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The weekend is almost here! What geeky things are you all doing? Sound off in the comments below! While you wait for the weekend to begin, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
The Beat – A Tale of Two Cons: Baltimore Comic Con and SPX – Who else went to both?
The Comics Journal – “This Is Where We Make Things Right”: A Report from SPX 2023 – More from SPX.
CBR – One Piece Gets Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix – Anyone surprised by that?
Reviews
CBR – Avengers Inc. #1
CBR – Batman and Robin #1
The Beat – Classwar
CBR – Masters of the Universe: Forge of Destiny #1
Small Press Expo 2023 has come and gone and it was an interesting year packed with amazing comics. We go over initial thoughts and show off what we grabbed at the show!
During the Small Press Expo (SPX) taking place this weekend, the winners of the 2023 Ignatz Awards were announced. The Ignatz are a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.
Voting for the Ignatz Awards was open to anybody on the SPX email lists and anyone requesting a ballot. There was no in-person voting at the show, as voting for the prestigious Ignatz Awards was open to all fans of indie comics.
Ignatz Awards nominees are determined by a panel of comics professionals.
Congrats to all of the winners. They have been denoted in bold with “winner” added to their listing.
OUTSTANDING ARTIST
OUTSTANDING ANTHOLOGY
OUTSTANDING COLLECTION
OUTSTANDING COMIC
OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC NOVEL
OUTSTANDING MINICOMIC
OUTSTANDING ONLINE COMIC
OUTSTANDING SERIES
OUTSTANDING STORY
PROMISING NEW TALENT:
Catch the Ignatz Awards live from the Small Press Expo 2023!
Fantagraphics is heading to SPX on September 9th-10th and they’re excited! They’ll be at tables W51-55, along with a bunch of artists: K. Wroten (Eden II), Natalie Norris (Dear Mini: A Graphic Memoir, Book One), Ana Penyas (We’re All Just Fine), Bill Griffith (Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Love Affair With A Famous Cartoonist), M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension), Briana Loewinsohn (Ephemera: A Memoir), Julia Gfrörer (Vision), Daria Tessler (Salome’s Last Dance–get your copies signed at her booth G11!), Lee Dean (I Am Young), Chris Wisnia (Doris Danger: Giant Monsters Amok), Ana Merino (Illustrating Spain in the US), and Tim Lane (Happy Hour in America #2)!
Saturday, September 9th:
11:00 am-12:00 pm: M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
12:00 pm-1:00 pm: M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension) + Briana Loewinsohn (Ephemera: A Memoir)
1:00-2:00 pm: Julia Gfrörer (Vision) + M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
2:00-3:00 pm: Natalie Norris (Dear Mini: A Graphic Memoir, Book One) + Briana Loewinsohn (Ephemera: A Memoir)
3:00-4:00 pm: K. Wroten (Eden II) + Lee Dean (I Am Young)
3:30-4:30 pm: Bill Griffith (Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Love Affair With A Famous Cartoonist)
4:00-5:00 pm: Chris Wisnia (Doris Danger: Giant Monsters Amok) + M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
5:00-6:00 pm: Ana Penyas (We’re All Just Fine) + Ana Merino (Illustrating Spain in the US) + M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
6:00-7:00 pm: M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
Sunday, September 10th:
12:00-1:00 pm: M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
1:00-2:00 pm: K. Wroten (Eden II) + Briana Loewinsohn (Ephemera: A Memoir)
2:00-3:00 pm: Briana Loewinsohn (Ephemera: A Memoir) and Ana Penyas (We’re All Just Fine)
3:00-4:00 pm: M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension) + Lee Dean (I Am Young) + Natalie Norris (Dear Mini: A Graphic Memoir, Book One)
4:00-5:00 pm: Chris Wisnia (Doris Danger: Giant Monsters Amok) + M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension)
5:00-6:00 pm: M.S. Harkness (Time Under Tension) + Tim Lane (Happy Hour in America #2)
Saturday, September 9th at 12:00 pm in the White Oak Room, Horror Of The Everyday : Sometimes, the most effective horror stories aren’t about jump scares and blood. Sometimes, they spring out of mundane and everyday situations, slowly turning reality into something terrifying. Be it a dog that slowly takes over someone’s life, demons silently interfering with a couple, or a woman’s desperate need for motherhood driving her to terrifying extremes, the horror of the everyday is often the most terrifying because it feels so familiar. Join moderator Dr. Rachel S. Miller along with panelists Nicole Goux (Pet Peeves), Julia Gfrörer (Too Dark To See, Vision), Beth Hetland (Tender), and King Ray (Phonestoned) as they explore their own takes on horror.
