| Alternative Press Expo | |
|---|---|
![]()  | |
| Status | Defunct | 
| Genre | Alternative comics convention | 
| Frequency | Annual | 
| Venue | Herbst Pavilion (2000–2002) Concourse Exhibition Center (San Francisco) (2003–2013) San Jose Convention Center (2015–2017)  | 
| Location(s) | San Jose, California (1994–1999, 2015–2017) San Francisco, California (2000–2014)  | 
| Country | United States | 
| Inaugurated | June 4, 1994 | 
| Founder | Dan Vado | 
| Most recent | 2017 | 
| Organized by | Slave Labor Graphics (1994, 2015–2017) Comic-Con International (1995–2015)  | 
| Website | www | 
The Alternative Press Expo (APE) was a comic book festival and alternative comics convention that operated from 1994 to 2017. Founded by Slave Labor Graphics publisher Dan Vado, APE focused on self-published, independent, and alternative cartoonists and comic publishers.
History
APE was organized by Vado in 1994 as an event for artists to "promote themselves without having to drown out a 50-million-watt display by some huge publisher."[1] The first APE was held as a one-day event in San Jose, California.[2]
Vado transferred management of APE to Comic-Con International in 1995.[3] The event expanded to two days of programming in 1998, and included special guests Mike Allred, Jhonen Vasquez, Terry Moore, Batton Lash, Shannon Wheeler, and Jill Thompson.[2] In 2000, APE moved to San Francisco,[3] where it was held a one-day event at the Herbst Pavilion in Fort Mason, before moving to the Concourse Exhibition Center in 2003. The programming available at the event expanded under Comic-Con International, with APE 2005 offering panels, seminars, exhibitions and special guests. APE was moved to the fall beginning in 2008.
The final APE organized by Comic-Con International was held in 2014. Vado re-assumed management of the event that year, and returned APE to San Jose in 2015.[4] The most recent APE was held in 2017, with special guests Jhonen Vasquez and Derf Backderf. As of 2019, the event is no longer organized.[5]
Event dates and locations

- 1994: June 4 — Parkside Hall, San Jose[6]
 - 1995: May 19 — San Jose[7]
 - 1996: March 23 — San Jose[8]
 - 1997: February 2 — San Jose[9]
 - 1998: February 21–22 — San Jose[2]
 - 1999: February 27–28 — San Jose[10]
 - 2000: February 5 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco[11]
 - 2001: February 17–18 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco[12]
 - 2002: February 9–10 — Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco[13]
 - 2003: February 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[14]
 - 2004: February 21–22 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[15]
 - 2005: April 9–10 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[16]
 - 2006: April 8–9 – Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[17]
 - 2007: April 21–22 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[18]
 - 2008: November 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[19]
 - 2009: October 17–18 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
 - 2010: October 16–17 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco[20]
 - 2011: October 1–2 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
 - 2012: October 13–14 — Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
 - 2013: October 12–13 – Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
 - 2014: October 4–5 – Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco
 - 2015: October 3-4 – San Jose Convention Center, San Jose
 - 2016: October 8-9 – San Jose Convention Center, San Jose
 - 2017: September 23–24 – San Jose Convention Center, San Jose[21]
 
References
- ↑ Matt Osterberg (1996). A Q&A with Slave Labor President, Dan Vado.. Retrieved July 12, 2005. Archived 2009-10-25.
 - 1 2 3 Comic Book Legal Defence Fund (1998). Report: CBLDF Goes A.P.E.! Archived 2005-02-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - 1 2 McKenney, Craig. "APE Moves to San Francisco," Comics Journal (Jan. 2000), p. 17.
 - ↑ Vado, Dan (October 7, 2014). "Alternative Press Expo returns to SLG Publishing". SLG Publishing. San Jose, California: Slave Labor Graphics. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
 - ↑ MacDonald, Heidi. "Whatever happened to... APE?," The Beat (October 3, 2017).
 - ↑ Geoffrey R. Mason (1994). INFORMATION: Alternative Press Expo (APE) 1994. Retrieved via Google Groups July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ James Drew (1995). Once in a While an APE II A. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Randy Reynaldo (1996). WCG at APE III. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Jerry Stratton (1997). Fear and Loathing in San José. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Kate the Short (1999). Fandom FAQ - Welcome to alt.comics.fandom!. Retrieved via Google Groups July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Comic Book Legal Defence Fund (2000). Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Goes APE! Archived 2004-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Jeff Mason (2001). Ape 2001 Report
 - ↑ Wonderella Printed (2002). APE 2002 . Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Alan Bamberger (2003). APE 2003: SAN FRANCISCO ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Comic-Con International (2004). APE 2004 Programming Schedule Archived 2005-08-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Comic-Con International (2005). APE :: What's New:. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
 - ↑ Comic-Con International (2006). APE :: What's New:. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
 - ↑ Comic-Con International (2007). APE 2007 :: A Look Back at APE 2007 Archived 2008-08-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
 - ↑ Comic-Con International (2008). APE :: What's New. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
 - ↑ Beale, Scott. "APE 2010 – Alternative Press Expo," Laughing Squid (Oct. 3, 2010).
 - ↑ Vado, Dan. "2017 APE DATES ANNOUNCED," Alternative Press Expo website (January 13, 2017).
 
