Small Press Expo 2024

This year's Small Press Expo will be held September 14-15, 2024. Visit Curls Studio at Table K11 at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Road Rockville, Maryland 20852). 

Saturday, September 14 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 15 -- NOON - 6:00 PM

The latest issue of Magic Bullet (Issue #21) will debut at SPX this year -- look for a new Black Magic Tales story (completed in 2023) in it!

Baltimore Comic-Con and Small Press Expo are this weekend

Two shows are happening at the same time, so Curls Studio has cloned ourselves and will be exhibiting at both. The way we plan to do this is:

Joe Carabeo will be at Baltimore on Friday and Sunday / SPX on Saturday.
Carolyn Belefski will be at Baltimore on Saturday and SPX on Sunday.

Baltimore Comic-Con 2023
This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-10, 2023. Visit Curls Studio at Table K8 in Kids Love Comics inside Baltimore Convention Center. 

Friday, September 8 -- 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday, September 9 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 10 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
(with VIP admission 30 minutes early each day)

Visit Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con in the Kids Love Comics section at Table K8. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. Kids 10 and under get in free with paid adult admission.

Small Press Expo 2023
This year's Small Press Expo will be held September 9-10, 2023. Visit Curls Studio at Table K10 at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Road Rockville, Maryland 20852). 

Saturday, September 9 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 10 -- NOON - 6:00 PM

Recap: Curls Studio's Year of 2022

Looking back on 2022 it seemed to be another transitional year -- still getting back into the swing of things with lots of changes behind-the-scenes. Comic conventions ramped back up and we exhibited at 10 events (including our first time at Maryland STEM Festival). I started experimenting with new custom booth designs at a few of the shows (a nod to Lucy's psychiatry booth from Peanuts happened at Small Press Expo). I even started cosplaying in 2022 -- that's something I never thought I'd be doing!

Curls Studio kicked off the year with a successful Kickstater campaign for "Thank You Mom" hard enamel pins to celebrate Mother's Day on May 8. We also debuted a new soft enamel pin at Awesome Con called "Watermelon Umbrella Rainbow Duck," which was part of the event's collectable pin program. 

My illustrations were published in Ranger Rick magazine and I was featured in Uppercase magazine to discuss creativity. I Love To Write Day's 20th Anniversary featured new Curls comic strips to celebrate the creative process.

Sporadically throughout the year I continued Carolyn's Creative Challenge with a few new project prompts.

At New York Comic Con we showcased a new charm with the Pizza Face character and had a great time in the city -- we even got to play some ping pong and go to Coney Island.

The "DC Region Cartoonists" poster released in the fall and features 25 cartoonists from the area. If you want more information about how to order a poster, let me know.

I did a lot of studying at STEM and STEAM events and attended a few art exhibits. I read a bunch of books, took notes, wrote a lot, and drew in my sketchbook. Loads of ideas were generated on paper and are now marinating in my brain. I also changed up my diet and workout routine quite a bit and am living a healthier lifestyle. We are looking forward to what this new year will bring!

Recap: Small Press Expo 2022

Thank you Small Press Expo for another great show this past weekend. Curls Studio hopes to be back again with even more new comics and new adventures next year. Something special I created specifically for this show is the Peanuts homage table display, handmade from cardboard and paint (notice the Cartoonist and Writer signs when we were at the booth individually). Appreciation for the SPX staff and volunteers that make the show possible. Our next show is New York Comic Con (Booth 1950) this October 6-9, 2022.

Small Press Expo is September 17-18, 2022

Join Curls Studio this weekend at Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland. We'll be at Table K11. The Small Press Expo is North America’s premiere independent cartooning and comic arts festival. SPX brings together more than 4,000 cartoonists and comic arts enthusiasts every fall.

Small Press Expo
Visit Curls Studio at Table K11
Saturday, September 17 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 18 -- Noon - 6:00 PM
Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Recap: SPX 2019

Small Press Expo 2019 wrapped last month and it was a great show that celebrated 25 years of America's Premiere Independent Cartooning and Comic Arts Festival.

It was fun to have Kickstarter be a sponsor and they gave me a goody bag of stuff including nice book stands and a balloon to showcase my two past Kickstarter projects (Curls Book Collection and 100 Sad Fish).