Saturday, September 9th at 2:00 pm in the White Oak Room, Spotlight on Bill Griffith and Three Rocks: The Story Of Ernie Bushmiller: Bill Griffith is a legend of the underground comics era, co-editing Arcade and syndicated his surreal Zippy The Pinhead strip for nearly fifty years. His new book, Three Rocks: The Story Of Ernie Bushmiller, is his latest graphic novel, detailing the creator of Nancy’s life and the influence that strip had on him. He’ll be joined in conversation by writer, historian, and critic Paul Gravett, made immortal as “The Man At The Crossroads” by Eddie Campbell.
Saturday, September 9th at 3:30 pm in the White Flint Amphitheater, History On The Ground: Personal Accounts: When history books are written, they rarely take into account how momentous events affect individuals. Eleri Mai Harris (The Nib) will discuss how larger historical events informed the personal stories told by the panelists. Join Ana Penyas (We’re All Just Fine), Derf (Kent State), Tracy White (Unaccompanied), and Michael Cherkas (Red Harvest) as they reveal personal and unexamined perspectives on history.
Saturday, September 9th at 5:00 pm in the White Oak Room, Carousel: Comics Performances: Since 1997, R. Sikoryak has hosted Carousel, a series of comics readings and visual performances by cartoonists and theater artists, presented around the U.S. and Canada. This special edition of Carousel at SPX features exhibiting artists and guests, performing live. Join us for an audio-visual journey to the place where comics and performance collide! Featuring: Lawrence Lindell (Blackward), Breena Nuñez (The Nib, The New Yorker), Jonathan Baylis (So Buttons), Robyn Smith (Wash Day Diaries), Kayla E. (Precious Rubbish). and R. Sikoryak (Constitution Illustrated).
Saturday, September 9th at 6:00 pm in the White Oak Room, New Approaches to Nonfiction: Pushing the Form: This panel will focus on creators using innovative approaches to the form in their nonfiction comics. Working on topics ranging from history, journalism, graphic medicine and neuroscience, cartoonists will discuss how nonfiction comics can explore the most exciting possibilities of the form. Moderator Dr. Francesca Lyn will join Dan Nott (Hidden Systems), Whit Taylor (The Greater Good), Box Brown (Tetris, Cannabis), and Briana Loewinsohn (Ephemera: A Memoir) as they discuss their approaches to nonfiction narratives.
Sunday, September 10th at 1:00 pm in the Glen Echo Room, Resiliency Narratives With Natalie Norris: In this workshop we gather to learn techniques for approaching memoir stories that we find difficult to tell but feel compelled to share. We’ll focus on the resiliency that grows out of personal stories about adversity, illness, and survival and how you can harness your strength to face these kinds of memoirs. This workshop will include discussion and a drawing activity. All skill levels are welcome, drawing materials will be provided. Sign up here!
Sunday, September 10th at 1:30 pm in the White Oak Room, Subgenres Of Memoir: Memoir comics have expanded from simply depicting personal narratives to dipping into the tropes of other genres. Paul Gravett moderates a panel of memoirists whose work spills over into different storytelling styles. The artists are Eddie Campbell (the meta-memoir The Second Fake Death Of Eddie Campbell), MariNaomi (the mystery-memoir I Thought You Loved Me), Elizabeth Trembley (the multiple points of view narrative Look Again), and Kayla E. (the reclaimed-image memoir Precious Rubbish).
