On a day when the sun finally came back to San Francisco, we thought it best to hide from those destructive rays in pursuit of a hobby often associated with living in one's parents' basement--the collecting and reading of comics. These aren't your typical funnybooks, though-- this was the yearly Alternative Press Expo (or APE), wherein the exhibits center on the self-published, the smaller markets, the oft-ignored subjects and (we must admit, though we love our men in capes and tights as well) probably the most creative stuff going on in the world of sequential art today.
APE took place this past weekend at the Concourse Exhibition Center. As with last year, we knew it would be nigh impossible to cover every aspect of the show and do every creator justice. Accordingly, we talked to a handful of folks to give you what will hopefully be a decent snapshot of the event. And, hey, if you like what you see, we've provided follow-up info on the creators we talked to, and we encourage you to please make a point of visiting the event next year. Below the jump are an introduction to Bob Lipsky and (pictured above); a small conversation with lauded indie creator (and our favorite creator, period) Alex Robinson (Box Office Poison, Tricked); Randall Christopher and his esoteric creation Kleeman and Mike; comics more of the "strip" variety from the Honolulu Advertiser's Deb Aoki (Bento Box); we checked in again with Real Gone Girl Studio's Miriam Libicki (Jobnik!; Towards A Hot Jew); Shannon O'Leary and her locally produced Pet Noir; another local, Alexis E. Fajardo (Kid Beowulf); and an in-the-flesh encounter with Julia Wertz of Fartparty, who SFist Jackson recently interviewed.
