PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ASPIRING COMIC WRITERS AND ARTISTS
(New York, NY), what happens when you let educators run a comic con? It becomes as much about learning something new as much as it’s about celebrating comics. “The event is funded by a grant from the school and therefore meant to serve students primarily.” shares organizer Ramon Gil “This makes it all the more worthwhile for and my fellow organizers.”
On Friday, the team behind Bone, Captain Underpants and Smile from Scholastic Graphix will be talking about young adult and children’s books. Phil Falco (art director), Meagan Peace (editor) and Jonah Newman (editor/writer) will share their work and insights into this rapidly booming market and how a creator can target their work towards it.
On Saturday, a panel discussion called “Using Current Events as Inspiration” will include Kiku Hughes (First Second), LL McKinney (DC Comics), Alex Sanchez (DC Comics) and moderated by Andrea Colvin (Little Brown Books). Creators will talk about how the latest news like Covid and politics can influence comics and perhaps how comics can influence readers. “Telling authentic stories is really important” according to Colvin in an ICV2 interview.
Another big draw will be the Friday panel on “Breaking into Hollywood” Featuring Alex Segura (Archie Comics), Shanty Hermayn (Trese – Netflix), Vivek Tiwary (Producer of the Fifth Beatle), Robert Scull (Nickelodeon) and moderated by Gamal Hennessy (Entertainment attorney formerly of Marvel Comics). “Superhero movies and TV shows have become a multi-billion dollar industry in the last decade. And not just from Marvel and DC, but from indie and creator-owned comics as well. Scott Pilgrim, Men in Black, A History of Violence, Road to Perdition, and many more.” claims the event website. No wonder this is a must-see among many attendees.
There will also be Q & As with Shawn Martinbrough (Batman/Black Panther), Mika Song (Donut Feed the Squirrels), and Christian Cooper and Alitha Martinez (Represent: It’s a Bird!) both from DC Comics, who will be talking about the “Black Lives Matter” movement. “People of color or those who are LGBTQ…traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream comic book medium,” Marie Javins, DC executive editor, was quoted in the New York Times.
This years theme is “Black Stories Matter” bringing to the forefront today’s social justice issues. as embodied in the panel discussion “On being Marginalized in Comics” with Amy Chu, Regine Sawyer, and Omar Mirza. Another timely topic will be the talk on “The Impact of Covid 19 on the Comics Industry with Heidi Macdonald, Andy Schmidt, John Siuntres, Stanford Carpenter and Gina Gagliano. “I do think this is an extinction-level event,” Heidi MacDonald, editor of The Beat, was also quoted in the New York Times. “It’s life-changing for everyone.”
The event will be completely online and accessible from anywhere on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17. All details can be found at http://diversitycomiccon.com
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