The Alternative Press Expo (APE) was a comic book festival and alternative comics convention that operated from 1994 to 2017. Founded by Slave Labor Graphics publisher Dan Vado, APE focused on self-published, independent, and alternative cartoonists and comic publishers.
| Alternative Press Expo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Alternative comics convention |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Herbst Pavilion (2000–2002) Concourse Exhibition Center (San Francisco) (2003–2013) San Jose Convention Center (2015–2017) |
| Location(s) | San Jose, California (1994–1999, 2015–2017) San Francisco, California (2000–2014) |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | June 4, 1994 |
| Founder | Dan Vado |
| Most recent | 2017 |
| Organized by | Slave Labor Graphics (1994, 2015–2017) Comic-Con International (1995–2015) |
| Website | www |
History
editAPE 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."[1] The first APE was held as a one-day event in San Jose, California.[2]
Vado transferred management of APE to Comic-Con International, the organizers of San Diego Comic-Con, in 1995.[3] The organization Friends of Lulu produced its first LuluCon (held at the Hyatt Sainte Claire) in conjunction with the 1997 Alternative Press Expo.[4]
The event expanded to two days of programming in 1998, and included special guests Mike Allred, Jhonen Vasquez, Terry Moore, Batton Lash, Shannon Wheeler, and Jill Thompson.[2] In 2000, APE moved to San Francisco,[3] where it was held a one-day event at the Herbst Pavilion in Fort Mason, 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.[5] The most recent APE was held in 2017, with special guests Jhonen Vasquez and Derf Backderf. As of 2019[update], the event is no longer produced.[6]
Event dates and locations
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- 1994: June 4 — Parkside Hall, San Jose[7]
- 1995: May 19 — San Jose[8]
- 1996: March 23 — San Jose[9]
- 1997: February 1 — San Jose[10]
- 1998: February 21–22 — San Jose[2]
- 1999: February 27–28 — San Jose[11]
- 2000: February 5 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco[12]
- 2001: February 17–18 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco[13]
- 2002: February 9–10 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco[14]
- 2003: February 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[15]
- 2004: February 21–22 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[16]
- 2005: April 9–10 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[17]
- 2006: April 8–9 – Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[18]
- 2007: April 21–22 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[19]
- 2008: November 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[20]
- 2009: October 17–18 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
- 2010: October 16–17 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[21]
- 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 Jose[22]
References
edit- ^ Osterberg, Matt (1996). "A Q&A with Slave Labor President, Dan Vado". Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ a b c Comic Book Legal Defence Fund (1998). Report: CBLDF Goes A.P.E.! Archived 2005-02-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ a b McKenney, Craig (Jan 2000). "APE Moves to San Francisco". The Comics Journal. p. 17.
- ^ Helioscope PDX (March 27, 2021). Women who made a huge impact in comics - Friends of Lulu. YouTube. Featuring Anina Bennett and Heidi MacDonald.
- ^ Vado, Dan (October 7, 2014). "Alternative Press Expo returns to SLG Publishing". SLG Publishing. San Jose, California: Slave Labor Graphics. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (October 3, 2017). "Whatever happened to... APE?". The Beat.
- ^ Geoffrey R. Mason (1994). INFORMATION: Alternative Press Expo (APE) 1994. Retrieved via Google Groups July 12, 2005.
- ^ James Drew (1995). Once in a While an APE II A. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Randy Reynaldo (1996). WCG at APE III. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Stratton, Jerry (1997). "Fear and Loathing in San José". Negative Space. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Kate the Short (1999). Fandom FAQ - Welcome to alt.comics.fandom!. Retrieved via Google Groups July 12, 2005.
- ^ Comic Book Legal Defence Fund (2000). Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Goes APE! Archived 2004-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Jeff Mason (2001). Ape 2001 Report
- ^ Wonderella Printed (2002). APE 2002 . Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Alan Bamberger (2003). APE 2003: SAN FRANCISCO ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Comic-Con International (2004). APE 2004 Programming Schedule Archived 2005-08-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Comic-Con International (2005). APE :: What's New:. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
- ^ Comic-Con International (2006). APE :: What's New:. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
- ^ Comic-Con International (2007). APE 2007 :: A Look Back at APE 2007 Archived 2008-08-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
- ^ Comic-Con International (2008). APE :: What's New. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
- ^ Beale, Scott. "APE 2010 – Alternative Press Expo," Laughing Squid (Oct. 3, 2010).
- ^ Vado, Dan. "2017 APE DATES ANNOUNCED," Alternative Press Expo website (January 13, 2017).
External links
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