In addition to Webcomic Wednesdays and Favorites Fridays, I plan on using Mondays as a sort of catch-all for whatever doesn’t fit on the other days: whether it’s news, a review, a more in-depth look at a specific book, or whatever. And feel free to give suggestions/requests regarding things for me to write about.
Today I figured I’d talk a little about the Small Press Expo, or SPX. Taking place this weekend, Sept. 10-11, in Bethesda, MD, this ever-growing convention brings together independent publishers, writers, and artists, and is unique in its policy of not selling exhibition tables to retailers. The enormous guest list boasts a lot of big names in alternative comics and webcomics, including Craig Thompson (Blankets), Chris Hastings (Dr. McNinja), Kate Beaton (Hark! a Vagrant), KC Green (Gunshow Comic), and Rice Boy’s own Evan Dahm. There will also be various panels by artists and publishers, and an awards ceremony honoring the best alternative comics of the year. If you’ve never been to a comic convention and you’re in the area, I’d recommend going, since it’s more of an intimate atmosphere than the big cons, and you get to interact more with the artists. Plus a lot of these artists self-publish, so by buying their stuff your money isn’t going through a middle-man. And you get to discover a lot of great work that would be tough to come across otherwise.
I’m absolutely thrilled to be going, and I’ll post about my experience in Monday’s post. Let me know if you’re going (I’ll be there Saturday), but if you’re not then consider me your representative there. Self-published books tend to be slightly cheaper than books from the big companies, but I’m still preparing for my wallet to take a beating, and I’ll be sure to come back with plenty of review-worthy material.
Wednesday will be another webcomic review, so keep an eye out for it! Also, feedback is always welcome, and if you check out any of the series I recommend I’d love to hear what you think of them.
-Nate
Tired of Superheroes 