I stepped away from the table for a bit to get Raina Telgmeier to sign her book, Ghosts. Her line was limited to 200 people and only one item could be signed with no sketches. Exciting to see her and her career take off, but we all knew that back when I attended my first SPX back in 2004.

Every inch on every table was covered in fabulous comics and creativity. It was refreshing to be tabled next to someone who was experiencing her first SPX. It's a much different show than it was a handful of years ago at the old hotel. I have fun memories from that time period as well, but things are always changing and progressing. I enjoy seeing the talent at SPX each and every year and hope to be back again!

Thanks to Cynthia Tenicela for the photograph. Thanks to everyone who stopped to say hi and look at the Curls Studio table.

Small Press Expo is September 14-15, 2019

Join Curls Studio this weekend at Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland. We'll be at Table B11 with the "convention exclusive" Curls book -- you can only purchase this in-person at shows. We'll also be running deals on prints and our "Mystery Fun Pack" if you like surprises. The Small Press Expo is North America’s premiere independent cartooning and comic arts festival. SPX brings together more than 4,000 cartoonists and comic arts enthusiasts every fall.

Small Press Expo
Visit Curls Studio at Table B11
Saturday, September 14 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 15 -- Noon - 6:00 PM
Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission: Saturday $15, Sunday $10, or $20 for both days

Black Magic Tales published in Magic Bullet #17

A few months ago Magic Bullet, a large format comics anthology newspaper based out of the Washington, DC area, published our latest Black Magic Tales story in issue #17. Many people were able to pick up this edition at Small Press Expo earlier this year. 

Our story "Help Roxy Plan A Heist" captures the adventures world famous criminals Roxy Monroe and Dean Casanova (and their cat, Black Magic). We took a different approach to the comic this time around and made a maze puzzle with many traps such as “Drowning In Self Doubt” and “Lost Sight and Focus” as the readers travel through Roxy’s brain. Once the puzzle is solved, readers are encouraged to email a photo of the completed page to us to receive a small prize reward. 

Did you know? Curls Studio has been printed in every edition of Magic Bullet (#1-17 so far).

Small Press Expo is September 15-16, 2018

Small Press Expo

Visit Curls Studio at Table E4

Saturday, September 15 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday, September 16 -- Noon - 6:00 PM

Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road

North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission: Saturday $15, Sunday $10, or $20 for both days

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate Curls Studio sharing Table E4. 

See you soon at SPX!

Small Press Expo is September 16-17, 2017

Small Press Expo

Visit Curls Studio at Table E4

Saturday, September 16 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday, September 17 -- Noon - 6:00 PM

Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road

North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission (collected at the door the day of the show):

Saturday $15, Sunday $10, or $20 for both days

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate Curls Studio sharing Table E4. 

See you soon at SPX!

Recap: SPX 2016

Small Press Expo 2016 happened this past weekend and Curls Studio had a delightful time exhibiting. We had the chance to give readers a "first taste" of our new series, French Fry Club.

We also enjoyed meeting new faces and continuing our relationship with people we may only see once or twice a year at comic shows.

Thats a wrap on #spx2016 @spxcomics !! Curls Studio ( @carolynbelefski and @astrayj ) had a rocking time. Thanks #spx Duncan made it just in time! www.curls-studio.com - #curlsstudiotour2016 #joecarabeo #carolynbelefski #creatorowned ##comicbooks #comics #curlsstudio

A video posted by JOE (@astrayj) on Sep 18, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT

Thanks to everyone who visited our table! The next time you can catch us will be in a few weeks at New York Comic Con. We'll be at Table #1162 in the Small Press section on the main show floor. I'll post a blog with the floor plan map soon.

Small Press Expo is September 17-18, 2016

Small Press Expo

Visit Curls Studio at Table D7

Saturday, September 19 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday, September 20 -- Noon - 6:00 PM

Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road

North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission (collected at the door the day of the show):

Saturday $15, Sunday $10, or $20 for both days

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate Curls Studio sharing Table D7 with Marguerite Dabaie. 

See you soon at SPX!

Recap: SPX 2015

Small Press Expo 2015 was the best SPX we've had in recent memory -- not just in terms of sales, but overall show vibe. We had a great time! Like last year I hopped across the street before the show started to quickly grab food at a Farmer's Market in the adjacent parking lot. I purchased apples, carrots, and cucumbers. I'm at a point in life where I'd rather eat fruits and vegetables than fast food.

