Catching up with SPX 2021 - Guests and Ignatz Awards

Small Press Expo Announces Tillie Walden, Shira Spector, Hartley Lin, Simon Hanselmann and Keiler Roberts as Special Guests for SPX 2021   Bethesda, Maryland - August 19, 2021   Media Release - Small Press Expo is proud to announce the first group of Special Guests for SPX 2021. The virtual festival takes place on Saturday September 18 with live and pre-recorded programming about the amazing world of independent and small press comics, as well as a livestream of the annual Ignatz Awards. Additional Special Guests will be announced over the next few weeks. See the Special Guest page on the SPX 2021 web site for more information.   SPX 2021 is honored to have the following creators as Special Guests to this year's show:

Visit the SPX 2021 Website for More Info

Tillie Walden Alone In Space compiles award-winning cartoonist Tillie Walden's short comics into a comprehensive collection of the early work which shot her to fame on both sides of the Atlantic. We start with Tillie's first published comic The End of Summer, as well as I Love This Part, Tillie's bittersweet breakout story of small-town teen romance, and A City Inside, a study of growth and adulthood through a surreal and poetic recounting of one woman's life. Finally we share never-before collected early sketches, webcomics, and short stories from magazines, such as What It's Like To Be Gay In An All-Girls Middle School. If Tillie Walden is the future of comics, then the future starts here.

Shira Spector Shira Spector literally paints a vivid portrait of the most eventful 10 years of her life, encompassing her tenacious struggle to get pregnant, the emotional turmoil of her father's cancer diagnosis and eventual death, and her recollections of past relationships with her parents and her partner. Set in a kaleidoscope of Montreal and Toronto, Red Rock Baby Candy from Fantagraphics unfolds as one of the most formally inventive comics in the history of the medium.The drawing is visceral, symbolic, and naturalistic and is the most formally revolutionary visual storytelling since Emil Ferris's My Favorite Thing is Monsters. Photo courtesy- Zoë Gemelli

Hartley Lin After insomniac law clerk Frances Scarland is recruited by her firm's most notorious senior partner, she seems poised for serious advancement—whether she wants it or not. But when her impulsive best friend Vickie decides to move to the opposite coast for an acting role, Frances' confusing existence starts to implode. Young Frances from Adhouse Books is an intimate study of work chaos and close friendships over time. "Hartley Lin builds out a young woman's life in illuminating detail and agonizing nuance… the draftsmanship is sumptuous and the storytelling is top-notch, making for a narrative meal that leaves one satisfied and enriched." —Vulture

Simon Hanselmann In March 2020, as the planet began to enter lockdown, acclaimed cartoonist Simon Hanselmann decided that what the world needed most was free, easily accessible entertainment, so he set out to make the greatest webcomic ever created! The result is also certain to be one of the most acclaimed and eagerly anticipated graphic novels of 2021, Crisis Zone from Fantagraphics. As the Covid-19 pandemic continued to escalate far beyond any reasonable expectations, Crisis Zone escalated right alongside, in real time, with daily posts on Instagram. Over the course of 2020, Crisis Zone has amassed unprecedented amounts of new fans to the Megg and Mogg universe and is presented here, unabridged and uncensored, with a slew of added pages and scenes deleted from the webcomic, as well as an extensive "Director's Commentary" from Hanselmann himself.

Keiler Roberts My Begging Chart is Keiler Roberts's breakout graphic novel from Drawn & Quarterly is heralded by The Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Publishers Weekly, and more. In it, Roberts mines the passing moments of family life to deliver an affecting and funny account of what it means to simultaneously exist as a mother, daughter, wife, and artist. Drawn in an unassuming yet charming staccato that mimics the awkward rhythm of life, no one's foibles are left unspared, most often the author's own.

