Hybrid Born-Digital and Analog Special Collecting: Megan Halsband on the SPX Comics Collection
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Gang this is Georgia.
She’s the head of the Serial and Government Newspaper Section at the Library of Congress.
She’s kind of a big deal and ya’ll should know that when it comes to YOUR comics she makes house calls.
Earlier this month, just a few days ago in fact, she rolled out to SPX Galactic HQ on a mission of mercy to carry your literal life’s works safely to their permanent home at the Library of Congress where they’ll be preserved for all time.
SPEAKING OF SPX AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Make time to take in Josh O’Neill, Andrew Carl and Chris Steven’s lecture on Friday the 18th at the LOC’s Madison Building in the West Dining Room.
The trio will be there to speak about their award-winning Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream project, which brought together a who’s who of cartooning talent to pay tribute to the great Windsor McCay.
“Dream Another Dream” debuted at SPX 2014.
If you make it you’ll likely see the SPX crew in the house, along with some of our 2015 special guests taking in the talk. No better way to kick off your SPX weekend!
SPX AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: PICS, OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN (SPOILER - IT TOTALLY HAPPENED)
Here’s a look at the SPX Collection items currently on display in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress!
See three cases of mini comics and other examples from the creators at SPX, now preserved forever in the Library of Congress and on display in the most prestigious library in the United States.
The exhibit will run from Monday, September 14, 2015 to October 31, 2015 in the Jefferson Building’s Great Hall, South Gallery. (Metro Stop: Capitol South).
SPECIAL EXHIBIT: SPX AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Beginning Monday, September 14, 2015, the Library of Congress will feature a special exhibit of items from the Small Press Expo’s permanent collection in the Great Hall of the Jefferson Building,South Gallery.
This exhibit will highlight the diversity of format, content and technique present in the SPX collection as well as work that shows the evolution of an idea, technique or storyline. One showcase will be devoted to Ignatz Award winners.
SPX presents the Ignatz Awards annually. The award is named for American cartoonist George Herriman’s brick-wielding mouse from the “Krazy Kat” comic strip.
Since August, 2011, the Library of Congress has acquired independent comics and mini-comics from the Small Press Expo’s annual festival.
This collection is housed in the Serial & Government Publications Division. The SPX Collection includes the Ignatz Award nominees, as well as other comics from the festival.
These items are generally not available through copyright deposit and reflect the innovation and experimentation in subject, format, and artistic technique of today’s comic book creators.
20,000 posts, right here, right now on the SPX Tumblr.
Huge thanks to everyone who follows us.
You are the best.
I try never to take your attention for granted. I hope that you enjoy seeing our stuff scroll past in your feed as much as I’ve enjoyed making it happen over the last five years.
And every post, all your fine work that we’ve shared over the years, is being archived forever by the Library of Congress as a part of their permanent collection of material from the Small Press Expo community of exhibitors.
That’s pretty cool.
MDT
Uh oh doods.
We’re getting ready to hit a major milestone…! Sometime before SPX 2015 we’ll roll over 20,000 posts. That’s something like 4,000 posts a year, 10 posts a day over the last five years, and every minute of it a labor of love.
Just a reminder, in case y’all forgot. As a part of the SPX Permanent Collection at the Library of Congress every post to this Tumblr is being archived. Like, forever.
Yes, as long as servers hum and the cloud endures, any of your work posted to spx.tumblr.com since March of 2010, nearly 20,000 items in all, will survive for the edification and study of future generations as a part of the Library’s preservation of the cultural product of our nation.
I’m not crying you’re crying. Why don’t you shut up.
MDT
BOX BROWN & SPX AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
“How to Make Comics Every Day and Still Be Alive”
Join us to hear SPX 2014 Special Guest, Box Brown discuss his publishing imprint Retrofit Comics, how running it helps him as a cartoonist, how he created his recent graphic novel “Andre the Giant: Life and Legend,” and how illustrating is related to cartooning at the third annual Small Press Expo (SPX) talk sponsored by the Serial & Government Publications Division.
Friday, September 12th, 12 noon -1pm
West Dining Room
6th Floor, Madison Building
Library of Congress
Brown’s comics have been featured in Mad Magazine and his illustrations have been on Wired.com. His web and print comic Everything Dies was named a notable comic of 2011 in the Best American Comics Anthology and was honored with two Ignatz Awards.
There will also be a display of Retrofit Comics from the Division’s SPX Collection.
Don’t miss it!
2014 Ignatz Awards Submissions Are Open!
Tis the time to submit your comics for consideration in Small Press Expo’s festival prize, the Ignatz Award. Submissions are open to all independent comics creators and publishers.
Note: You do not need to be an SPX 2014 exhibitor to submit, nor do you need to attend Small Press Expo to win.
Fame, fortune, glory and drink tickets galore await you!
Ignatz nominees are selected by a super-secret jury of creators (a new group each year) and voted on by attendees and exhibitors of Small Press Expo 2014.
As a part of the SPX Permanent Collection at the Library of Congress, all Ignatz nominees will automatically be sent to the LOC for permanent preservation.
Previous Ignatz winners include Kate Beaton, Michael DeForge, Lisa Hanawalt, Jaime Hernandez, Kevin Huizenga, Jillian Tamaki and Craig Thompson to name just a few!
The Ignatz Categories
All work will be eligible in all applicable categories, which include:
- Outstanding Artist
- Outstanding Anthology or Collection
- Outstanding Graphic Novel
- Outstanding Story
- Promising New Talent
- Outstanding Series
- Outstanding Comic
- Outstanding Minicomic
- Outstanding Online Comic
Dat Rat
Speaking of “Promising New Talent,” starting in 2012 we began asking the winner of this particular award to create their own version of George Herriman’s brick-throwing rat (thank you Daryl Ayo and Lale Westvind!).
Last years’ well-deserved winner, Sam Alden produced the wonderful illustration above for our use in 2014.
The Ignatz Submission Process
In order to be considered for an Ignatz nomination, six copies of a work published between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014 should be sent to:
SPX Ignatz Awards
c/o Big Planet Comics
4849 Cordell Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
In order to be considered for an Ignatz nomination, six copies of a work published between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014 should be sent to:
SPX Ignatz Awards
c/o Big Planet Comics
4849 Cordell Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
USA
** Please note this is a different address from last year. **
Links to comics eligible for the Outstanding Online Comic category should be emailed to spxignatz@gmail.com.
** Please note this is a different address from last year. **
Links to comics eligible for the Outstanding Online Comic category should be emailed to spxignatz@gmail.com.
All submissions must be received by June 7, 2014.
Full guidelines are available at http://www.spxpo.com/ignatz-guidelines.
All questions should be sent to the Ignatz Award coordinator, Eden Miller, at spxignatz@gmail.com.
Jon McNaught in the SPX Collection at the Library of Congress
Jon McNaught is a master print maker and his Dockwood by our really good bros at Nobrow, is one helluva book IMHO. So when he agreed to to the program guide cover for SPX 2013 AND bring us the original, we were indeed honored.
Now check out how he did this, He used 2 layers of acetate, did half the drawing on one and half the other. When the top overlayed the lower layer, it set the black ink drawing on the lower layer to a nice shade of grey. Which he then colored into the blues used on the program guide.
One real difficult piece of work, if you ask this un-artistic person.
And he based the design on a real cool mid-1930’s sports ad he found.
Jon’s is MUCH better…..
And Sara Duke is once again happy with her latest addition to the SPX Collection at the Library of Congress….
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