San Jose Comics FestMedia Release -- SLG Publishing announced the founding of a new series of comics festivals focused on indy and small press comics and zines. The San Jose Comics Festival will be a series of single day events held throughout the year, but SLG President Dan Vado hoped that the event would grow into a larger, city-wide festival that would take place in the various galleries and public buildings in downtown San Jose. The aim is to create a comics related event that is different from that standard convention with an aim to becoming one of the biggest free events of its kind in the United States.

"We did a trial run of a single event in our warehouse earlier this year and we hit our projections in regards to attendance" said Vado. "As we try and develop and grow the festival we will reach out to the other galleries and to places like San Jose State and to the public library to host comic related events and allow attending artists, creators and publishers to set up and display their work." While Vado's previous convention brainchild, the Alternative Press Expo, was started as an event meant to spotlight the independent and alternative comics creators and publishers, the San Jose Comics Festivals will not focus on a single type of comic or creator "the Comics Festivals will be about people who do the work, regardless of what kind of comics they choose to produce" added Vado.

The next San Jose Comics Festival will be held on January 16th at the SLG Publishing gallery/warehouse compound in downtown San Jose. Attending artists will be announced at the event website www.sjcomicfest.com. Attending artists at the inaugural event included Jamaica Dyer (Weird Fishes) Rich Koslowski (3 geeks) and Landry Walker (Tron, Little Gloomy). Admission will be free.

For more information about the San Jose Comics Fests contact Dan Vado via email at dvado@slgpubs.com

Established in 1986, SLG Publishing is a San Jose, California-based publisher of comic books, graphic novels and related merchandise. Some of SLG's more notable comics and creators have included Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, Milk and Cheese by Evan Dorkin and Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks.

More information about the company can be found at its website at www.slgcomic.com