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Small Press Expo
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. 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).
SPX was founded in 1994 by three Washington-Baltimore area retailers — "Jon Cohen (Beyond Comics), Lou Danoff (Zenith Comics), and [Joel Pollack (Big Planet Comics)] — with [the] moral support (and... feedback) of Dave Sim (Cerebus) and Jeff Smith (Bone)" — to promote diversity in the comics marketplace. (The first SPX also coincided with Sim's "Spirits of Independence" tour.)
Chris Oarr was one of the key figures responsible for shaping SPX into a major independent comics event during its formative years. A former comics retailer and publicist, Oarr became the executive director of SPX in the mid-1990s, shortly after its 1994 founding. Under his leadership, the show expanded in scope and professionalism, developing a stronger national profile and more organized infrastructure. Oarr also helped establish SPX’s reputation as a creator-centered, noncommercial alternative to mainstream conventions — promoting the ethos of self-publishing, artistic independence, and community that continues to define the event. Under Oarr's leadership, SPX adopted many of its enduring features, including the Sunday picnic and softball game and the introduction of the Ignatz Awards, created to honor outstanding achievement in small-press and self-published comics.
Profits from at least the 1995 and 1996 shows were earmarked for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 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.
The show expanded from a one-day affair to three days in 1997, reverting back to two days in 1998, and then remaining a three-day event from 1999 through 2004.
In 2001, both the Expo and ICAF, scheduled for September 14–16, were canceled due to creators' travel difficulties related to the September 11, 2001 attacks. 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 $1,925.00 for the American Red Cross and the New York Fire Fighter's 9-11 Relief Fund.
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Small Press Expo
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. 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).
SPX was founded in 1994 by three Washington-Baltimore area retailers — "Jon Cohen (Beyond Comics), Lou Danoff (Zenith Comics), and [Joel Pollack (Big Planet Comics)] — with [the] moral support (and... feedback) of Dave Sim (Cerebus) and Jeff Smith (Bone)" — to promote diversity in the comics marketplace. (The first SPX also coincided with Sim's "Spirits of Independence" tour.)
Chris Oarr was one of the key figures responsible for shaping SPX into a major independent comics event during its formative years. A former comics retailer and publicist, Oarr became the executive director of SPX in the mid-1990s, shortly after its 1994 founding. Under his leadership, the show expanded in scope and professionalism, developing a stronger national profile and more organized infrastructure. Oarr also helped establish SPX’s reputation as a creator-centered, noncommercial alternative to mainstream conventions — promoting the ethos of self-publishing, artistic independence, and community that continues to define the event. Under Oarr's leadership, SPX adopted many of its enduring features, including the Sunday picnic and softball game and the introduction of the Ignatz Awards, created to honor outstanding achievement in small-press and self-published comics.
Profits from at least the 1995 and 1996 shows were earmarked for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 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.
The show expanded from a one-day affair to three days in 1997, reverting back to two days in 1998, and then remaining a three-day event from 1999 through 2004.
In 2001, both the Expo and ICAF, scheduled for September 14–16, were canceled due to creators' travel difficulties related to the September 11, 2001 attacks. 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 $1,925.00 for the American Red Cross and the New York Fire Fighter's 9-11 Relief Fund.