Editor's note: I am very pleased to step aside for a post and let Tony Breed talk about an aspect of SPX that is part of what makes it such a great show: It's diversity--in this case, LGBT. Tony got his own SPX Spotlight here, and I appreciate him taking the time to write up a guest post for me! Please be sure to check him out at the show! -Rob
Welcome to another entry in the 2013 SPX Spotlight series! For the next month, I'll be highlighting creators and publishers who will be at the best convention, the Small Press Expo. You can check out all of my spotlights for SPX from both this year and prior years here.
This post is written by Tony Breed, creator of Finn and Charlie are Hitched. He's made a listing of creators who are either LGBT themselves or make comics that heavily feature characters and themes that relate back to LGBT issues. I asked Tony to talk a little bit about his list:
Last year I was making one of those "how to find me at SPX" maps that everyone creates, and I felt a little silly putting just me on it. So in order to fill it out and make it more interesting, I listed all the other LGBTQ artists and comics I knew would be there. It wasn't a big list, because I just didn't know everyone, but I wasn't trying to make it complete.
Then, at SPX, I found that people had passed my post around (and not just on Tumblr), printed it out, and were carrying it with them to the event. I decided this was something people really wanted, and I should do it again for 2013, but make a real effort to include everyone. I'm sure it's not complete, but it's a much better list this year.
It's important to have a way to discover these creators and comics because people like to see themselves in the media they consume—comics, movies, books, etc. And for a lot of creators, it's why they write: to see themselves, and so others like them can also see themselves. This list just helps us find each other.
My list can be found here, on my Tumblr. I hope it works for you this year!
Rob Adds: Thanks again, Tony. I think you really hit on the key reasons why indie creators do these works, especially those who don't make their living off making comics. You pointed out a few I wasn't aware of, so I'm excited to use this list myself!