Best APE Ever! -- APE 2001 sets Attendance Records
Alternative
Press Expo 2001, held February 17-18 in San Francisco, is being widely
heralded as the best APE ever. With an A-list crew of alternative artists
like Batton Lash, Scott McCloud, Dan Clowes, Peter
Kuper, Kieron Dwyer, Linda Medley, and Judd Winick,
it’s easy to understand why. The show set an attendance record, and the
success spilled over to the dealers, artists, and your humble CBLDF.
The Fort Mason Center was thronged with curious onlookers and alternative
comics devotees for both days of the show and most wandered over to find
ace volunteer Kyle Cunningham and CBLDF director Chris Bleistein minding
the CBLDF booth. On Saturday afternoon they were joined by Norm
creator Michael Jantze, who signed for two hours and sold compilations
of his nationally syndicated strip to benefit the Fund. Michael’s generosity
was but one example of the extraordinary effort shown by a committed corps
of comics citizens who lent their aid to the cause.
On the Saturday evening of the show, Hallie Brignall and the fine folks
at the Cartoon Art Museum lent their beautiful gallery space to the CBLDF
for its swankiest members’ reception yet. The members’ reception was
the centerpiece of a serious fundraising effort at the show. The message
of this effort was clear: Comics must be treated as art. Those who agree,
and were seen at the party, include comics legends Scott McCloud
and Trina Robbins, as well as Keith Knight and Batton
Lash.
Following the reception, the crowd migrated over to the Double Play bar
for an evening of Pornie-Oke, brought to San Francisco by Last Gasp.
Last Gasp’s honcho and true friend of the Fund, Ron Turner, brought together
another terrific CBLDF benefit party that will surely live in infamy.
Pornie-Oke, a form of karaoke developed by impresario Chicken John, amazed
and appalled the crowd with an inventive combination of artistic forms
that have rarely been combined. Those on hand for the display will surely
agree that nothing compliments a cheesy love song like midgets and nuns.
Charles Brownstein deserves an extra special thanks for submitting to
the pornie and the oke in order to help us out.
The efforts of everyone at the show, including the generosity of Comic-Con
International, led to a record-setting weekend for all involved. APE
has truly broken through as the West Coast’s premiere Alternative/Independent
Comics Expo. We look forward to the continued growth of the show and
hope to see you at the next one.
