Alternative Press Expo 2007 Press Release
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (April 1, 2007) – Graphic novels have, over the past number of years, developed a dedicated following; people have fallen in love with the medium’s depth and range. San Francisco’s Alternative Press Expo (APE) has become the place to experience this first-hand and is an excellent opportunity to meet the new vanguard of creative voices. Canadian graphic novelist Von Allan will be an exhibitor at this year’s edition of APE and he will be displaying samples from his upcoming graphic novel the road to god knows…
“San Francisco has such a celebrated literary history,” says Allan. “It’s fantastic to see that APE has developed into a place where cartoonists can rub shoulders with the best and brightest of this literary tradition. I think the magic of APE is that it serves as a gathering place for cartoonists of all different tastes and stripes. You can quite literally find anything you’re interested in at the Expo and most likely you’ll be stunned by the artistic and storytelling ability that’s represented. The talent at APE is staggering, to say the least, and it’s wonderful to be a part of that. People are really beginning to realize that comics and graphic novels can evoke any emotion in the reader and do so in a different way then a novel or a film can. That’s a far cry from their pulp origins and I think it’s quite fair to say that comics have grown up. What a unique and magical medium to work in and what a fantastic event to show that work at.”
The road to god knows... is the story of Marie, a young teenage girl coming to grips with her Mom’s schizophrenia. As a result, she’s struggling to grow up fast; wrestling with poverty, loneliness, and her Mom’s illness every step of the way. Betty, Marie’s Mom, can’t help; she’s living with an illness that’s slowly getting worse and increasingly frightening. With her Mom absorbed in her own problems, Marie is essentially alone while she learns to deal with the chaos in her young life.
The road to god knows… is expected to be printed in 2008.
About Von Allan: Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for Star Wars: A New Hope. The single child of two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between their two homes and, consequently, spent a lot of time in the worlds of comics and wrestling. He managed Perfect Books, an independent bookstore in Ottawa, for many years while working on story ideas in his spare time; eventually, he decided to make the leap to a creative life, and the road to god knows… was the result. Additional information about the graphic novel can be found at www.vonallan.com.
About the APE: Comic-Con International, which produces APE, is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. Billed as the largest gathering of alternative and self-published comics in the country, APE features hundreds of artists and publishers under one roof. APE also features an extraordinary special guests list that includes some of the top names in alternative comics along with some of its fastest rising stars.
Contact:
Von Allan
P.O. Box 20520, 390 Rideau Street,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3
Email: von (at) vonallan (dot) com
Alternative Press Expo 2007
April 21st and April 22nd 2007
The Concourse, 620 7th Street
San Francisco, California, United States. 94101
Phone: 619-414-1020
Best run between Sunday, April 1st and Friday, April 20th 2007.
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Von Allan
c/o Von Allan Studio
P.O. Box 20520
390 Rideau Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3
Email: von(at)vonallan(dot)com
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Based on work at www.vonallan.com.
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