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Report on the Alternative Press Expo 2001 (San Francisco)

This article and photogallery originally was posted at the WCG Comics website in November 2001 and was moved/archived to this blog (with some light editing) in March 2020.

Below are a few photos from the 2001 Alternative Press Expo (APE), held in San Francisco, California, Saturday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 18, 2001 at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center. Part of the old Fort Mason complex, the area has been converted into an arts village.

This was the third APE I've attended, but my first at the new site in San Francisco, where they moved the year before from San Jose, California.

Below my brother reads a comic-book while helping me at my booth.


Below is a photo down the length of Herbst Pavilion. Being San Francisco, it was a very rainy weekend (as was the previous year.)


Another shot of my booth. I was actually at the far end of the Pavilion.


While sales were satisfactory, I did feel moreso than I have in the past that APE is not entirely an appropriate showcase for my work. As anyone familiar with Rob Hanes Adventures knows, my work is fairly "mainstream" and traditional—it is not truly "alternative." Many of the attendees at APE this year seemed to be truly looking for alternative kind of work, a feeling that was magnified by the fact that we were in San Francisco. (Don't get me wrong -- I love San Francisco, but the attendees at the show were not traditional comic-book fans, and more seemed to be more interested in more alternative and edgier work.)

In any case, I did have a good time, and enjoyed catching up with many friends and colleagues. I may consider returning to WonderCon next year, however, since, again, my work tends to receive a stronger response from mainstream and casual comic-book fans.

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