While in Texas, earlier this summer, I recorded a video interview with Vicky Smith of Kirkus Reviews. It was especially fun, because Vicky was genuinely enthusiastic about Astronaut Academy and really seemed interested in knowing what my thoughts were behind it. I talk a lot about the quirky language, eclectic cast and emotional enthusiasm! The video includes lots of art from the book and I even wore a tie for the occasion!
I headed down to San Diego with John Green and Raina Telgemeier, but this was our first Comic-Con in almost 10 years without a table in the Small Press area.
Thanks to our great friends at Flight Comics, we still had a place to call home, but with so many contributors behind the table, it’s not the same level of responsibility as the usual set up. In some ways it was liberating. Rather than worrying about table costs and every book sold (or not), we just accepted that this was a business-related vacation.
(With Vera Brosgol and Mark Siegel at the :01 First Second booth)
Between my scheduled signings at :01 First Second and SLG Publishing, I had more of a chance to wander the convention floor than in years past.
(With Kevin Coppa, who gets stopped for photos every 10 seconds when he’s in his Doctor Who cosplay!)
Certain areas of the convention floor are the equivalent to being in a mosh pit. Costumes are more fun when they are parading by rather than bumping into you. I heard from a lot of friends and experienced for myself the pain of waiting in line, only to be cut off once the panel room was full. I don’t mind waiting in lines at Disneyland as long as I know I’m getting on the ride eventually. But with Comic-Con there are no real guarantees. That said, the comic book-themed panels never seemed anywhere near as crowded as the panels about even the worst shows on television.
(Banner for SpongeBob comics, which are edited by Chris Duffy and published by Bongo)
I heard a lot of complaints about how Comic-Con is increasingly less about comics. But there seemed to be about the same amount of comics-related content, booths, panels, and guests as always. It’s just that there are thousands more people who simply don’t care about that stuff. They may enjoy pop-culture, video games, and even superheroes, but buying books just isn’t in their budget. But they are passionate and dedicated to their fandoms, and are willing to wait in line to buy 4-day passes a year in advance, and will do anything for a chance to buy a limited edition Lego set.
(With Rikki Simons at the SLG booth)
Disappointing as the comics/print ambivalence may be, I don’t blame anyone for getting excited about all the other stuff. I love most of it, too. It’s hard not to get excited about a giant Jake the Dog balloon from Adventure Time!
One the highlights of the Comic-Con this year was meeting Karen Prell, the puppeteer/voice of Red Fraggle. She’s also an animator on the videogame Portal 2, and a really amazing person!
(With Karen Prell)
My favorite part of Comic-Con has always been a combination of meeting people whose work I really admire (especially when you least expect it, like on the convention floor) and running into old friends who are working hard doing what they love.
(With Gerard Way at the Embarcadero Marina Park )
(With C.H. Greenblatt at the :01 First Second booth)
(With Jhonen Vasquez and J. Goldberg at SLG booth)
I’m usually tired at the end of a convention day, and then end up giving myself an asthma attack from laughing so hard at dinner. Especially when I sit next to these guys:
(Thien Pham and Gene Yang, two of the most fun people to have dinner with)
(Gina Gagliano and Paul Pope)
The Eisner Awards were of course unbelievable, because Raina’s book SMILE won for Best Comic for Teens. I could not be more proud of her and was glad they announced her award at the beginning of the program, so she could relax and enjoy herself for the rest of the evening. Even though they can run long, I enjoy these ceremonies because I like seeing veterans and young talent getting a rare amount of recognition for their time dedicated to making great stories.
(Raina with her Eisner Award!)
I participated on several panels, including Love and Comics, Diversity in YA, a fan-run panel for “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and a Teen Comics Workshop, which has a recap and photos over at GeekMom.com.
(Korra puppet, Kevin Coppa, Zuko puppet, Kim Miranda (“Isaia”), and Erin (“Booter-Freak”)
And of course a trip to San Diego wouldn’t be complete without getting together with my cousins! We had a post-con celebration at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto!
The five days of Comic-Con seem to go by way too fast. Luckily more and more people are coming to visit us at the New York Comic Con, but it still doesn’t have the same magic as San Diego!
(view from our hotel)
Lots more over at my Flickr photo set!
Kids Read Comics is one of the best small comic shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending, and this year’s event was no exception.
The convention has moved around suburban Detroit a few times during its three-year history, and this year’s event was staged in small-town Chelsea, MI—about a twenty-minute drive from Ann Arbor.
Raina and I were invited to do a kickoff presentation at the Ann Arbor District Library on Friday night, and so we had dinner in town (charming!) before spending a couple of hours talking about comics, kids, our own histories, and why we love what we do. We also had fantastic kid volunteers from the audience to help perform scenes from our comics.
The night continued with a presentation by Kevin Coppa, a video artist who set up a green screen and did some live special effects demos, using kids from the audience and his handcrafted Avatar: The Last Puppetbender puppets.
We spent the next two days in and around Chelsea.
The whole downtown is basically overtaken by Kids Read Comics festivities: two artist alley areas (one for kids and one for teens), a bunch of panels and workshops, craft tables, a bounce house, a rock climbing wall, face painting, etc.