We premiered three new mini comics this year: Little Red Monster, Funny Farm, and Cyber Nate. You can read more about Little Red Monster here. Funny Farm is a coloring book where I drew comedians as farm animals. Cyber Nate is an action adventure series concept I came up with about a humble flying squirrel named Nate who becomes responsible for protecting the world's last remaining hibernating animal society from mysterious creatures during the futuristic ice age. I asked Joe to help me flesh out the story and we've been collaborating and enjoying the process of creating this new property.

It feels amazing to be able to show these concepts to the SPX audience.

Here is my Vine from SPX: https://vine.co/v/ePqIihb2YaF (please listen without sound, as I had my Square plugged in the headphones of my phone and apparently it creates a disturbing sound -- good to know).

More photos can be viewed on the Curls Studio Facebook page.

Thanks to everyone who visited our table! The next time you can catch us will be this coming weekend during Baltimore Comic-Con at Table 3011 in the Kids Love Comics pavilion. We'll be bringing the mini comics mentioned above and more -- I'll post a blog with the floor plan map tomorrow.

Small Press Expo is September 19-20, 2015

Small Press Expo

Visit Curls Studio at Table F14

Saturday, September 19 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday, September 20 -- Noon - 6:00 PM

Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road

North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission (collected at the door the day of the show):

Saturday $15, Sunday $10, or $20 for both days

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate Curls Studio sharing Table F14 with Jim Coon. 

See you soon at SPX or Baltimore-Comic Con (the weekend after SPX)!

Little Red Monster by Sammy Savos and Carolyn Belefski

Little Red Monster, a collaborative mini comic by Sammy Savos and myself will be debuting at Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland next month. The story is a week-in-the-life of Little Red Monster.

Sammy was Curls Studio's summer intern and she recently headed off to School of Visual Arts in New York City to begin her studies in cartooning.

I asked Sammy I write a brief paragraph about her internship:

"This summer I interned on Sundays for cartoonist Carolyn Belefski. I made buttons, packaged them up, sorted postcards, and took part in a podcast. I also drew a piece for the Kickstarter book, colored a Curls comic strip, and created a collaborative 7-page zine with Carolyn. It was a really cool learning experience to work with a professional artist to see what it's like to work in the world of comics! It was also really nice to get to know Carolyn and Joe and have them support me in my artistic endeavors."

One of Sammy's first experiences was helping out behind the table at Awesome Con. The Saturday at Awesome Con I asked her to volunteer with the actual show and she stuffed a lot of goodie bags all day long. I wanted her to see a convention from different angles. On that Sunday she spent the day with Curls Studio and got to learn how we interact with potential customers and the perspective of promoting once you finish creating your comics. 

Each week Sammy spent 4-5 hours with Curls Studio. The Curls strip Sammy colored is currently posted here. I'm excited to see the Curls art she did published in the book soon. We also had her on as a guest for the Carolyn and Joe Show podcast to learn the importance of public speaking and interviewing. 

You can view more of Sammy's work here. We really enjoyed having Sammy around and wish her the best at SVA and beyond with her career.

Be sure to pick up Little Red Monster at SPX for $1 on September 19-20, 2015. Curls Studio will be at table F14. We'll be posting a floor map and more details about the show soon!

Recap: SPX 2014

Small Press Expo 2014 was a fun time for us! When we drove into the hotel parking lot, I noticed a Farmer's Market at the adjacent parking lot, so after setting up our table we headed over to get our food supply for the day. I purchased a chocolate croissant and and baguette with leaf shapes from Fresh Baguette and at another vendor I got two peaches and a nectarine. Even though our lunch wasn't a full meal, it felt good to not go out during the event or eat fast food. I did notice the hotel got smart and had sandwiches and salads for sale near the event registration, but we figured we'd wait until dinner.

We spent most of the time at our table and were happy to see many people year after year. One of the great additions this year were giant balloons with letters to show each island of tables so attendees can find specific vendors easier. After you go to SPX for about three years you start to see the same faces and then SPX becomes a reunion – not only of comic creators, but also readers. A pal from high school and college who we had not seen in over a decade stopped by with his wife. I also saw friends who I know from AIGA and school. Early on Saturday I was able to cruise the outer parameter of the show floor and say hi to other creators. We distributed Magic Bullet #9 and also had several bundles out on the free table – which we kept refreshing because they went fast!

