Last weekend, I attended the Small Press Expo at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center. SPX was created to promote artists and publishers who produce independent comics. The Expo is an annual festival that provides a forum for artists, writers and publishers of comic art in its various forms to present to the public comic art not normally accessible through normal commercial channels. Among the Special Guests were The New Yorker Magazine’s Liza Donnelly, Israeli cartoonist Rutu Modan, Argentine cartoonist Liniers, Seth, Gene Yang and special guest Congressman John Lewis.
Congressman Lewis has written a graphic novel memoir of his experiences during the civil rights movement. Published by Top Shelf Productions, March, was co-authored by Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Eisner and Ignatz Award winner, Nate Powell (Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole). I was fortunate enough to conduct an interview with the congressman that you’ll see on the FF website as well as in an upcoming episode.
SPX is also the home of the Ignatz Awards, the festival prize that, since 1997, has recognized outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. This year’s winners were:
Outstanding Artist
Michael DeForge (Lose #4)
Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Very Casual (Michael DeForge)
Outstanding Graphic Novel
Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life (Ulli Lust)
Outstanding Story
Gold Star (John Martz)
Promising New Talent
Sam Alden (Hawaii 1997 & Haunter)
Outstanding Series
Lose (Michael DeForge)
Outstanding Comic
Pope Hats #3 (Ethan Rilly)
Outstanding Mini Comic
The End of the Fucking World (Charles Forsman)
Outstanding Online Comic
Super Mutant Magic Academy (Jillian Tamaki)
SPX sponsors a number of events and charitable initiatives. You may learn more about them via this link:
Keep watching, the best is yet to come!