Small Press Expo Announces Joel Christian Gill, Ashley Robin Franklin, Walter Scott and Matt Madden as Special Guests for SPX 2021   Bethesda, Maryland - August 27, 2021   Media Release - Small Press Expo is proud to announce the second group of Special Guests for SPX 2021. The virtual festival takes place on Saturday September 18 with live and pre-recorded programming about the amazing world of independent and small press comics, as well as a livestream of the annual Ignatz Awards. Additional Special Guests will be announced over the next few weeks. See the Special Guest page on the SPX 2021 web site for more information.   SPX 2021 is honored to have the following creators as Special Guests to this year's show: Visit the SPX 2021 Website for More Info Joel Christian Gill For the third book in the bestselling Tales of the Talented Tenth series, Joel Christian Gill brings Robert Smalls to life by telling the true story of the enslaved African who pulled off one of the most daring and largest heists of the Civil War. Come along for the adventure as Robert earns a job working for the C.S.S. Planter, escapes to freedom, goes on to become a first-generation Black politician, and makes history by writing and leading the passage of legislation that led to the United States' first free and compulsory public school system. Tales of the Talented Tenth is a historical comic series that focuses on the adventures of amazing African Americans in action. Ashley Robin Franklin Fusing sexual intimacy with cosmic dread, Ashley Robin Franklin's latest work, a queer horror tale One Millions Tiny Fires from Silver Sprocket follows Briana and Cassie, a couple in an isolated Texas farmhouse, whose rural fantasy has soured into a tense nightmare. After discovering an unknown object that had crash landed from the sky, Briana begins to suspect that something uncanny is happening to her partner. Walter Scott Wendy is an aspiring contemporary artist whose adventures have taken her to galleries, art openings, and parties in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Toronto. In Wendy, Master of Art from Drawn & Quarterly, Walter Scott's sly wit and social commentary zero in on MFA culture as our hero decides to hunker down and complete a master of fine arts at the University of Hell in small-town Ontario. At its heart, this is a book about the give and take of community—about someone learning how to navigate empathy and boundaries, and to respect herself. It is deeply funny and endlessly relatable as it shows Wendy growing up from Millennial art party girl to successful artist, friend, teacher—and Master of Art. Matt Madden Matt Madden's most recent book, Ex Libris from Uncivilized Books, revolves around a character trapped in a room with nothing but a futon and a bookcase full of comics. As they peruse covers, read stories and fragments of stories, they begin to suspect that the comics contain hidden messages and… a threat. Fiction and reality blur; sanity and madness become increasingly intertwined as the reader becomes convinced the key to their predicament hides between the panels of the strange books. With a dizzying array of inventive visual and narrative styles, Ex Libris continues the line of exploration and play that Madden initiated with 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style. Ex Libris is a tribute to the meta-fictional tradition of writers like Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Vladimir Nabokov, and Italo Calvino. 2021 Ignatz Awards Nominees 2021 Ignatz Awards logo by Theo Stultz For Immediate Release Contact: Dan Stafford Email: dan@smallpressexpo.com Bethesda, Maryland – The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce the 2021 nominees for the annual presentation of the Ignatz Awards, a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. Presented virtually, SPX 2021 will feature a full slate of programming along with a livestream of the Ignatz Awards ceremony. Once again the Ignatz jurors have selected an amazing slate of nominees that reflect the diverse voices comprising the SPX community. On behalf of the Executive Committee, we want to thank the jurors