Dave goes A.P.E.
Alternative Press Expo, that is. I went to the show yesterday, took some really cruddy photos with my camera phone, and had a great time.
Going in, it was pretty obvious that it really was alternative press. I think I saw maybe one or two DC or Marvel images in the whole show. I was trying to get a booth myself, but now that I have seen it I am kind of glad they were full up. My DC and Marvel shirts would not have been well received, I think. Next year I will consider it again, but if I do it I will most likely be very selective as to what I bring in.
I did see one guy wearing this Umbrella Corp t-shirt, but that was literally about as mainstream as the show got (image courtesy of the movie t shirt category).
So, instead I saw a ton of really amazing comic books and graphic novels done by guys in their homes and published on a shoe string budget. There were any number of great ones (as well as any number of mediocre and cruddy ones), as well as a huge selection of art, creative products, and t-shirts (more on that later).
I was also really impressed with the vast number of booths and the size of the event. San Francisco is well know for creative people, but I had no idea it was so broad and encompassing. The other great part was how cool everyone was. Going in I had an idea that there were a lot of counter-culture people with an attitude towards mainstream comics. Instead, I found almost everyone was just comic fans trying to break into the world and get their art out there, as well as just being cool and fun to talk with. Everyone was grateful for people just stopping by their booth. No one was trying to hard sell anything (and I stopped by every booth).
Speaking of selling, I broke my personal promise to myself and actually bought four t-shirts for myself. Ironic that I run a site that sells t-shirts and end up buying more to add to my already massive collection, but these shirts were too cool to not own. In my defense, I am seriously considering bringing a lot of the very cool shirts I saw onto my site (maybe create a small press t-shirt category?) .
The event goes all day today as well if you are in the Bay Area and are looking for something to do. Well worth the $10 ticket. Parking is another $10, but I found street parking about four blocks away, which in San Francisco is like parking three cars down. The event is very well organized and smoothly run. The people running it were all very friendly. Food kind of sucks, and there was a huge line for the only overworked ATM machine, so consider packing a lunch and loading up on cash if you want to buy anything.
Probably more dating advice tomorrow, although I am working on some really great interview that I am really excited about. Keep checking back and see what I come up with.
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