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Small Press Expo

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Small Press Expo
StatusActive
GenreAlternative comics
Location(s)Bethesda, Maryland
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1994; 30 years ago (1994)
Most recentSep 9–10, 2023
Executive DirectorWarren Bernard[1]
Organized bySPX: The Small Press Expo
Filing statusNot-for-profit
Websitewww.smallpressexpo.com

The Small Press Expo (SPX) is an American alternative comics convention. A registered 501(c)(3) that was created in 1994, every year since its inception, SPX has put on a festival, known as The Expo, that provides a forum for artists, writers and publishers of comic art in its various forms to present their creations to the public and to expose the public to comic art not normally accessible through normal commercial channels. The annual SPX festival is typically held in the fall in Bethesda, Maryland. SPX is unique amongst the various comic conventions as it does not allow retailers to have a formal presence at the convention. Only creators and publishers are allowed to set up at the festival, although retailers can and do attend the show with the general public through paid admissions.

SPX is the home of the Ignatz Awards, which have been presented there annually since 1997.[2] As one of the few festival awards rewarded in comics, they are voted on by attendees.

SPX is closely associated with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). A portion of the profits from the annual SPX festival including fundraising activities that take place during the convention weekend, go to the CBLDF.[citation needed] From 1997 to 2000, as well as in 2002 and 2004, SPX was held in conjunction with the International Comics and Animation Festival (ICAF).[3][4]

History

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SPX was founded in 1994 by a group of Washington-Baltimore area retailers to promote diversity in the comics marketplace. It also coincided with Dave Sim's "Spirits of Independence" tour. Profits from at least the 1995 and 1996 shows were earmarked for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.[5][6] Attendees of the early years often speak of the close-knit community that was attained during the convention, citing offbeat occurrences such as James Kochalka's nude musical performance in 1998[citation needed] and the annual pig roast/picnic/softball game.[7]

Both the Expo and ICAF, scheduled for September 14–16, were canceled in 2001 due to creators' travel difficulties related to the September 11, 2001 attacks.[8] The so-called SP-Xiles event was held on September 16 in Brooklyn, New York to in some ways replace the canceled Expo; it raised $1925.00 for the American Red Cross and the New York Fire Fighter's 9-11 Relief Fund.[9]

In 2011 SPX began a new charitable initiative, the Graphic Novel Gift Program. Through this initiative, SPX purchases graphics novels on behalf of a local library system, as selected from a list of works from participating publishers. SPX provides participating libraries with a pull list and a budget. The selected books are provided to the library as a gift of the Small Press Expo. Artist Lili Carre created a special bookplate that is included with each volume provided through the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program.

The 2020 edition of the show, scheduled to be held September 12–13, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the Ignatz Awards ceremony was held online.[10] The 2021 edition of the show was also held entirely online.[11]

Event dates and locations

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  • 1994: June 10 — Bethesda Ramada Inn, Bethesda, Maryland[12]
  • 1995: June 23 — Bethesda, Maryland[5]
  • 1996: September 20 — Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland[6]
  • 1997: September 19–21 — Quality Hotel, Silver Spring, Maryland[13][14][15]
  • 1998: September 26–27 — Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland[16]
  • 1999: September 17–19 — Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland[17][18]
  • 2000: September 15–17 — Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland[19]
  • 2001: September 14–16 — cancelled because of 9/11 attacks
  • 2002: September 6–8 — Bethesda Holiday Inn, Bethesda, Maryland[20]
  • 2003: September 5–7 — Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland[21]
  • 2004: October 1–3 — Holiday Inn Select Bethesda, Bethesda, Maryland[22]
  • 2005: September 23–24 — Holiday Inn Select Bethesda, Bethesda, Maryland[23]
  • 2006: October 13–14 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[24]
  • 2007: October 12–13 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[25]
  • 2008: October 4–5 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[26]
  • 2009: September 26–27 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[27]
  • 2010: September 11–12 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[28]
  • 2011: September 10–11 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[29]
  • 2012: September 15–16 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[30]
  • 2013: September 14–15 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[31]
  • 2014: September 13–14 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland
  • 2015: September 19–20 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland
  • 2016: September 17–18 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[32]
  • 2017: September 16–17 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland
  • 2018: September 15–16 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland
  • 2019: September 14–15 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland
  • 2020: September 12–13 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland — cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 2021: September 18–19 — entire convention held online due to COVID-19 pandemic
  • 2022: September 17–18 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[33]
  • 2023: September 9–10 — Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, Maryland[34]

SPX Anthology

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From 1997 to 2004, SPX published an annual anthology as a companion to the convention. The first edition (1997) was in standard comic format, while all subsequent editions were in digest format. Contributors included Alex Robinson, Frank Cho, Marc Hempel, Brian Ralph, and many others. The anthology was discontinued as an annual production after 2004.

