SHHHHHH….
Everyone else won’t find out until tomorrow.
Small Press Expo Announces Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Fantagraphics with Daniel Clowes, Joe Sacco, Trina Robbins, Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez and Others
Small Press Expo is proud to announce that SPX 2016 will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Fantagraphics with an all-star line-up and special events. Founded in 1976 by Gary Groth and Michael Catron, in the ensuing years Fantagraphics provided the foundation for today’s wealth of indie comics, graphic novels and comic’s criticism. Fantagraphics also gave some of the most acclaimed names in indie comics their start in the comic’s world, with many of those names appearing at SPX 2016.
This year’s show will host a rare festival appearance by the esteemed Joe Sacco, along with Trina Robbins first appearance at SPX. Mr. Sacco, Ms. Robbins, Daniel Clowes and The Hernandez Brothers will be joined by several of Fantagraphics other critically and commercially successful authors, Carol Tyler, Jim Woodring, Drew Friedman and Ed Piskor, for this celebration.
Events around the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Fantagraphics include:
- Publisher Gary Groth will give the SPX Lecture at the Library of Congress on Friday September 16 at Noon in the Madison Building.
- There will be a separate track of programming at SPX 2016 dedicated to Fantagraphics and its creators, with details to be announced mid-August.
- Attendees will be able to get an SPX exclusive, a free newsprint commemorative booklet with artwork by Fantagraphic artists.
Over the next few weeks, additional guests for SPX 2016 will be announced and in August we will announce the 2016 Ignatz nominees, the full programming slate and the recipient of the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, the first of its kind program that gifts graphic novels to local library systems.
SPX 2016 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18, and will have over 650 creators, 280 exhibitor tables and 22 programming slots to entertain, enlighten and introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.
ABOUT SPX
Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501©3 nonprofit that brings together more than 650 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.
The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.
As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org. For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.smallpressexpo.com.
