APE was organized by Vado in 1994 as an event for artists to "promote themselves without having to drown out a 50-million-watt display by some huge publisher.

[3] The organization Friends of Lulu produced its first LuluCon (held at the Hyatt Sainte Claire) in conjunction with the 1997 Alternative Press Expo.

[4] The event expanded to two days of programming in 1998, and included special guests Mike Allred, Jhonen Vasquez, Terry Moore, Batton Lash, Shannon Wheeler, and Jill Thompson.

The programming available at the event expanded under Comic-Con International, with APE 2005 offering panels, seminars, exhibitions and special guests.

Vado re-assumed management of the event that year, and returned APE to San Jose in 2015.