Don Julio, Fran Mariscal and Lola Lorente at SPX 2026
SPX (Small Press Expo), the premier event for indie comics, cartooning, and graphic novels, will host the presentation of Portraits: 12 Lives, 12 Journeys with the participation of contributors Don Julio, Fran Mariscal and Lola Lorente.
The Small Press Expo (SPX) is one of the leading festivals dedicated to independent comics and graphic arts in the United States. Since its first edition in 1994, the fair has brought together international artists, publishers, and professionals, becoming a key platform for contemporary graphic storytelling.
This year’s edition features Spanish creators Don Julio, Fran Mariscal and Lola Lorente among its special guests. Throughout the weekend, both artists will be available to meet readers and sign copies of Portraits at their respective tables while the exhibition is on view at the Cultural Center.
Activities
Carousel Comics Performance with Lola Lorente
- On Saturday, September 12 at 6:00 pm. At White Oak Room.
- Since 1997, R. Sikoryak has hosted Carousel, a series of comics readings and performances by cartoonists and theater artists. This special edition of Carousel at SPX features exhibiting artists and guests, performing live. It will be an audio-visual journey of comics and performance. Featuring Rumi Hara (Different Ways to Fly), Lola Lorente (Mary Pain), Frederick Noland (Major Taylor), Noah Van Sciver (The Mess), Whit Taylor (Harriet Tubman: Toward Freedom), and Coco Fox (Let’s Go, Coco!).
Portraits From Spain with Don Julio Fran Mariscal
- On Sunday September 13 at 4:30 pm. At White Oak Room.
- Don Julio and Fran Mariscal, two artists from the Portraits: Twelve Lives, Twelve Journeys anthology. Don Julio contributed a story about biochemist Severo Ochoa, and Fran Mariscal’s comic focuses on Valentín Fuster, a cardiologist. Moderator John Warren will discuss the origins of the project and the inspirations for their narratives.
Don Julio
Julio A. Serrano (Puertollano, 1983) holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Castilla–La Mancha (UCLM). He has been working for over fifteen years at the magazine El Jueves as a writer and illustrator. He has also collaborated with other publications such as Retranca and El Estafador. In addition to the thousands of pages he has drawn for magazines, he has published more than a dozen books with publishers such as RBA, SM, Bang!, and Fandogamia. He has also served as editor-in-chief at the digital children’s publishing house Makupipe. His best-known works include the history section DesHechos Históricos, the children’s series Cecilia Van Helsing, and the controversial activity books for adults Being a Fascist Is Wrong and Baby Jesus Doesn’t Hate Faggots. He also works as a scriptwriter in animation and video games, most notably on the multi-award-winning short film The Ghost of La Quinta. In addition, he is a comic scriptwriting instructor at Voxel School and at La Escuela Minúscula.
Fran Mariscal
Fran Mariscal (Jerez de la Frontera, 1995) is a comic artist and illustrator trained in Jerez and Barcelona. He has worked as an illustrator for Insólita publishing and on collective works such as Sombras de Aokigahara. In 2025, he published his first full-length work, Moribundo.
Lola Lorente
Lola Lorente (1980) was born in Bigastro, a small town in southeastern Spain. Her trajectory has been shaped by winning competitions and scholarships, working on graphic novels, moving cities, creating occasional illustrations for print media, and a long list of part-time jobs. Her first book, Sangre de mi sangre, won her the prize for best new author at the Barcelona International Comic Fair. The French edition of this book was nominated for several categories at the 2024 Angoulême Festival. She currently lives in Madrid, where she spends her time creating comics and teaching drawing in public art schools. When she’s not drawing, she likes to knit weird sweaters.
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