Small Press Expo Will Debut Over 170 Books This Year
by Hannah Means Shannon
Each year at Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, the show hosts a large number of debut volumes from small press publishers and books published by creators.
This year, over 170 different graphic novels and comics will make their publishing debut during the show which is held on September 16th and 17th, 2017. A complete list of debuts, including cover images and publishing information, can be found on the SPX web site.
But here a few highlights from the debut books expected at SPX 2017 to give you an idea of this year’s offerings:
Language Barrier shows real meaning behind emojis, the subtext of sexts, the financial cryptography of flats and pumps, and more are revealed in this witty and wonderfully drawn collection. Hannah K. Lee’s first book from Koyama Press melds elegant typography, beautiful illustration and trenchant text to make an acerbic art book.
House of Women from Fantagraphics is Sophie Goldstein’s second solo graphic novel, following 2015’s The Oven (AdHouse Books), which appeared on many year-end “Best of” lists, including Publisher’s Weekly and Slate. In this graphic novel, science fiction meets psychosexual drama when four women try to bring “civilization” to the natives of a remote planet on the fringes of the known universe.
Berlin 21 is the penultimate issue of Jason Lutes’ long-running series from Drawn & Quarterly and finds Silvia Braun and David Schwartz joining forces to sabotage a neighborhood National Socialist outpost, while Marthe Müller says her final farewells to the city where she has come of age. And as darkness manifests in the alleyways of the underclass and estates of the elite, Kurt Severing glimpses the worst of all possible futures.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Behind is the 3rd collection of Keith Knight’s nationally-syndicated comic strip the Knight Life. The hilarious new book follows the trials and tribulations of America’s foremost Gentleman Cartoonist and Star Wars Prequel-Denier, as he navigates family life, racism, giant spiders, and comic nerds. Seen in such fine papers as the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Diego Union Tribune and the Boston Herald.
Sh*t My President Said: Acclaimed cartoonist Shannon Wheeler (The New Yorker, God Is Disappointed in You, Too Much Coffee Man) transforms Donald Trump’s most revealing tweets into razor-sharp cartoons, offering a subversive and illuminating insight into the mind of the most divisive political figure of our time. Whether you love him or hate him, this take on Trump will help you come to grips with the man and his ideas thanks to Wheeler’s signature mix of slapstick and sophistication.
Laura Terry’s adorable woodland creatures return in Adorable Empire Vol. 2. In their second adventure, they fend for themselves on the mean streets of Manhattan. Will they survive? Can they make it on their own? Will they be taken to the underworld by an army of giant roaches? The only thing for certain is that there will be destruction and it will be chockfull of cuteness.