Everything you’d expect from a street fair to draw in the general public, and then lots of comic book content to win them over to team comics!
There was also a gallery showing of comic art at the River Gallery,
More live comics readings!
There was a cartoonists pizza party at Jet’s, and tons of drawing demos with artists stationed on the sidewalks all throughout town!
Raina and I signed books at the Green Brain Comics table next to registration. Dan and Katie Merritt, who run Green Brain, are longtime friends of ours and are always great to spend time with.
The other organizers and show runners are just as delightful: comics writer Dan Mishkin; local librarian Edith Burney; and comic artist-teacher-podcaster-advocate extraordinaire, Jerzy Drozd. Each year I feel we get to know each of them a little bit better, and you could not ask for a more dedicated, passionate, and talented group of people to run a comic event.
Dan Mishkin!
And the other show guests were just as awesome. Lots of friends old and new come from near and far to be a part of KRC.
Ruth signs her delightful Ellie McDoodle series!
This year, the artists included Jannie Ho (former Nick Mag designer turned Children’s Book illustrator), Dani Jones, Brandon Dayton, Kasey Van Hise, Jonathan Griffiths, Mark Rudolph, Barbara Slate, Rob Stenzinger, Matt Feazell, Bob Learned, Thom Zahler, Ruth McNally Barshaw, Zach Bosteel, Paul Storrie…the list goes on and on.
Raina had a lot of Smile fans in attendance, and their parents who were happy to have a free thing for their families to do that weekend. Raina even had one of her high school friends, Susan, bring her family to the event, including her newborn baby and older sons, all the way from Toledo!
And so, an inspiring weekend of comics for kids was had.
Michigan, Chelsea and Ann Arbor, are kind of magical: it stays light way later than it does in New York, the fireflies were out in force, we ate nothing but terrific food, including some fantastic ice cream. The weather held out all weekend, and we were lucky enough to attend some truly fun dinners and after-con hangouts with people we really like.
Brandon, Jerzy, and Anne.
If you’re anywhere at all near the Detroit metro area, and you make comics for a kid, tween, or teen audience, I highly recommend Kids Read Comics.
It’s got a great community feel and everyone is positive and upbeat. As for attending the show: there’s something for everyone age 3 and up, and it’s FREE!
Astronaut Academy fans!
Check out our COMPLETE PHOTO SET
From Wednesday, July 20th till Sunday, July 25th I will be in San Diego, CA for Comic-Con International! Here’s where you can find me…
THURSDAY, July 21
2:30-4:00 Signing at SLG Booth (#1815)
I’ll be signing copies of Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery, and dreaming about the follow-up book.
FRIDAY, July 22
11:00-12:00 Signing at :01 First Second (#1323)
This is the official place to get a copy of Astronaut Academy! Free buttons for everyone who buys a copy there!
2:00-3:00 Cartoon Art Museum Booth (#1930)
I’ll be sketching requests in exchange for donations to the CAM fund. They’re an absolutely wonderful organization, so if you’d like a custom sketch, please consider coming by during this time!
SATURDAY, July 23
12:30-1:30 Diversity in YA Panel (Room #8)
It’s not all about being torn between vampire and werewolf boyfriends. This panel is a celebration of different genres, protagonists, and media for young adult readers. The diverse authors participating include Cindy Pon (Fury of the Phoenix), Kiersten White (Supernaturally), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Vera Brosgol (Anya’s Ghost), Gene Yang (Level Up), and Elizabeth Bunce (A Curse Dark As Gold). Moderated by Malinda Lo (Huntress)
2:00-3:00 Signing in Autographing Area #AA2
Anyone who comes and visits me here will get a special prize!
3:30-4:30 Love & Comics Panel (Room #8)
Who’s showing the love in comics? Comics creators extraordinaire Jason Shiga (Meanwhile; Empire State), Kazu Kibuishi (Explorer, Amulet, Copper, Flight), Amy Kim Kibuishi (Sorcerers and Secretaries), Raina Telgemeier (Explorer, Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), and Dave Roman (Explorer, Astronaut Academy, Agnes Quill) talk about how their love of comics plays out in the game of life, about how the collaborative process works, and about their most important pictures from the heart.
SUNDAY, July 24
10:00-11:00 Teen Comics Workshop (Room #30CDE)
Join teen comics creators Vera Brosgol (Anya’s Ghost), Thien Pham (Level Up), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), and Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) for the interactive comics workshop adventure of your lives. Learn exciting new things about storytelling! Character development! Drawing! And so much more.
11:30-12:30 Signing at :01 First Second (#1323)
Final chance to pick up a copy of Astronaut Academy!
3:30-5:00 Signing at SLG Booth (#1815)
Join me as we ride out into the Comic-Con sunset!
The New York Review of Science Fiction Readings presents: A Comics Spectacular!
Performances by Dave Roman & Molly Crabapple.
Hosted by Gina Gagliano.
Tuesday July 5th. 6:30 PM at The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art
The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series provides performances from some of the best writers in science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, etc.
