SPX - Small Press Expo September 23, 2005

http://www.spxpo.com

SPX 2005 will be held the weekend of September 23 and 24, 2005 at the Holiday Inn Select in downtown Bethesda, MD, just one mile outside the nation's capital, Washington DC. In its tenth year SPX now serves as the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent. Our special guest this year is Harvey Pekar.

SPX will bring together over 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, distributors, and each other. SPX will be open to the public from 3pm Friday, September 23rd and run through 8pm that evening, followed by a big Opening Night Party taking up the hotel bar. The celebration continues Saturday from 10am to 7pm, culminating in the 9th annual Ignatz Awards Reception. In addition, expect great programming all weekend long for you to enjoy!

SPX 2005 marks the ninth annual presentation of The Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz, named after George Herriman's brick-wielding mouse, recognizes outstanding work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an artform and as a means of personal expression. The Ignatz is a festival prize, the first such of the United States comic book industry. Winners will be determined by ballot during SPX and presented at the gala Ignatz Awards ceremony.

As with every year all profits from SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. In 2004, SPX was able to help the CBLDF raise over $22,000.