The Alternative Press Expo (APE) was a comic book festival and

alternative comics Alternative comics or independent comics cover a range of American comic book, American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alterna ...

convention that operated from 1994 to 2017. Founded by

Slave Labor Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an American independent comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat adult comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoen ...

publisher Dan Vado, APE focused on

self-published Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fr ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, and alternative

cartoonists A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literary ...

and comic publishers.

History

APE was organized by Vado in 1994 as an event for artists to "promote themselves without having to drown out a 50-million-watt display by some huge publisher." The first APE was held as a one-day event in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

. Vado transferred management of APE to Comic-Con International, the organizers of

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

, in 1995. The organization

Friends of Lulu Friends of Lulu (FoL) was a non-profit, national charitable organization located in the United States, designed to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry. FoL operated from 1994 to 20 ...

produced its first LuluCon (held at the Hyatt Sainte Claire) in conjunction with the 1997 Alternative Press Expo. Featuring Anina Bennett and Heidi MacDonald. The event expanded to two days of programming in 1998, and included special guests

Mike Allred Michael Dalton "Mike" Allred (born 1962) is an American Comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He is most well known for his Alternative comics, independent comics creation Madman (Mike Allred character), Madman and for co-creating and dra ...

, Jhonen Vasquez, Terry Moore,

Batton Lash Batton Lash (born Vito Marangi, October 29, 1953 – January 12, 2019) was an American comics creator who came to prominence as part of the 1990s self-publishing boom. He is best known for the series ''Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre'' ( ...

, Shannon Wheeler, and

Jill Thompson Jill Thompson (born November 20, 1966) is an American comics artist, illustrator and writer who has worked for stage, film, and television. Well known for her work on Neil Gaiman's ''The Sandman (Vertigo), The Sandman'' characters and her own ''Sc ...

. In 2000, APE moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, where it was held a one-day event at the Herbst Pavilion in

Fort Mason Fort Mason, in San Francisco, California is a former United States Army post located in the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense site a ...

, before moving to the Concourse Exhibition Center in 2003. The programming available at the event expanded under Comic-Con International, with APE 2005 offering panels, seminars, exhibitions and special guests. APE was moved to the fall beginning in 2008. The final APE organized by Comic-Con International was held in 2014. Vado re-assumed management of the event that year, and returned APE to San Jose in 2015. The most recent APE was held in 2017, with special guests Jhonen Vasquez and

Derf Backderf John Backderf (born October 31, 1959), also known as Derf or Derf Backderf, is an American cartoonist. He is most famous for his graphic novels, especially '' My Friend Dahmer'', the international bestseller which won an Angoulême Prize, and ea ...

. , the event is no longer produced.

Event dates and locations

*1994: June 4 — Parkside Hall, San Jose *1995: May 19 — San Jose *1996: March 23 — San Jose *1997: February 1 — San Jose *1998: February 21–22 — San JoseComic Book Legal Defence Fund (1998)
Report: CBLDF Goes A.P.E.!
. Retrieved July 12, 2005. *1999: February 27–28 — San Jose *2000: February 5 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco *2001: February 17–18 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco *2002: February 9–10 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco *2003: February 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco *2004: February 21–22 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco *2005: April 9–10 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco *2006: April 8–9 – Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco *2007: April 21–22 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco *2008: November 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco * 2009: October 17–18 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco * 2010: October 16–17 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco * 2011: October 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco * 2012: October 13–14 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco * 2013: October 12–13 – Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco * 2014: October 4–5 – Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco * 2015: October 3-4 – San Jose Convention Center, San Jose * 2016: October 8-9 – San Jose Convention Center, San Jose * 2017: September 23–24 – San Jose Convention Center, San JoseVado, Dan
"2017 APE DATES ANNOUNCED,"
Alternative Press Expo website (January 13, 2017).

References

External links

*
Major Books Fairs in the United States of America

Long Twitter thread by exhibitors about the 2017 Alternative Press Expo
{{Comic festivals and alternative comics conventions Book fairs in the United States Comics conventions in the United States Defunct comics conventions Recurring events established in 1994 San Francisco Bay Area conventions Festivals established in 1994 Conventions in California