WHERE:
The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art
138 Sullivan Street (between Houston & Prince St.)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=138+Sullivan+St.+New+York+NY+10012
MORE INFO AT: http://j.mp/mxFMBG
The former editors and designers of Nickelodeon Magazine have teamed up to create Comics Express, a unique comic book collection to be sent to the kids of Joplin, Missouri, who have lost their homes in one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.
The award-winning comic artists in Comics Express include:
Corey Barba, Ana Benaroya, Chris Duffy, Ellen Forney, Felipe Galindo (Feggo), Amanda Geisinger, Jenni and Matt Holm, Caitlin Keegan, Robert Leighton, Alec Longstreth, Mark Martin, Dan Moynihan, Travis Nichols, Dave Roman, Johnny Ryan, Karen Sneider, & Raina Telgemeier.
You can help by donating to the printing costs of the book or simply spreading the word. Check out Indiegogo.com/ComicsExpress for more information.
I’m super excited to share this interview I did with author/illustrator, Katie Davis on her fantastic podcast, Brain Burps About Books!
Be a Space Cadet with Graphic Novels! Interview with Dave Roman
We talk about Astronaut Academy, Teen Boat, how art school can make you afraid to draw, proposing through comics, and tons of other fun stuff! My favorite part is just hearing someone else (besides me!) describe and read scenes from Astronaut Academy! I also created a downloadable Doug Hiro comic strip that will debut on her Brain Burps newsletter, so be sure to subscribe!
Katie’s blog and podcasts have been super helpful to me these past few weeks leading up to my big book release. I highly recommend it to all creative people looking to learn more about the world of books for kids! It’s impossible to not be inspired by all the cool stuff Katie does!
ALA Annual Conference…in New Orleans!!
Friday, June 24 – Monday, June 27
ALA is trying something new this year: there will be a special Artist Alley on the show floor for cartoonists! So, Raina and I will have a table (#1665 look for the SMILE banner), and you can come get signed copies of our books, t-shirts, and original artwork! We’ll also be giving away free Astronaut Academy buttons to everyone who stops by!
I’ll be in Michigan this weekend for the most ambitious comic-filled weekend EVER!
FRIDAY JUNE 17th at 6PM:
Ann Arbor District Library
Kids Read Comics Kickoff Event! with Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, and Kevin Coppa
We’re kicking things off with a special evening at the Ann Arbor District Library. Raina and I are going to be talking about our work, reading from our books live on stage, and getting everyone excited about the weekend of kids, comics, and fun ahead. Afterward, our good friend Kevin Coppa will be presenting Puppetbenders, the live, puppet tribute to Avatar: The Last Airbender!
Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Dave Roman and Kevin Coppa, 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm
SATURDAY June 18th & SUNDAY 19th ALL DAY:
Kids Read Comics Street Festival
This convention will take over Chelsea, Michigan! The whole event is TOTALLY FREE, and welcomes kids, teens, and parents all weekend with activities, a chance to meet tons of great comic artists, and hands-on workshops where you can write and draw your own stories and characters! Here are my panels, workshops and events:
SATURDAY, JUNE 18
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Creating Characters
Join Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy, X-Men: Misfits) as he explores creating cartoon characters based on simple, easy to draw shapes! Take your inspiration from popular comic and TV cartoon characters and create your own character and a story for them to inhabit! This event is followed by a special book signing where you can get your own copy of Astronaut Academy personalized by the author.
Chelsea District Library McKune Room – Ages 7-12
12:45 pm – 1:00 pm
Quick Draw! improv cartooning with Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
New Chelsea Market, 125 South Main Street – All Ages
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Artist Spotlight with Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
Chelsea River Gallery, 120 S. Main – All Ages
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Art Gallery Exhibit
On Saturday evening, there’s going to be a reception for a gallery show I have some work in: COMIC JAM at the Chelsea River Gallery. Join us for the opening reception! All of the artists’ work will be for sale, and you can see finished original pieces alongside our process work: thumbnails, rough sketches, and so forth.
Chelsea River Gallery, 120 S. Main St.
SUNDAY, JUNE 19
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Making Your Life into a Comic
Raina Telgemeier shows how everyday moments of your life can be made into a comic strip! Kids will start by making a list of events that will be adapted into comic panels.
Chelsea District Library, McKune Room – Ages 8-16
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Interactive Comics Reading
Raina Telgemeier (Smile) Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) and special guests will perform chapters from their all-ages graphic novels. The illustrated panels will be projected onto a large screen for all to see, and volunteers from the audience will be chosen to play some of the characters.
Chelsea District Library, McKune Room – All Ages
My books will be for sale at the Green Brain Comics table all weekend, and you are welcome to bring your own copies of my books for me to sign, too!
At Bergen Street Comics
470 Bergen St.
Between Flatbush & 5th Avenues, Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, June 11
3:00pm – 10:00pm
If you’re in the New York City area, come by and join us for an afternoon and evening of fun! Join us for snacks, live readings, contests, spacey music and videos, drinks, and merriment! Bring your kids, bring your friends, bring yourself!
Kids Comic Workshop
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Make your own comics!
Kids Comic Party
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Live readings, snacks!
General Party
8:00 PM
Bubbly drinks, snacks, prizes!