This Saturday is the start of the Small Press Expo, one of the largest exhibitions devoted to independent comics and graphic novels on the East Coast. Jeff Alexander, the expo’s executive director, gave us an insider’s tour of his own personal Fortress of Solitude. Interview conducted by Nico Dodd.
How is the Small Press Expo different from other larger comic conventions? Like say, Baltimore Comic-Con?
The difference between us and Baltimore Comic-Con is that we don’t have any of the mainstream publishers like DC or Marvel, and we also do not have any retailers. So basically it is just over 300 small press publishers and independent creators that are exhibiting. That’s the focus of the show. I know [Baltimore Comic-Con organizer] Marc Nathan has made a policy where he does not have any of the TV stars or the wrestlers because he only wants to focus on comics. But for the artists exhibiting at his show, they have to compete with the dealers and the gamers and at SPX. We do not have that.
How would you describe the festival to someone who is unfamiliar with indie comics and thinks of comics only in terms of Superman or Batman? What titles would you suggest to them?
Oh, that’s always a tough one. I always try to approach it from the standpoint of the independent comics that have been made into movies so they have an instant reference, things like From Hell, Road to Perdition, Surrogates on and on. These are the [types of] comics that we do. We do have some people who do the super-hero comics, but the majority of them are slice-of-life or autobiographical comics.
Why do you show in the Washington D.C. area?
Well, the expo was started in 1994 by local comic shop owners. They were reading all these indie books and thought they were really cool but they were being overshadowed by mainstream books. They wanted to create a venue where they could introduce people to independent comics, so they set up a show locally to highlight the independent creators and small-press publishers. They did it in D.C. simply because this is where all of their shops were located.
Are there any guests you’re particularly excited about?
There are so many guests who I’ve seen over the years that I’m glad to see coming back, like Metaphrog coming in from Scotland. They do a really sweet alt pages book. We have James Sturm coming in whose most recent book is Market Day. It’s another one where I’m really just jealous of his minimalist style and his use of colors to tell the story. Nothing is lost, whereas when most people try the minimalist approach it usually feels like there’s something off. Keith Knight is coming in. He’s an editorial cartoonist who’s exhibited at the show. He usually comes like every two years. His web comic, the K Chronicles, is one that I read regularly.
What would you say is the biggest attractions to the Expo?
This year we’re doing our first annual animation showcase, which is a juried selection of independent animators. That’s a program that’s going to be running three times on Saturday and three times on Sunday. The people who come to see the showcase on Saturday will be given the opportunity to vote for their favorites, for the audience choice award.
The Small Press Expo begins this Saturday, Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. and continues Sunday, Sept. 12 at noon. Tickets are $10 for one day and $15 for both.
I’ll also be doing a slide show/signing tonite at Politics and Prose with “Cul De Sac’s” Richard Thompson. 7pm!!
Cheers!
Keef