STAPLE! Austin

Wow! Exhibitor tables for STAPLE! 2006 have sold out! Check back here for a full list of exhibitors to be posted soon! Update: The full exhibitor list is now online.

Tony Millionaire at STAPLE!

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is pleased to announce the appearance of Mr. Tony Millionaire at our second annual expo to be held March 4th, 2006 in Austin, Texas. Mr. Millionaire is the creator of Maakies, Sock Monkey, the new Billy Hazelnuts, and other fine comical adventures. We are proud and excited to have Tony Millionaire at STAPLE!

Exhibitors!

Our list of exhibitors is growing and includes the folks mentioned above plus Chris Moreno, Silent Devil Productions, Rafael Navarro, Viper Comics, Drew Edwards, Danielle Corsetto, Jeffery Stevenson, John Thornton, Justin Humphries, Nate Southard, Dylan Edwards, Jason Degroot, Toby Craig, and more!

Today we are starting a new series of quick questions posed to artists about working in comics. The first one up is Paige Braddock, creator of Jane’s World. Go read it now in the articles section.

What is the Xeric Grant, and why should you know about it if you’re a self-publisher? Five creators who have successfully lobbied for and been awarded a grant for self-publishing talk about the rewards, potential pitfalls and process of signing up for comics’ best known self-publishing grant! Panelists include Alex Cahill & Jad Ziade Something So Familiar, Emily Benz & Summer McClinton Thread, and Michael LaRiccia Black Mane.

We’ve just republished a how-to article on book binding by Toby Craig to the new articles section of the STAPLE web site. While you are there, also check out our interview with Scott Kurtz.

Details are starting to come together for our 2006 show. STAPLE will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2006 in Austin at the Red Oak Ballroom. Hope to see you there!

Registration for exhibitors is now open. Please download the PDF and mail it in to reserve your table.

STAPLE! 2006 is in the works! Stay tuned to this website for exciting updates about next year’s show!

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The STAPLE! DVD is finished and ready to order! You can hear excerpts from the interviews on the audio page, or head over to the Rethunk Media web site for more information and to order your copy.

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo, Texas’ first independent and small-press comics, zines and arts convention, recently donated $1,000 to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The check was delivered by Nate Southard, one of the show’s organizers, during the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco to Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the CBLDF.

Brownstein said, ‘Starting a convention from scratch is a daunting enough task, but making it fun for everyone in the room, profitable for the exhibitors, and successful for the organizers is nearly impossible. But STAPLE! pulled all of it off, and the organizers are such nice and generous guys that rather than taking the proceeds as a much deserved reward, they passed it on to help the Fund defend the First Amendment rights of cartoonists and retailers. We’re very grateful for their generous support and look forward to working with the show as it continues to grow in the years to come.’

According to STAPLE! lead organizer Chris Nicholas, the donated funds came from the door receipts of the Texas show. ‘I’m very happy we’re able to give this money to the CBLDF,’ said Nicholas ‘and that our first show was successful and well-attended enough that we had it to give. The Fund does an important job and it has been a real pleasure working with them. We definitely want to have the CBLDF involved in STAPLE! again next year.’

CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein (L) receives a check from STAPLE! organizer Nate Southard.

Audio excerpts from the upcoming Staple 2005 DVD are now available. The DVD is currently in production and will include video of the Staple panels, interviews with artists, and original artwork. Check back for details, or sign-up on the mailing list to be notified when it is available.