Dustin Harbin hosts the 2011 Ignatz Awards!

The Ignatz Awards, named for the character in the classic comic strip Krazy Kat by George Herriman, is a festival prize that recognizes outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The ballot is created by a panel of five cartoonists and is then voted on by the attendees at the event. This offers a unique reflection of the views the professionals and their fans.

SPX 2011 – Navigating the Contemporary Publishing Landscape from Small Press Expo on Vimeo.

In the early 2000s, corporate publishers nearly raced to acquire graphic novels. Now, as the mainstream publishing industry faces severe contractions and as online media assumes many traditional functions of publishing, cartoonists face a rapidly changing publishing landscape, one that includes a resurgent small press. Johanna Draper Carlson spoke with Domitille Collardey, Mike Dawson, Meredith Gran, Roger Langridge and Julia Wertz about publishing options today.

Comics have increasingly expressed personal experience, but have focused largely on inner life, depicting the human form via traditional, synthetic cartoon figuration. Moderator Craig Fischer speaks with Robyn Chapman (Hey 4-Eyes!, Make), Jennifer Hayden (Underwire), Gabby Schulz (Monsters), and Jen Vaughn (Don’t Hate, Menstruate!, Heavy Flow) about the ethics, erotics, and extremes involved in representing the external experience of the body.