles of suburban hell.
Everything sucks for Nancy. Parents suck. High school sucks. This town sucks. So when the only person in her life ever to show her kindness is attacked and robbed, Nancy does the one thing she knows how to do: Fight back.
Nancy punches her way through an opulent but disturbed gated community as she searches for a stolen crystal owl. On her quest, she'll get a few bruises, but give out many more to the people who piss her off.
And God help you if you piss off Nancy Boyle.
Fifinella Color Special - This is a collection of the 3 strips I've done for the Magic Bullet newspaper presented in color and oversized.
Tales from the District - A collection of the web comic I used to do for Brightest Young Things with the writer of Nancy Boy Jason Griffenhagen, about real life stories of people in DC
Early Adaptors Case Files: D-Bags of Ill-Repute - A slightly beefed up version of the Chester Gould influenced drawings that I premiered last year.
I will also have CrumbSnatchers and am waiting on reprint copies of the DCC anthologies and maybe some other random goodies.
This is my 6th year tabling at SPX and probably my 12th year going to SPX (maybe more). I have a great time at the show and love picking up new comics and roaming the aisles to see what people are doing.
I always like catching up with folks that I have met at other shows or previous SPXs and it's always good to hang around with the rest of the DCC crew. The main thing I'm excited for is finding new work that I haven't seen before and hopefully introducing my work to some folks who haven't seen it before.
Matt Dembicki answered my questions too:
CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?
MD: I will have the Eisner-nominated Trickster, Brewmaster's Castle (a favorite among D.C.-area historians) and Xoc, which are the last of the minis before Oni publishes the book next summer. My son, Adam (6), will have two new mini-comics—Jailbreak! and The Never-Ending War.
CDC: You've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience?
MD: I've attended since 2002 as an exhibitor. SPX offers a wonderfully creative and inspiring atmosphere. Besides picking up some wonderful books, I get to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
CDC: What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fanboy experience?
MD: I'm always drawn toward the Top Shelf and AdHouse tables for bigger ticket items. For minis and self-published works, I enjoy strolling around and see what catches my eye. There are always a ton of goodies. The Ignatz Awards nominees are always a good place to start.
Rafer Roberts speaks for the DC Conspiracy as a whole before concentrating on his books:
Things we will be debuting at SPX this year:
Magic Bullet #3 - Magic Bullet is a free semi-annually published comic newspaper focused on presenting the work of independent and underground cartoonists, with a bias towards DC artists. Each artist is encouraged to take advantage of the larger canvas to cut loose and experiment and to push themselves and the medium.
Contributors:
Bill Ellis, Matt Dembicki, Dominic Vivona, Kevin Czapiewski, Danielle Corsetto, Jonathan Case, Kevin Panetta & Mike Short, Matt Sheean, Rafer Roberts, RM Rhodes & Evan Keeling, Jake Warrenfeltz, Art Hondros, Art Haupt & Andrew Cohen, Adam Dembicki, Joe Carabeo & Carolyn Belefski, Eric Gordon, Jeff McClelland & Jeff McComsey, Scott White, Dale Rawlings, David W. Ryan, Troy Jeffrey-Allen, David Dean & Jay Payne, Adam Umak & Michael J. Auger, JT Wilkins, Michael Brace, Kyle Kaczmarczyk & Helaine Crawford, Michael May & Jason Copland
Plastic Farm #20 - This issue includes:
Chapter 28: Oh, Injury. Art by Mal Jones. The most heart-wrenching love story ever told by one of the stranded travellers.
Chapter 29: Some Other Shit That Happened During Freshman Year. Written and drawn by Rafer Roberts. Chester Carter's tales of his freshman year in college get closer to concluding and a long-absent fan-favorite makes its return.
Chapter 30: People's Choice (part 5). Art by Matt Dembicki. The cannibal farmers raise the stakes.
Written and (mostly) drawn by Rafer Roberts, Plastic Farm follows the life of a man named Chester and his slow descent into complete insanity and chronicles how that madness reshapes the world around him. Chester has had a rough childhood, has a magic cowboy that rides a dinosaur living inside of his head, and is now, late in life, sitting in a nameless airport bar during a blizzard telling his life story to a group of people who really couldn't care less.
Thoughts about SPX:
This will be my 9th time exhibiting at SPX and it seems to get better every year. This year it seems like the organizers have doubled their efforts in terms of promoting the event and in making the event itself as cool as possible. Personally I'm excited by the fact that I will be receiving a Nerdlinger Award at Atomic Books' pre-SPX extravaganza on the Friday night before the show, and I look forward to showing that sucker off all weekend.
Mostly, SPX is the most social of the comic shows I go to. In addition to being able to hing out with my local friends that I don't see enough of in the first place, it is also great to see all of my out-of-town friends as well. The central location of the after-parties, and the fact that most of the exhibitors stay in the same hotel, makes SPX as much a party as book selling event.
Troy Allen also sent in answers to my questions:
CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?
