The Alternative Press Expo, or APE, is coming up this weekend at The Concourse in San Francisco. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Special guests include Jamaica Dyer, Phoebe Gloeckner, Dean Haspiel, Batton Lash, Lark Pien, Dash Shaw and Jeff Smith. Here are a few more items of interest if you're attending ...
Fantagraphics | Fantagraphics sent over their signing schedule for the show:
Saturday
11AM - 1PM: Jon Vermilyea (MOME) & Frank Santoro (MOME)
12:00–12:45 Spotlight on Dash Shaw
1PM - 3PM: Dash Shaw & T. Edward Bak (MOME)
3PM - 5PM: John Pham
5PM - 7PM: Renee French (MOME) & Andrice Arp (MOME)
Sunday
11AM - 1PM: Jon Vermilyea (MOME), Frank Santoro (MOME) & Dash Shaw
1PM - 3PM: T. Edward Bak (MOME) & John Pham
3PM - 5PM: Renee French & Andrice Arp
They'll have many new releases on hand: The Troublemakers by Gilbert Hernandez, Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical by Robert Williams, Pim & Francie by Al Columbia, Sublife #2 by John Pham, The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D. by Dash Shaw, MOME Vol. 16 by various, The Great Anti-War Cartoons by Craig Yoe, and Ganges #3 by Kevin Huizenga.
"As an added bonus, Dash Shaw is an official APE guest this year and will be signing copies of his new book, The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D.," writes Eric Reynolds. "For anyone who buys the book at one of his Fanta signings during APE, Dash will do an original PAINTING on the front cover! You will not want to miss out."
CBLDF | Beanworld creator and CBLDF Board Member Larry Marder will helm the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund presence at APE in San Francisco. Their booth will have hundreds of books for donations of $5 and $10, including items from authors Cory Doctorow, Jeff Smith, Terry Moore, Josh Neufeld, Neil Gaiman, and many more. There's also a CBLDF-sponsored Live Art Battle featuring Jeff Smith and Dean Haspiel on Sunday afternoon.
Sparkplug | Sparkplug Comic Books will premiere Whirlwind Wonderland by Rina Ayuyang, co-published with Tugboat Press. The book is also for sale on their website.
Sparkplug and Tugboat will be sitting next to each other, and Sparkplug will have Tom Neely, Teenage Dinosaur, Jesse Reklaw, Willow Dawson, Chris Cilla, Rina Ayuyang, David King, Renee French and Andrice Arp at their table, booth #359-362. Sparkplug will also be representing Bodega Distribution, Jason Martin, La Mano and Secret Acres at the show.
Drawn & Quarterly | D + Q will debut three books at the show: Red Snow, Big Questions 13 and Hot Potatoe. Here's their signing schedule:
Saturday, October 17
12-3pm Marc Bell Signing
1-3pm R Sikoryak Signing
3-5pm Anders Nilsen Signing
Sunday, October 18
12-3pm Marc Signing
1-3pm R Sikoryak Signing
3-5pm Anders Signing
Blue Ringed Comics | Blue Ringed Comics will launch their new comic Kate Anderson Adventures. Creators Steven Sautter and Kathy Harnack will be on hand all weekend, signing and smiling. Drop by and enter to win a chance to be drawn into the next issue. They'll be at booth 561.
Creators | King City creator Brandon Graham and Elephantman artist Marian Churchland will be at the Neon Monster booth, #454/455. Churchland will have a new mini-comic "about mice and dogs," Graham writes on his blog.
Fanfare / Ponent Mon | Fanfare / Ponent Mon will be at booth 232, where they'll be previewing two soon-to-be-released titles: Years of the Elephant by Willy Linthout and Jiro Taniguchi’s A Distant Neighborhood #2. They'll also have prize drawings and giveaways this weekend.