ComicsDC: Small Press Expo Announces Programming Schedule for SPX 2018

For Immediate Release

Contact: Eden Miller

Small Press Expo Announces Programming Schedule for SPX 2018

Bethesda, Maryland - August 8, 2018

Media Release - Small Press Expo is pleased to announce the Programming Schedule for SPX 2018. SPX is continuing the festival's established tradition of rich, thought provoking programming featuring leading comics artists and critics in conversation. As in previous years, the Programming Schedule features 22 sessions with two simultaneous tracks on both Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16.

SPX is proud to have comiXology Originals as the sole sponsor for the Programming Schedule at SPX 2018 and appreciates it support of the show.

Here are some highlights:

Visit the SPX 2018 Website for the Complete Programming Schedule

The Universes Of Rebecca Sugar: Rebecca Sugar is a cartoonist, writer, and ukuleleist currently living in Los Angeles. She is the author of the comics Pug Davis, Margo in Dread, Don't Cry For Me I'm Already Dead, among others. In her free time, Rebecca is also a multiple Annie and Emmy Award-nominated storyboard artist, and creator of the groundbreaking television show, Steven Universe. In this spotlight panel, Rebecca will be interviewed about her groundbreaking series Steven Universe, as well as life in the animation industry, representation in children's television, and her own personal history with comics & zines. Rebecca will be interviewed by Youth in Decline publisher, Ryan Sands.

Trans Memoir: For trans artists, memoir is an especially important form of self-expression. It directly addresses issues related to visibility, and it gives personal narratives related to transitioning a format that allows the artist to explore experiences over time. It also empowers creators by giving them total control over how they choose to depict themselves pictorially. Moderator Sara L. Jewell will explore these and other topics with panelists Carta Monir (Secure Connect), L.Nichols (Flocks), Maia Kobabe (Genderqueer), Gabriel Howell (Father) and Julia Kaye (Up And Out).

Derf Presents My Friend Dahmer Screening and Q&A: Join creator Derf in a showing of the critically acclaimed film made from his international best-selling graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer. Derf will talk about the process of getting the graphic novel made into a film, as well as take questions after the screening. The book has been translated into over a dozen languages and won the prestigious Angouléme Prize in 2014. Comics historian and SPX Executive Director Warren Bernard will host Derf and the screening.

Look Back and Laugh: Youth and Autobiography: Our renowned panelists Dash Shaw (New School), Kat Fajardo (Gringa!), Carta Monir (Secure Connect) and Nate Powell (Come Again) have all created beautiful books about the trials and triumphs of youth. Here with moderator Johanna Draper Carlson, they discuss what goes into making a book that's meant to capture the authenticity of an era you only see in hindsight.

Cutting Up: Julie Doucet's Reinventions from Dirty Plotte to Carpet Sweeper Tales: With her medium-defining comic Dirty Plotte now set to be available to fans in full for the first time since its original serialization, SPX is honored to host Julie Doucet for a conversation about her long and varied artistic career. At the forefront of a generation of artists whose work bridged the gap between the self-published underground of zines and minicomics and the alternative comics peddled by independent houses, Doucet's career nevertheless refuses to settle into one medium. Feminist media scholar Rachel Miller will join Julie for a free-wheeling exploration of her work from comics to collages, dreams to diaries, and all the talking Tampax and rowdy alley cats in between.

Jules Feiffer: When A Legend Lives In The Shadows: Don't miss comics' greatest living Renaissance man! How do you top yourself after your work has received the Academy Award and the Pulitzer Prize — and you've been inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame? In the case of legendary Jules Feiffer, you enjoy a creative rejuvenation after age 80 by diving into noir graphic novels. Feiffer concludes his acclaimed noir trilogy with the new book The Ghost Script. Feiffer and moderator Michael Cavna, columnist/cartoonist at The Washington Post, will delve into Feiffer's new burst of inspiration, including sci-fi fantasies for young readers, and cartooning in the age of Trump.

ComiXology, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a revolutionary, cloud-based digital comics service. With content from over 125 publishers as well as thousands of independent creators from around the world, comiXology provides an unrivaled library of comic books, graphic novels, manga and bandes dessinées. The company's first-in-class innovations include the exclusive Guided View technology which provides an immersive and cinematic reading experience and a new monthly subscription service. ComiXology is based in New York City, with operations in Seattle and Los Angeles. For more information, visit comixology.com and follow the company on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 650 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. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests.

The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for 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, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org. For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.smallpressexpo.com.