TA: Yep. Bamn #3, the third installment of our nerds vs. jocks battle royale, will be making its appearance at the Small Press Expo.
Also, the Magic Bullet newspaper (which is very free) will be available to the public starting with SPX. It features a ton of local artist doing single-page comics, including Boogie Monster by David Dean and myself. It's a running conversation between two hipsters inside a comic shop, essentially. Hopefully, it will offend someone.
CDC: If you've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience? If you haven't, what're you expecting? What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fanboy/girl experience?
TA: I had a back and forth on my podcast about whether or not being a geek/fanboy is cool and acceptable. We disagreed on most of it but the one thing we did agree on is that it has to be fringe to remain cool. To me, that's what SPX is. It's fringe, it's the bad kid who smokes in the school bathroom, it's where comic books become grunge or punk. it is French New Wave. It is the cool kids club. Hollywood can pick up the superheroes --- I think that's good for the industry --- but indie comics and indie creators need to exist as our connection to what made comics great in the first place: their odd, outsider status. SPX embodies that and I look forward to being reminded of that every year in Bethesda.
Dale Rawlings surprises me by noting, "I have not been interviewed for City Paper (I'm fixing that – MR) and I'll be at SPX with the DC Conspiracy crew."
I'll have my mini comic Skidoo with me, Issues 1-3 of of Down And Out On Planet Earth, my 4 issue series, Liquid Revolver, a graphic novel written by Matt Dembicki and I illustrated a chapter, and the newest issue of Magic Bullet.
I was at the very first SPX in 1994 and each year I'm always surprised at how much SPX has grown since its start. I'm looking forward to meeting Chester Brown at this year's SPX as his Ed the Happy Clown was a big influence on me in the 90's.
My best fanboy experience was meeting Will Eisner in a hallway at SPX in 2000 and giving him a copy of my comic. Another great SPX experience was around 97 or 98 where I was in Connie's suite ( Quentin Tarrantino's mom who came out to SPX several years in a row in the early years) with a bunch of the artists after the Ignatz. Ivan Brunetti was passing around a sketchbook that he carried to collect portraits of himself from the other artists. And it comes around to me so I start sketching. And Ivan Brunetti... Now you've seen his work, right? The guy who does cartoons like Schizo and Haw. Horrible Horrible Cartoons is watching over my shoulder and recoils in horror and starts laughing going "oh my god!" at my portrait of him. I was immensely proud to elicit that response from him.
PR: Craig Thompson's HABIBI Debuts at SPX 2011 to Benefit CBLDF!
Craig Thompson's HABIBI Debuts
at SPX 2011 to Benefit CBLDF!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to host Craig Thompson at this year's Small Press Expo, and to premiere his eagerly awaited graphic novel HABIBI! Through a special arrangement with Random House, a benefit preview edition of 100 signed & numbered copies of the graphic novel will be available to donors who contribute $100 or more to the CBLDF at SPX. These copies will be available on a first-come, first served basis when the show opens on Saturday, September 10. In addition to this rare preview, the CBLDF is also auctioning off lunch at SPX with Craig and #1/100 from this preview edition on eBay starting on Tuesday, August 30th, and ending on Thursday, September 8th. Bid on this exciting auction now!
Craig Thompson says, "It's very exciting to be able to launch HABIBI at SPX in a way that gives back to the CBLDF. I got my start in small press comics, and have always been supportive of the CBLDF. Being able to help out in this way, and to appear at the show with HABIBI feels like a homecoming."
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, HABIBI tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, circumstance, and love. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world fueled by fear and greed.
At once contemporary and timeless, HABIBI gives us a love story of astounding resonance; a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and the magic of storytelling.
This is a rare opportunity to spend time with one of the great modern cartoonists, and receive an extremely limited edition of what is sure to be the biggest graphic novel event of 2011.
All proceeds from this auction will immediately benefit the First Amendment legal work of the CBLDF.
Big interview with Craig Thompson up at City Paper
I was fortunate to be in the PR queue for Craig Thompson's Habibi book, so I got to read it (I recommend it) and talk to him for a half hour.
Check it out at
Meet an SPX Cartoonist: An Interview With Craig Thompson
Posted by Mike Rhode on Sep. 7, 2011 at 9:15 am
PR: Events at SPX to benefit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program
Note the Roz Chast drawings!
Events at SPX to benefit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program
For Immediate Release: Contact: Warren Bernard
Bethesda, Maryland; September 6, 2011 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce two fundraising events that will occur at the 2011 festival.
Roz Chast original cartoons
New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, known for her single-panel cartoons, illustration work and children's books, will draw and sell original cartoons at the SPX signing table. Proceeds will be divided equally between SPX's new Graphic Novel Gift Program and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Pen and ink drawings will be $25 and watercolor drawings $50; Ms. Chast will be drawing on Saturday, 1:30-3:30PM and 5-6:30PM, and on Sunday from Noon-1:30PM. Additionally, books will be available for purchase at the signing table from our good friends at Politics & Prose.
