SLICE poster art by Alain MacAlister
“Comics are words and pictures,” Harvey Pekar, the writer of the groundbreaking autobiographical comic American Splendor once said. “You can do anything with words and pictures.” If you’d like to see the vast possibilities of what can be achieved with words and pictures, you’d do well to head to the St. Louis Independent Comics Expo (or SLICE), which takes place Saturday, October 18, at the Sheldon (3648 Washington Ave.). Admission is free.
Once again, SLICE will serve as host to some of the best, brightest, and most adventurous comics creators from around our town and across the Midwest. This is the Expo’s ninth edition, and its beginnings way back in 2014 as the St. Louis Small Press Expo are still in full effect, as those comicmakers are joined by people making art prints, ‘zines, poetry collections, chapbooks, and literary magazines as well. If it’s in printed form and it pushes the boundaries of words or pictures, it’s welcome at SLICE.
The exhibit hall is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and features 80 tables worth of artists, writers, and publishers to check out. Special guests for this year’s SLICE are:
- Ngozi Ukazu, writer/artist of the beloved hockey/queer romance comic Check, Please!
- Trung Le Nguyen, the Harvey Award-winning creator of the YA fairy tale The Magic Fish
- Rori, a self-published cartoonist, illustrator of several major exhibits at the Missouri History Museum, and artist of the upcoming graphic novel adaptation of Wuthering Heights due from Andrews McMeel early next year
- Karenza Sparks, creator of the forthcoming graphic novel The Corus Wave (Avery Hill Publishing)
The special guests will take part in special signing events hosted by Left Bank Books as well as panel discussions throughout the day. One additional panel discussion of note: at 11:00am, St. Louis-based comics collective Ink & Drink Comics will be looking back on 15 years(!) of publishing anthologies featuring comic creators from around St. Louis. (Full disclosure: I am an editor and co-founder of Ink & Drink Comics…and I’ll be a member of the panel! Come out and see me!) There will also be numerous workshops throughout the day to learn how to get hands-on and learn how to make comics yourself. Click here for the full programming schedule.
If all of that isn’t enough excitement, there’s also a SLICE opening night reception the night before on Friday, October 17, also at the Sheldon. The event runs from 6:00-10:00pm, and will feature a happy hour, a special guest panel discussion, and the presentation of SLICE’s Best in Show Award.
For the latest information, including an exhibitor list, programming schedule, and convention maps, visit slicexpo.org. | Jason Green
