The annual Alternative Press Expo was held in San Francisco earlier this month — October 16 and 17. It’s been running in the Bay Area since 1994, and is run by the same organization — Comic-Con International — that puts on the massive Comic-Con in San Diego every July.
Despite that, they’ve vastly different events — APE is a fraction of the size and, as you’ve probably figured out, focuses on non-mainstream publishers and creators. Fantagraphics, Top Shelf and Drawn & Quarterly were among the companies exhibiting, with the show boasting special guests Tony Millionaire, Daniel Clowes and Lynda Barry.
It’s also an amazing opportunity for comic fans to see something totally unique that they wouldn’t come across otherwise. There’s dozens of self-publishers showing off their work, and as thoroughly cliche as it sounds, there really is something for everyone. It was fun to discover Amazing Arizona Comics, which wackily takes on the many issues plaguing my home state, and though it’s not comics, but I haven’t shut up to my friends about the work of Brandon Bird since coming across his stuff at APE. (With pieces like this, who could blame me? I can think of no better reason to become really good at painting.)
There was plenty of other great stuff. Don’t worry, we brought back pics.
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APE has been held at San Francisco’s Concourse Exhibition Center since 2003. It was bright and sunny in this picture taken on Saturday, but by day two SF was in all its gloomy glory.
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APE attracts a different type of fan than shows like sister event Comic-Con for sure — less cosplayers, more beards.
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A sight well familiar to Comic-Con attendees: Bob the Angry Flower.
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Too Much Coffee Man creator Shannon Wheeler is one of the biggest names in alternative comics, and there he was!
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Chick tracts are short, evangelical comic strips published by Jack Chick, promoting fundamentalist Christianity. They are insane and fascinating. This guy had a ton of them.
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And the Chick tracts happened to be right next to the “Fanvixens” table, so that’s fun.
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Clearly, it wasn’t just Christianity on display at APE.
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Here’s something thoroughly secular: “Pax Cybertronia” by Brandon Bird, lovingly depicting “Law & Order” star Sam Waterston playing Transformers with some kids.
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More proof of Brandon Bird’s awesomeness: J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man having a pillow fight.
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One more Brandon Bird item: the Nicolas Cage Adventure Set (essentially Colorforms, but don’t call them that.) Skateboard, ice cream cone and battle axe accessories! Check him out here, willya: http://brandonbird.com/
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Lots of fun cartoonists are all over APE, including librarian-by-day Amy Martin (her profession inspired a comic she was selling at the event). http://amymartincomics.squarespace.com/
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NES-inspired crochet? Yes. Nerd Jerk: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdJerk
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With all the diverse folks selling their wares, APE is kind of a craft fair for comics. And with booths like Doubleparlour, it’s even more like that. http://www.doubleparlour.com/
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Supercool Pink Lemonade products by Jen Tong. Crafty! http://www.jentong.com/Pinklemonade.html
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Sign of the times.
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Unemployed Man’s sidekick. Social commentary alert! Check it out here: http://www.unemployedman.com/
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Hey, what’s a mainstream comic book character doing at APE? It’s a print from Jon Vermilyea, who also had some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle art rendered in the same style. More here: http://jonvermilyea.blogspot.com/
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Cartoonish Raina Telgemeier — along with her husband, TEEN BOAT creator Dave Roman — was selling her adorable-looking new book, SMILE. Her site: http://goraina.com/. His site: http://www.realmsend.com/yaytime/
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APE has panels, too (with some rad haircuts in the crowd). This was before the Tony Millionaire panel started, where he told some hilariously ribald and allegedly true tales.
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