Jeff Alexander Memorial Benefit Auction
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the organizers of SPX are proud to honor the memory of former SPX Executive Director Jeff Alexander by launching an annual benefit auction in his name. Jeff Alexander was a friend to the small press community, both as a cartoonist and an organizer of SPX and the Ignatz Awards. He passed away earlier this year.
The first annual Jeff Alexander Memorial Benefit Auction includes pieces from Jeff's personal collection that he donated to the CBLDF. Additional contributions have been donated by the SPX community, including Keith Knight, Raina Telgemeier, Jeffrey Brown and many more.
At the time of this release, items available for auction include:
Hannibal King - Eyes Only page
Charles Vess - Bone Prequel: Rose page signed by Charles Vess and Jeff Smith
Tony Millionaire - Billy Hazelnuts page
Pete Sickman Garner - Hey Mister page
Roger Langridge - The Pest in the Vest (Homage to Dr Seuss) page
Billy Tucci - Shi: Heaven and Earth, issue 4, page 25
Jeffrey Brown - CBLDF Year In Review page
Molly Crabapple - Mermaid
Chynna Clugston-Flores pin-up
Jonathan Ames & Dean Haspiel - Portrait of Ames screen print 5/5
Peter Bagge - Pizza Scholar pencil drawing
Camilla D'Errico - Caverns pin-up
Bill Morrison - Simpsons pin-up
Jeffrey Brown - Emerald City Comic-Con ad original art
Ray Fawkes painting
Jim Mahfood & David Mack painting
Additional pieces have been pledged and will be added as their images are received.. More information, including images of all items, is available at http://cbldf.org/.
The auction will happen Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 4:30 at SPX. Internet bids will be accepted by emailing charles.brownstein@cbldf.org before Saturday afternoon at 1 PM ET.
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics artform and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals. For more information please visit http://www.cbldf.org.
For further information on the Small Press Expo Library Gift Program, please visit http://www.spxpo.com/graphic-novel-gift-program or contact Warren Bernard at warren@spxpo.com.
SPX will be held Saturday, September 10 from 11am-7pm and Sunday, September 11, 12-6pm at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days.
For Immediate Release: Contact: Warren Bernard
E-Mail: warren@spxpo.com
Bethesda, Maryland; September 6, 2011 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce two fundraising events that will occur at the 2011 festival.
Roz Chast original cartoons
New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, known for her single-panel cartoons, illustration work and children's books, will draw and sell original cartoons at the SPX signing table. Proceeds will be divided equally between SPX's new Graphic Novel Gift Program and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Pen and ink drawings will be $25 and watercolor drawings $50; Ms. Chast will be drawing on Saturday, 1:30-3:30PM and 5-6:30PM, and on Sunday from Noon-1:30PM. Additionally, books will be available for purchase at the signing table from our good friends at Politics & Prose.
Jeff Alexander Memorial Benefit Auction
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the organizers of SPX are proud to honor the memory of former SPX Executive Director Jeff Alexander by launching an annual benefit auction in his name. Jeff Alexander was a friend to the small press community, both as a cartoonist and an organizer of SPX and the Ignatz Awards. He passed away earlier this year.
The first annual Jeff Alexander Memorial Benefit Auction includes pieces from Jeff's personal collection that he donated to the CBLDF. Additional contributions have been donated by the SPX community, including Keith Knight, Raina Telgemeier, Jeffrey Brown and many more.
At the time of this release, items available for auction include:
Hannibal King - Eyes Only page
Charles Vess - Bone Prequel: Rose page signed by Charles Vess and Jeff Smith
Tony Millionaire - Billy Hazelnuts page
Pete Sickman Garner - Hey Mister page
Roger Langridge - The Pest in the Vest (Homage to Dr Seuss) page
Billy Tucci - Shi: Heaven and Earth, issue 4, page 25
Jeffrey Brown - CBLDF Year In Review page
Molly Crabapple - Mermaid
Chynna Clugston-Flores pin-up
Jonathan Ames & Dean Haspiel - Portrait of Ames screen print 5/5
Peter Bagge - Pizza Scholar pencil drawing
Camilla D'Errico - Caverns pin-up
Bill Morrison - Simpsons pin-up
Jeffrey Brown - Emerald City Comic-Con ad original art
Ray Fawkes painting
Jim Mahfood & David Mack painting
Additional pieces have been pledged and will be added as their images are received.. More information, including images of all items, is available at http://cbldf.org/.
The auction will happen Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 4:30 at SPX. Internet bids will be accepted by emailing charles.brownstein@cbldf.org before Saturday afternoon at 1 PM ET.
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics artform and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals. For more information please visit http://www.cbldf.org.
For further information on the Small Press Expo Library Gift Program, please visit http://www.spxpo.com/graphic-novel-gift-program or contact Warren Bernard at warren@spxpo.com.
SPX will be held Saturday, September 10 from 11am-7pm and Sunday, September 11, 12-6pm at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days.
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