The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (widely known as CAKE) is a comic book festival usually held each June in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Inaugurated in 2012, the curated festival showcases

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

minicomics A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...

, and

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

s created by independent artists and publishers. CAKE focuses on the art of comics, and unlike traditional comic book conventions, does not feature much in the way of

cosplaying Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and ...

, collectibles, back-issue dealers, or mainstream superhero publishers. Instead, the show centers around an artist alley-style exhibition space that features roughly 200 vendors, as well as industry-related panel discussions. The festival gives out the CupCake Awards, geared toward

minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...

self-publishers.

History

The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo was co-founded by

Edie Fake Edie Fake (born 1980) is an American artist, illustrator, author, and transgender activist. Fake is known for their comics/zines, gouache and ink paintings, and murals. Fake has an award winning comic-zine series about Gaylord Phoenix, a bird-li ...

and Neil Brideau, both then employees at the Chicago independent bookstore Quimby's. The show was designed to honor Chicago's legacy as a home for small-press and self-publishing cartoonists. CAKE was inaugurated as a two-day event on June 16–17, 2012, at 1104 S. Wabash (The Ludington Building), part of the campus of

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...

. Sponsors included Quimby's Bookstore, the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, and

, some of whose venues hosted concurrent events related to the show. The event moved to the

Center on Halsted Center on Halsted is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community center in Chicago, Illinois. The center is located in the Lakeview neighborhood on the corner of Halsted Street and Waveland, attached to Whole Foods Market. It is ...

, an

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

community center, in 2013. The convention achieved

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

status in 2015. In 2020, CAKE announced it was leaving its long-time location at Center on Halsted, and relocating to the Broadway Armory, located in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. However, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 events were canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The in-person show returned in 2023, held at the Broadway Armory.

Event history

CupCake Award

The CupCake Award is a juried prize that is presented annually at CAKE to a local

creator. It comes with $250 to use toward printing a new minicomic, half a table at that year's show, and the "support" of a local mentor."CupCake Award,"
CAKE website. Retrieved May 21, 2022.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Comic festivals and alternative comics conventions Book fairs in the United States Comics conventions in the United States June Annual events in Illinois Recurring events established in 2012 2012 establishments in Illinois Conventions in Chicago Festivals established in 2012 Comics conventions