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SPX Preview
by Diana Tamblyn
Believe it or not, summer has come and gone and we’re now heading into fall. This means of course that
SPX is just around the corner! This month, the Small Press Expo is happening this weekend from Friday, September 23rd to Saturday, September 24th, in Bethesda, Maryland (just a subway ride away from Washington DC).
I’ve had the chance to go to the show a couple of times now (once as an
attendee and once as an exhibitor), but unfortunately I won’t be able to make it this year. I can’t help but be envious of those that are going though, because in my
opinion this year's line-up looks really outstanding.
It's been tough to find out info on the show this year because the official site
has been slow with their announcements, but I've scoured the web to find what I
think will be some highlights of the weekend...  Mini-Comics
Galore!
Probably the best thing about SPX is all of the mini-comics available that
you're not likely to see anywhere else. A lot of these are beautiful, hand-made
creations that people have lovingly created and assembled themselves. The real
problem though is what to choose? Here's just a few creators to be on the
lookout for:
- Robert Goodin. Robert says on
his website that he hopes to have 2 new minis for the show. Lookout for
these as well some of his older stuff. Robert is an established animator,
and you can tell from looking at his wonderfully polished
comics..
- Jaime Tanner.
Jaime just had a story in Adhouse Books' Project Superior, his minis are
really something special, so check them out!
- Drew Weing & Eleanor Davis - I
am becoming more and more impressed by the output of these two SCAD
graduates. They've been gearing up for SPX for some time now and I think
their booth is going to be a real crowd-stopper with their updated version
of their gumball machine filled with
mini-comics!
- Jesse Reklaw - Jesse got an Ignatz nomination for his mini "Couch Tag
#2" which is apparently just outstanding. I'll have to order this
directly, but you should really check it out as well as any other stuff he's
got at his Global Hobo
table.
- Jordan Crane - Jordan Crane is
awesome. Get any and all mini-comics available from him. While you're at it,
why not pick up his new hardcover from Fantagraphics, The Clouds Above,
available either in the "fancy-pants" limited edition, or the
regular edition.
Cool Stuff
Other than minis, SPX has plenty of other cool hard-to-find items. Probably the
hottest thing this year will be Bryan Lee
O'Malley's signed and limited edition Scott Pilgrim prints. There will only
be about 40 available and Bryan says that he will be selling them for the low,
low price of $10 - $15 each. A steal I say! Jim
Rugg is also offering a limited print of Afrodisiac (from Project Superior).
T-shirts are also available from lots of different people and are always cool to
pick up. At TCAF earlier this year, Derek Kirk Kim's Weezer t-shirts sold out
the very first day. There's sure to be tons of other stuff, not the least
of which is original artwork. I'm almost crying right now thinking about how I
could be looking at original stuff from Jordan Crane and Carla Speed
McNeil. The highlight for SPX 2002 for me was buying a Maggie sketch from
THE Jaime Hernandez and getting him to personalize it for me. For my husband it
was getting an Elektra sketch from Frank Miller, and a Maus sketch from Art
Spiegelman (who were both sketching to raise money for the CBLDF).
Meeting Your Favorite Creators
SPX brings out a lot of people who don't normally go to comic shows. Case in
point is this year's guest of honor Harvey Pekar. Dean Haspiel emailed me to say
that
although they won't have copies of "The Quitter" for sale at the show
(as it doesn't come out until October from Vertigo), they should have some
galleys to look at. Be sure to check these out and meet a real comics legend and
have him sign some American Splendors for you. Check out the long list
of exhibitors and see who you might want to meet.
There's also some comics professionals who come to SPX just to wander around and
see what's new. Familiar faces you may see just walking around might be Frank
Miller, Diana Schutz, Bob Schrek and Jim
Valentino.
Outstanding Debuts
A lot of comics creators kill themselves to get something new out for SPX, so
there's a lot of new stuff to be found at the show. Some exciting things to look
for are:
- True Porn volume 2, from Alternative Comics. An anthology title
with a cool Chester Brown cover, True Porn features autobiographical stories
about sex. To quote Chris Butcher though, "it's an exploration of the
human condition, using sex as a metaphor and storytelling device
throughout". Contributors include such up-and-comers as Hope Larson,
Dean Trippe, Liz Prince and Ellen Linder.
- Though not officially debuting at the show, Jim Ottaviani's Bone
Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards is a book I've been looking forward
to for months now ever since the preview of it came out for Free Comic Book
Day. Jim specializes in biographical comics of leading scientists and Bone
Sharps tells the story of two 19th century American scientists established today's understanding of
paleontology. The artwork by
Big Time Attic is in a word stunning. Read
a preview here.
- I will go out on a limb and predict that R.
Kikuo Johnson's The Night Fisher by Fantagraphics will be THE
book of the show. This is a 144 page, original graphic novel that tells the
story of Kikuo's growing up years in Hawaii. Preview art is beautifully
assured and lushly illustrated. Kikuo will be at the Fantagrahics booth, so
be sure to get a sketch (if possible) and signature from this talented new
artist.
- Finally, you simply can't go to the show without picking up the latest SPX
anthology and this year's looks particularly strong. Guest-edited by
Brian Ralph, the contributors line-up is a who's who of indy comics
featuring such artists as Jordan Crane, Scott Morse, Nick Bertozzi, Jim Rugg
and Marc Bell. Pick it up along with your ticket on the way into the show.
Proceeds to go the CBLDF.
Inspiration
The very best thing about SPX for me has been that I come away from the
weekend feeling truly inspired and jazzed about comics. It comes from being
surrounded by people who are putting their hearts and souls into comics for the
love of the medium and nothing else, where the "big boys" of the show
are Top Shelf, Fantagraphics and D&Q, and people are reading minis in the
restaurant, at the bar or on the bench down the street in front of the
7-11. To all of those who are going, have a great time! To those
of us left behind, a lot of what I mentioned is available through Diamond, and
where it's not I've tried to provide links to individual creator sites so you
can order from them directly.
Discuss this column on the Comic Book Galaxy Forum!
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