Hiya All,
This September, I had the opportunity to attend the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, as an exhibitor. In years past, I’ve gone as a general attendee, but this was my first time as a working artist that I had won the literal lottery and had a table there. In short, I had a great time and will definitely be going again in the coming years. SPX lived up to its reputation as one of the best conventions to attend in North America.
A little about Small Press Expo (SPX), it started 30 years ago and has grown into one of the largest alternative and small press comics events in North America. It also holds the Ignataz Awards on Saturday night, awarding creators a large brick to the winners whose works are voted on by attendees. The graphic collection I worked on last year, Zombio: A Space Adventure, had been submitted for the collection award, but it wasn’t nominated.
What doesn’t get talked about too often is that SPX is intense. From the moment I landed on Thursday evening until I took off the following Monday, it was non-stop events, get-togethers, and parties for artists. If you are not a super social person or are not used to talking for twelve hours straight to people, this aspect of the expo is overwhelming. This is in contrast to Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, which leans into being more academic although it has similar events and get-togethers. It also isn’t like a larger comic con where after-hour hangouts happen, but they generally don’t last so long into the night. If you go to SPX, be prepared to network with other comic creators.
I had been looking forward to SPX since learning I’d gotten in back in April this year. Since moving to the West Coast, I haven’t been able to visit my friends from New York, Boston, or Baltimore as much as I’d like. SPX was a perfect weekend to meet back up with many of them! I also met a lot of comic creators and picked up quite a pile of new books and artwork to display in my studio.
Run down of the weekend.
Thursday: travel day
- Longest flight I’ve taken for an event, six hours in total from Seattle to Bethesda, Maryland.
- Arrived at the hotel super late and famished so I ordered a set of crab cakes and a beer. I don’t know if it was the travel, the exhaustion, or starving, but these were the best crab cakes I’ve ever had.
- While waiting for the crab cakes to be ready, I met a US Marine Veteran named Eddie who also had lived/ visited Japan. It was a fun conversation.
Friday:
- Spent the morning fishing commissions in the hotel room.
- Visited Hillwood Estate with my friend Zhanna to look at the wonderful grounds and the massive collection of French and Russian Imperial artworks and relics.
- Dinner with friends
- Checked into the expo for badge and dropped off merchandise.
- Artist welcome party
Saturday: Small Press Expo Day 1
- Slept in a long as I could before heading over to the expo center.
- Set up table
- Expo open!
- Dinner with friends
- Ignatz Awards
- Post Awards party
- SPX (vampire) Prom
Sunday: Small Press Expo Day 2
- Slept in again for as long as I could.
- Expo Open for Day 2!
- Table tear down and pack out
- Dinner with Friends
- Post-expo party with friends
Monday: Travel day home
- Was amused by the mobile lounges at Washington Dulles International Airport, this was the first time I’ve seen those used instead of a tram system to move people.
Small Press Expo is worth going to as a comics artist and as a consumer of comics media. There is a fantastic variety of creators who go, so there’s sure to be something to catch your eye.
Happy Hauntings,
Kat