Sunday, September 10th at 4:00 pm in the White Flint Amphitheater, Immersive Worlds: Complex Depictions Of Environments: There are cartoonists who pay as much or even more attention to depictions of the worlds they create as they do to their characters. For some, it’s even more important. Whether it’s densely-inked backgrounds or vivid colors dominating each panel, a complex environment tells its own story. Moderator Rob Clough joins Wren McDonald (Cyber Realm), Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Don’t Go Without Me), K. Wroten (Eden II), and Daria Tessler (Salome’s Last Dance) as they discuss their immersive worlds.
Small Press Expo has announced that for the first time ever, the Ignatz Awards will be presented live in person AND online! If you’re not in the vicinity of the Marriott, you can subscribe to their YouTube and enable alerts to be reminded when the stream goes live, or just tune in to the channel on Saturday night.
Also announced is that Ngozi Ukazu will give the keynote address for this year’s awards. Ngozi is a New York Times best-selling author who is a winner of both the Ignatz and Harvey awards, along with being an Eisner Award nominee.
You can see all of the 2023 Ignatz Nominees on the SPX website.
Below are the details and help celebrate the winners of the 2023 Ignatz Awards this coming Saturday.
Date: Saturday, September 9
Time: 9:30PM ET
Small Press Expo has announced that over 140 books and comics will debut at SPX 2023. A complete list of debuts, including cover images and publishing information, can be found on the SPX web site.
Every Special Guest will have a debut at the show, you can find many of their book signings listed here. Below is the list of Special Guests and where they will be signing their latest works.
The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 9-10, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, located across the street from the North Bethesda Metro station.
SPECIAL GUEST BOOK SIGNING TABLES
Small Press Expo has announced numerous events that take place throughout the surrounding area during SPX 2023. The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 9-10, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center and will have over 500 creators, 280 exhibitor tables, 22 programming panels and 14 hands-on workshops to introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.
These city wide events, can also be found on the SPX web site.
Live! At The Library: Kent State – Recreating History with Comics with Derf Backderf
Derf, the award winning author of Kent State and My Friend Dahmer, will give a talk a as part of the Library of Congress’s Live at the Library program on Thursday September 7 at 6PM.
Tamaki Fall Tour makes a stop at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library
Roaming marks a triumphant return to the graphic novel and deft foray into new adult fiction for Caldecott Medal-winning authors Jillian Tamaki (Boundless) and Mariko Tamaki (Cold). The Tamakis will be in conversation with Melissa Scholes Young at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library on Thursday, September 7 at 7PM.
The Tamakis will be at SPX on Sunday only.
World Premiere of Married To Comics at the AFI Silver Theatre
Married to Comics, by veteran documentarian John Kinhart, is the story of graphic novelist Carol Tyler and her husband, the ground-breaking and influential cartoonist Justin Green, who passed away last year.
Small Press Expo has announced the sponsorship of the World Premiere of Married To Comics, which will be held at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center on Friday, September 8, at 7PM.
Bill Griffith Meet & Greet at Union Market
From Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead and Nobody’s Fool, comes Three Rocks, a biography of cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller, creator of the iconic comic strip Nancy.
09/08/2023 | 6:00pm – 7:30pm | Politics & Prose – Union Market
Small Press Expo (SPX) has announced its exhibitor list and a full slate of in-person programming for the 2023 show.
The list of over 450 exhibitors at SPX 2023 is now available on the SPX web site and also can be found here.
Advanced tickets to SPX 2023 can be purchased at Eventbrite.
The programming slate at SPX 2023 has a variety of panels, highlighted by multimedia experiences like Carl Antonowicz’s live performance of his comic The Ardent and R.Sikoryak’s beloved Carousel.
We will also have spotlight panels on cartoonists Bill Griffith and Raeghan Buchanan. There are twenty-two panels in all that will be held on Saturday, September 9th and Sunday, September 10th. The full programming schedule with descriptions can be seen on the SPX website.
This programming is in addition to the previously announced 14 hands-on workshops, which you can sign up for here.
Here are a few highlights from this year’s programming slate:
