Small Press Expo Explained

Small Press Expo
Status:	Active
Genre:	Alternative comics
Location:	Bethesda, Maryland
Country:	United States
Last:	Sep 9–10, 2023
Organizer:	SPX: The Small Press Expo
Leader Name:	Warren Bernard^[1]
Leader Title:	Executive Director
Filing:	Not-for-profit

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. 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

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. 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 and the annual pig roast/picnic/softball game.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8] The 2021 edition of the show was also held entirely online.^[9]

Event dates and locations

• 1994: June 10 — Bethesda Ramada Inn, Bethesda, Maryland^[10]
• 1995: June 23 — Bethesda, Maryland^[11]
• 1996: September 20 — Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland^[12]
• 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]
• — 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
• — 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

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.

Notes and References

1. SPX Returns to In-Person Comics Festival. Meg. Lemke. Calvin. Reid. September 21, 2022. 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. News: An Introduction to ICAF: the International Comic Arts Festival . Mark D. . Nevins . 253–254 . Expo 2000 . Bethesda, Maryland . The Expo . 2000.
4. News: SPX Suffers Identity Crisis: Venue Uncertainty, Communications Problems Precipitate Resignations . Michael . Dean . 11–16 . The Comics Journal . 251 . Mar 2003. Newswatch. — about the Small Press Expo and its relationships with ICAF and the Baltimore Comic-Con.
5. News: News Watch: SPX 1997 Report. The Comics Journal. 199. 22–24. Bart. Beaty. Oct 1997.
6. "Newswatch: SPX/ICAF Cancelled in Wake of Terrorist Attacks on New York and Washington DC," The Comics Journal #238 (Oct. 2001), p. 100.
7. "New York: Impromptu SP-Xiles Event Raises Funds for Charity," The Comics Journal #238 (Oct. 2001), p. 101.
8. Graphic Policy Team. "SPX 2020 HAS BEEN CANCELED, IGNATZ AWARDS GO VIRTUAL," Graphic Policy (June 4, 2020).
9. 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).
10. Cerebus the Aardvark #181 (Aardvark-Vanaheim, Apr. 1994).
11. News: Evry. Ron. Small Press Brings In Small Donation for CBLDF: Small Press Expo Highlights Independent Creators. The Comics Journal. 179. Aug 1995. 20–21.
12. News: Cwiklik. Greg. Small Press Expo Raises Funds for CBLDF. The Comics Journal. 191. Nov 1996. 20.
13. NEWS: Small Press Expo Signing Tour in September. July 26, 1997. Google Groups.
14. News: Daly. Sean. 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. September 26, 1997. 33–34.
15. News: Newswatch: You Must Attend SPX. 32–33 . The Comics Journal. 198. Aug 1997.
16. http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/sept98/bits.html "News for the week ending September 27, 1998,"
17. Press release. "SPX 99: THE EXPO -- CELEBRATING COMICS CULTURE," Collector Times Online (Sept. 1999).
18. News: News Watch: Casting Its Own Shadow. 21–23. The Comics Journal. 217. Nov 1999.
19. https://web.archive.org/web/20001015154857/http://spxpo.com/expoinfo.htm The Expo
20. https://web.archive.org/web/20020602115305/http://spxpo.com/travellodging.htm The Expo presents: SPX | Convention Info | Location
21. https://web.archive.org/web/20030801080356/http://www.spxpo.com/expoinfo.htm The Expo presents: SPX | Convention Info
22. https://web.archive.org/web/20040811090547/http://www.spxpo.com/travellodging.htm SPX | The Small Press Expo | www.spxpo.com
23. Web site: SPX : The Small Press Expo : Location . https://web.archive.org/web/20050828054724/http://spxpo.com/location.shtml . August 28, 2005 . April 13, 2014. Small Press Expo.
24. https://web.archive.org/web/20061014190358/http://www.spxpo.com/location.shtml SPX | The Small Press Expo | Location
25. https://web.archive.org/web/20071011043318/http://www.spxpo.com/location.shtml SPX | The Small Press Expo | Location
26. https://web.archive.org/web/20081015024348/http://www.spxpo.com/ SPX | The Small Press Expo
27. https://web.archive.org/web/20090901205621/http://www.spxpo.com/ SPX | The Small Press Expo
28. https://web.archive.org/web/20100914012110/http://www.spxpo.com/ Small Press Expo (SPX)
29. https://web.archive.org/web/20110820232459/http://www.spxpo.com/ Small Press Expo
30. https://web.archive.org/web/20120913074738/http://www.spxpo.com/about/hotel Hotel Information | Small Press Expo
31. https://web.archive.org/web/20131113184334/http://www.spxpo.com/about/hotel SPX 2013 Venue & Travel Information | SPX: The Small Press Expo
32. [Cavna, Michael]
33. News: Carlson . Johanna Draper . SPX to return in-person in September 2022: The exhibitor lottery opens in March . The Beat . Jan 24, 2022.
34. News: 'Community Makes Us Stronger' at Indie Comics Small Press Expo. Meg . Lemke . Sep 13, 2023. Publishers Weekly .