References

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  1. ^ Lemke, Meg; Reid, Calvin (September 21, 2022). "SPX Returns to In-Person Comics Festival". Publishers Weekly.
  2. ^ "Small Press Expo Initiates First Festival Prize for Comic Books: Ignatz Award," Comics Buyer's Guide (Sept. 12, 1997), p. 8
  3. ^ Nevins, Mark D. (2000). "An Introduction to ICAF: the International Comic Arts Festival". Expo 2000. Bethesda, Maryland: The Expo. pp. 253–254.
  4. ^ Dean, Michael (Mar 2003). "SPX Suffers Identity Crisis: Venue Uncertainty, Communications Problems Precipitate Resignations". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 251. pp. 11–16. — about the Small Press Expo and its relationships with ICAF and the Baltimore Comic-Con.
  5. ^ a b Evry, Ron (Aug 1995). "Small Press Brings In Small Donation for CBLDF: Small Press Expo Highlights Independent Creators". The Comics Journal. No. 179. pp. 20–21.
  6. ^ a b Cwiklik, Greg (Nov 1996). "Small Press Expo Raises Funds for CBLDF". The Comics Journal. No. 191. p. 20.
  7. ^ Beaty, Bart (Oct 1997). "News Watch: SPX 1997 Report". The Comics Journal. No. 199. pp. 22–24.
  8. ^ "Newswatch: SPX/ICAF Cancelled in Wake of Terrorist Attacks on New York and Washington DC," The Comics Journal #238 (Oct. 2001), p. 100.
  9. ^ "New York: Impromptu SP-Xiles Event Raises Funds for Charity," The Comics Journal #238 (Oct. 2001), p. 101.
  10. ^ Graphic Policy Team. "SPX 2020 HAS BEEN CANCELED, IGNATZ AWARDS GO VIRTUAL," Graphic Policy (June 4, 2020).
  11. ^ Simons, Dean. "Small Press Expo confirms virtual 2021 event, freezes charitable initiatives: The financial burden of the pandemic on SPX mean that funds will be stretched until 2024 at the earliest," The Beat (May 11, 2021).
  12. ^ Cerebus the Aardvark #181 (Aardvark-Vanaheim, Apr. 1994).
  13. ^ "NEWS: Small Press Expo Signing Tour in September". Google Groups (Press release). July 26, 1997.
  14. ^ Daly, Sean (September 26, 1997). "Only the Lonely Can Play: Silver Spring's Small Press Expo Brings the Area's Top Underground Cartoonists Out of the Darkness". Washington City Paper. pp. 33–34.
  15. ^ "Newswatch: You Must Attend SPX". The Comics Journal. No. 198. Aug 1997. pp. 32–33.
  16. ^ "News for the week ending September 27, 1998," Sequential Tart (Sept. 1998).
  17. ^ Press release. "SPX 99: THE EXPO -- CELEBRATING COMICS CULTURE," Collector Times Online (Sept. 1999).
  18. ^ "News Watch: Casting Its Own Shadow". The Comics Journal. No. 217. Nov 1999. pp. 21–23.
  19. ^ The Expo 2000 information webpage, archived October 15, 2000 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  20. ^ The Expo presents: SPX | Convention Info | Location, archived June 2, 2002 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  21. ^ The Expo presents: SPX | Convention Info, archived August 1, 2003 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  22. ^ SPX | The Small Press Expo | www.spxpo.com Location & Lodging webpage, archived August 11, 2004 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  23. ^ "SPX : The Small Press Expo : Location". Small Press Expo. Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  24. ^ SPX | The Small Press Expo | Location, archived October 14, 2006 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  25. ^ SPX | The Small Press Expo | Location, archived October 11, 2007 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  26. ^ SPX | The Small Press Expo homepage, archived October 15, 2008 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  27. ^ SPX | The Small Press Expo homepage, archived September 1, 2009 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  28. ^ Small Press Expo (SPX) homepage, archived September 14, 2010 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  29. ^ Small Press Expo homepage, archived August 20, 2011 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  30. ^ Hotel Information | Small Press Expo, archived September 13, 2012 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  31. ^ SPX 2013 Venue & Travel Information | SPX: The Small Press Expo, archived November 13, 2013 by Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  32. ^ Cavna, Michael. "COMICS: Meet the man who’s creating a space for longform journalism — in graphic novel form," Washington Post (September 16, 2016).
  33. ^ Carlson, Johanna Draper (Jan 24, 2022). "SPX to return in-person in September 2022: The exhibitor lottery opens in March". The Beat.
  34. ^ Lemke, Meg (Sep 13, 2023). "'Community Makes Us Stronger' at Indie Comics Small Press Expo". Publishers Weekly.
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