Pilkey struggled with dyslexia and ADHD as a child. But being encouraged by his mother to read whatever he liked—”it didn’t matter if it was a magazine, or a comic book, or a bunch of Snoopy cartoons, or the Guinness Book of World Records,” he says—changed his life. He started drawing his Captain Underpants character … Continue reading Newsmaker: Dav Pilkey
Internationally renowned cartoonist Alison Bechdel was the closing keynote speaker. She illustrated her talk throughout with panels from her graphic novels Fun Home (2006) and Are You My Mother? (2013), as well as her long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Bechdel said she realized at age 19 that she was a lesbian, “though … Continue reading Alison Bechdel: A Life in Books
Creating a community of practice for librarians and educators around comics collection, education, and advocacy was a major theme of the program, which included sessions such as “Censored: The Comics They Don’t Want You to Read (and How to Keep ’Em Circulating),” “The Representation Bookshelf,” and “What Do I Say When?: Tough Questions about Comics and How to … Continue reading Comics, Education, and Advocacy
First, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Associate Editor Phil Morehart talks with G. Willow Wilson, the writer of the Ms. Marvel series. She discusses the inspiration behind the character Kamala Khan, the first Muslim-American superhero at Marvel to have her own comic, and why diverse comics are essential to creating a true representation of … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Diversifying Comics
You worked on this story for several years while recovering from West Nile virus, getting a master’s at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and raising your daughter. Then this nearly 400-page book comes out, and cartoonist Art Spiegelman is calling you “one of the most important comics artists of our time.” How … Continue reading Newsmaker: Emil Ferris
A wide variety of panels and workshops offered practical advice on using comics in the classroom, getting involved and engaged as professionals, and getting the scoop on highly anticipated new titles. The day started with a conversation between Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, February 2018) and Ngozi Ukazu (Check Please!, First Second, … Continue reading Professional Day at the Comic Con
The Ignatz Awards recognize new talent and are a vital collection development tool for identifying indie comics and up-and-coming artists, similar to the Indie Next Picks for literature. Much like other prizes like the Eisner, Harvey, and Doug Wright Awards, the Ignatz Awards can provide a foundation to build and grow expansive, responsive, and diverse … Continue reading Small Press Expo: Indie Comics for All
Reynolds released his seventh novel, Miles Morales: Spider-Man (Marvel), on August 1, just days before visiting Atlanta to speak to a packed house of librarians about black boys, literacy, and vulnerability at the National Conference of African American Librarians on August 10. While preparing his remarks, he tuned in to an episode of the Steve … Continue reading Spider-Man, Inspiration, and Literacy
One prominent theme at this year’s SDCCEL was how to “level up” comics readership and support in schools and libraries. How do we move beyond excellent but well-known titles like Persepolis and Maus to include more diverse titles and ensure systematic buy-in with key stakeholders like principals and school board members? The July 20 session … Continue reading Comics in the Classroom: Beyond Maus and Persepolis
The sessions were hosted by Pop Culture Classroom, the Children’s Book Council, and the French Comics Association (FCA). Yang, a MacArthur fellow and graphic novelist who also taught high-school computer science, used to tell his students that he also drew comics because he thought it would make him cool. It did not. But it did … Continue reading Graphic Novel Friday Forum
Sponsored in part by the Toronto comics shop The Beguiling (which also offers library vending services to school and public libraries throughout Ontario), this year’s Librarian and Educator Day featured a keynote from Charlie Adlard (UK comics laureate and artist of The Walking Dead). Several of the day’s sessions—such as “From Sidelines to Centre” and … Continue reading Comics, Education, and Libraries
Staffed by more than 35 volunteers from 12 library systems around the country, the ECCC Pop-Up Library brought together children’s librarians, teen librarians, academic librarians, and adult services librarians for the common purpose of bringing the library outside its physical space and into a new realm. The Pop-Up Library, open during exhibit hours, offered reading recommendations, research … Continue reading Bringing the Library to the Comic Con