Animal Chronicles: Book Two was our new product at SPX. It is a series based on the aftermath of a solar flare barely passing by Earth causing animals to fuse with objects in their vicinity during the catastrophic event. Panel Patter did a spotlight on Animal Chronicles the week before SPX to showcase new publications. 

I was able to sign my Adventure Time cover, Curls in the Team Cul de Sac book, The Legettes, and more for fans.

As always, SPX is great to discover comics you won't ordinarily see in your local comic store. I noticed many names in the program guide from people on Twitter or other online outlets – only to confirm the great influence of the internet and webcomics. 

Here is my Vine from SPX: https://vine.co/v/Oavu2BWwdpX

Thanks to everyone who visited our table! The next time you can catch us will be New York Comic Con on October 9-12, 2014 at Comic Pavilion Table 1162 on the show floor.

Small Press Expo is September 13-14, 2014

Small Press Expo

Visit Curls Studio at Table H10

Saturday, September 13 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday, September 14 -- Noon - 6:00 PM

Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road

North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission (collected at the door the day of the show):

Saturday $15, Sunday $10, or $20 for both days

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate us at Table H10 with Jim Coon. 

See you soon at SPX or Baltimore-Comic Con (the weekend before SPX)!

Small Press Expo is This Weekend!

Small Press Expo

Visit Curls Studio at Table A11

Saturday, September 14 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday, September 15 -- Noon - 6:00 PM

Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road

North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission (collected at the door the day of the show):

1-day Pass: $10 per person

2-day Pass: $15 per person

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate us at Table A11. See you this weekend!

Magic Bullet #8 Ad Raffle at SPX 2013

Magic Bullet, Washington D.C.’s comics newspaper anthology is offering a special opportunity to one lucky raffle participant.

For only $5 you could win a 1/8 ad space ($45 value) in the Spring 2014 edition of Magic Bullet #8 (print run of 5,000). To enter, simply bring $5 cash with you to Carolyn Belefski at Table A11B at Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD this weekend (September 14-15, 2013) or talk to a member of D.C. Conspiracy for more info.

If you are unable to attend SPX, email ‘info[@]curls-studio[dot]com’ by midnight EST this Thursday, September 12, 2013 for payment instructions.

Each ticket is $5 and there is no limit as to how many tickets you may purchase. All proceeds will go towards Magic Bullet printing fees. 

The raffle will take place LIVE at 6:00 PM EST on Sunday, September 15 at the close of SPX 2013 near Tables W10-15.

Thanks to Matt Dembicki for the raffle idea. Visit him and other members of D.C. Conspiracy at SPX Tables W10-15.

Above is the SPX floor map so you can find our tables.

For more information on Magic Bullet advertising opportunities, visit: http://magicbulletcomics.blogspot.com/p/specs.html

If you win, you may use $45 as credit towards a larger size ad, if preferred.

Trip to U.S. Library of Congress

Yesterday I was able to take a part in a small group tour of the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. We were introduced to a treasure trove of original art being preserved in the Prints and Photographs Division followed by a gathering of selected material in the Serial and Government Publications Division.

We saw some pieces from the Small Press Expo collection, including Jim Rugg and the wonderful 2012 poster illustrated by Becky Dreistadt. (Speaking of which, my SPX banner art is also in the collection). We also saw the first appearance of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 comic book plus original art by Thomas Nast, Garry Trudeau, Peggy Bacon, Rose O'Neill, Eric Drooker, Charles Vess, Rube Goldberg, and more!

I learned about how the material is preserved from aging as best as possible and how the librarians reference the content. In the photo above you will see how a protective box can be destroyed by florescent light damage, keep in mind that this is an acid-free box. Digital Conversion Specials are hard to work to properly scan and photograph the material as well.

Here is the hallway of over 14,000 Herblock pieces that are achieved. They also have around 4,000 New Yorker cartoons and tons more!

Now Magic Bullet #6 (Washington, D.C.'s free comics newspaper) has been added to the collection at the U.S. Library of Congress! You can also get your hands on a physical issue at one of the locations listed here. Hurry before all 5,000 copies are gone!

A lot of people don't realize you can make reservations with the librarians to view up to 15 objects per day. Thanks to the librarians for the tour and selecting materials for viewing. It was an experience I will not forget.

More photos can be found in the Curls Studio Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151470211282381.1073741825.50763422380&type=1