for all of their hard work, and to congratulate all of the creators for giving comics readers these incredible works during such trying times. Good luck to everyone!!!! - Warren Bernard Executive Director The Ignatz Awards are a juried festival prize, the first of such in the United States comic book industry. Traditionally, the winners are determined by attendees of the in-person event. This year, as was the case in 2020, voting is open to all who register to receive a ballot. Ignatz Awards nominees are determined by a panel of comics professionals. The 2021 Ignatz jurors are Sunmi, Nguyên Khôi Nguyễn, and Daniel Elkin. The Ignatz Awards ceremony will be live-streamed via the SPX Youtube channel at 8PM on September 18. Additional Information about the nominees can be found at www.smallpressexpo.com. BALLOT & VOTING INFORMATION Ballots will be emailed on Thursday, September 2 to everyone on SPX's email lists. Voting begins Thursday, September 2 and ends on Sunday, September 12 at 11:59 PM (EDT). Please check your spam folder if you do not see your ballot. If you requested a ballot in 2020 or are already subscribed to SPX emails, you do not need to sign up again. If you need a ballot, Request one here. New sign-ups will receive a ballot via email within 48-72 hours. 2021 IGNATZ NOMINEES Outstanding Artist Ashanti Fortson - Leaf Lace (Hiveworks) Lee Lai - Stone Fruit (Fantagraphics) Arantza Peña Popo - Lavender Scare (self-published) Damien Roudeau - Crude (Graphic Mundi) Karl Stevens - Penny (Chronicle) Outstanding Anthology A Queer Prisoner's Anthology IV - ed. by Casper Cendre (ABO) Bystander (Kadak Collective) Confined Before Covid: A Pandemic Anthology by LGBTQ Prisoners (ABO) First Wave: Comics from the Early Months of China's Outbreak - ed. by Xinmei Liu (Paradise Systems) Glaeolia 2 (Glacier Bay Books) Outstanding Collection Sami Alwani - The Pleasure of the Text (Conundrum Press) Ancco - Nineteen (Drawn & Quarterly) Abby Howard - The Crossroads at Midnight (Iron Circus Comics) Tess Scilipoti - Do You Think I Look Like a Girl? (self-published) Kuniko Tsurita - The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud (Drawn & Quarterly) Outstanding Comic EA Bethea - Francis Bacon (Domino Books) Ashanti Fortson - Leaf Lace (Hiveworks) Maddi Gonzalez - Rhapsodie (Fantagraphics) Adam Szym - A Cordial Invitation (Fantagraphics) Dominique Duong – The Dog & The Cat (self-published) Outstanding Graphic Novel Alex Graham - Dog Biscuits (self-published) Jim Terry - Come Home, Indio (Street Noise Books) Lee Lai - Stone Fruit (Fantagraphics) Sloane Leong - A Map to the Sun (First Second) Nico Harriman - Mr. H: Portrait of a High School Art Teacher (self-published) Outstanding Minicomic Brendan Leach - Slum Clearance Symphony (Czap Books) Casey Nowak - Bodyseed (Diskette Press) Arantza Peña Popo - Lavender Scare (self-published) Whit Taylor - Montana Diary (Silver Sprocket) Leda Zawacki - The Drain Pipe (self-published) Outstanding Online Comic Michael DeForge - Birds of Maine Ashanti Fortson - Leaf Lace (Hiveworks) Shing Yin Khor - I Do Not Want to Write Today Susannah Lohr - Shadows Become You Alec Robbins - Mr. Boop Outstanding Series Ex.Mag (Peow Studios) Malarkey - November Garcia (Birdcage Bottom Books) Ley Lines - ed. by Kevin Czapiewski (Czap Books) Tongues - Anders Nilsen (self-published) A Queer Prisoner's Anthology IV - ed. by Casper Cendre (ABO) Outstanding Story Raquelle Jac - Misguided Love from Now #9 (Fantagraphics) Ancco - Nineteen (Drawn & Quarterly) Yeong-shin Ma - Moms (Drawn & Quarterly) Freddy Carrasco - Personal Companion from Ex.Mag #1 (Peow Studios) Stan Stanley - The Hazards of Love (Simon & Schuster) Promising New Talent Royal Dunlap Nico Harriman Zoe Maeve Pa-Luis Tess Scilipoti Congratulations to all our nominees! Key Dates for the 2021 Ignatz Awards September 2 - Initial ballots emailed and voting begins September 12 • 11:59 PM (EDT) - Voting for the 2021 Ignatz Awards ends September 18 • 8:00 PM (EDT) - Online presentation of Ignatz Award winners The Ignatz Awards ceremony will be live-streamed on the SPX Youtube channel. Further details on presenters will be given at a later date.