Comicsgirl

Kid’s Stuff: Making Comics for All Ages was the main panel I had wanted to see at King Con since comics for non-traditional readers is something I’m very interested in. With Nick Abadzis, Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman and Colleen AF Venable, I knew it had a high probability of being good.

Moderated by Heidi MacDonald and shamefully under-attended (yes, I know it was 12:30 p.m. on a Sunday, so most people were probably recovering from the night before and there was a marathon going on right outside, but still …), it did not disappoint.

MacDonald opened by asking Telgemeier how her tour for Smile had gone and what sort of reaction she’d gotten. Telgemeier said it had gone “amazingly well” and talked about a girls’ school that did a school-wide purchase of Smile and she got to make comics with 150 girls. She said in two weeks and 15 stops, she was able to connect with 1,000 kids and that Smile really resonates with them.

Abadzis was asked about Laika and he said he didn’t intend it to be a young adult book and was surprised it was marketed as such. The book’s publisher, First Second told him not wot worry since it would widen the audience and not reduce. That was later echoed by Venable, since people who love comics don’t really pay attention to age groups, just if something is good. (It’s maybe the opposite way to look at this, but Laika is one of the few graphic novels my mom has read.)

Roman then talked about the history of his upcoming Astronaut Academy — it started as a webcomic and a few minicomics and then he reworked it as a graphic novel. He also said there will be a lot of new stuff in it and he redrew about 80 percent of it (so you see, you will really have no reason not to buy it when it comes out, even if you have read it online). He says he doesn’t necessarily intend to make comics for kids — it’s just what he likes.

Both Roman and Telgemeier then talked about the X-Men manga from Del Ray and how the second book was canceled (sniff) and that there wasn’t one reason, but several (but mostly, it came down to the licensing cost). I am happy they got paid for the second book, but I’m going to continue to be upset that I’ll never get to see it.

Venable talked about the series of books she writes for Graphic Universe, Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye. The series is aimed at second to fifth grades and she said she’s having fun and getting good letters from kids.

MacDonald asked about some of the covers Venable has designed for First Second, including Foiled. Venable said she’s always been a big Jane Yolen fan so it was fun for her, but she always got nervous when she had to call her to discuss the cover.

The discussion then turned to how comics get shelved in libraries and bookstores. Abadzis said that kids don’t want to read books that are too “young” for them, but comics are mostly missing those sorts of divisions. Roman said that shelving comics can be hard because usually, they can only be in one place. He was a fan of multiple sections for graphic novels — not just one huge section that has everything.

Venable said that librarians have figured this out a little bit more quickly than booksellers.

Everyone basically agreed that comics can be great gateways to reading. Telgemeier said she’s had a lot of parents say that Smile was one of the first books their children read voluntarily. Roman praised teachers for taking the initiative in introducing comics into the classroom. Abadzis agreed with all of this, but said that comics still need to get past “gatekeepers” — people who may doubt their value.

MacDonald then asked the panel what they thought of the big two publishers — Marvel and DC — and their failure to market to kids.

Roman said that the direct market is the problem — kids don’t go into comic book stores. And while I know of stores that have really wonderful sections of kids’ comics, if kids aren’t going into these stores, the comics aren’t getting to them. Roman said that other publishers — like Scholastic — are able to sell through school book clubs to kids directly.

Telgemeier brought up there’s almost too much variety in mainstream comics and it can be hard for a parent to pick which Iron Man would be good for kids. Roman said that while there are things like Marvel Adventures, kids don’t want to read Spider-man Jr. when dad is reading regular Spider-man.

MacDonald asked how kids where getting into comics. Venable said web comics were big with teens and that actually, she didn’t read comics until she discovered web comics. Roman said kids don’t discriminate about reading on a screen and that classic newspaper strips like Calvin & Hobbes and Garfield are still gateways for kids … they’re just not reading them in the newspaper (and there was some painful and knowing laughter from the audience when that was said. Or maybe just from me).

A question from an audience member asked the panelists what they thought of the floppy/pamphlet format for kids. Roman said it wasn’t dead, but it was once again the matter of the direct market. MacDonald brought up that kids are more used to reading larger chunks — like manga volumes — so floppies aren’t necessarily as satisfying. But everyone seemed to agree that electronic versions of floppies could still probably work, and no one was declaring print dead.

MacDonald asked if anyone had any final advice for kids who wanted to make comics. Telgemeier said they should learn to write short stories and start small as well as draw. Venable said they should read constantly.

I didn’t take a photo because I forgot, but it would’ve been bad anyway (it was a dark, warehouse-y space and there were windows behind the panelists) so I grabbed a panel from Abadzis’ “Cora’s Breakfast”, which he did for the Guardian before they cut their childrens’ comics pages (sigh). This story needs a publisher right now.

If it wasn’t getting late and I wasn’t feeling so brain-dead, perhaps I could’ve come up with something more descriptive than that.

But it’s still pretty accurate. King Con was definitely fun. I am very happy I went.

It’s a small, laid-back show. The Brooklyn Lyceum has a pleasantly rough industrial aesthetic and I think it lends itself well to DIY culture. The space for exhibitors wasn’t very big so there wasn’t that many of them, but I liked that it was small.

I’ve been to a bunch of comic-related shows this year so I’ve seen many of the same people multiple times, so I sought those I hadn’t. Among them were Alisa Harris and Allan Norico, a fun, artistic couple.

I also had a nice chat with Dave Roman, who I was surprised recognized me. Roman and Raina Telgemeier are always awesome and I think they’re really good for comics.

As fun as the exhibitors were, King Con’s strength is in the programming. On Saturday I caught most of the Kyle Baker presentation with Chris Irving and it was delightful. But honestly, it’s Kyle Baker. How could it not be? I am always impressed by Baker’s work and I need to read more of it.

Next up was the Bored to Death panel. I don’t have HBO because I have the cheap cable, so I’ve never seen Bored to Death (yes, I know about this thing called the “Internet” and these things called “DVDs” but nonetheless, I’ve never seen the show). This panel was packed — I think quite a number of people came to King Con just for it.

Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel have an easy chemistry with each other and it was fun to hear them talk about the show, even though I was only vaguely familiar with it. Moderator Jeff Newlett did a great job — directing the conversation when he needed to but mostly just letting it evolve organically. I really enjoyed it. Even the giant drawings of penises.

(My friend says she saw Jason Schwartzman in the audience. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had been, but I didn’t see him so I can’t confirm.)

I stuck around afterward for the Daily Cross Hatch panel because I was interested in everyone on it (Robert Sikoryak, Julia Wertz and Lisa Hanawalt along with Alex Cox, hosted, of course, by Brian Heater) but I think most everyone can agree it kind of ended up being a mess.

I actually don’t think that was anyone’s fault in particular that it went badly — the room was cold, it was getting to a slumped part of the day (it started at 4:30 p.m.) and while there’s nothing wrong with comic book people not actually talking about comics, I think the creators were a little thrown off by being initially asked about sports and fast food. There was plenty of fun — Sikoryak is wonderfully sharp and Cox would randomly give people points for certain answers — but once it went off track, it never really recovered. I think everyone pretty much knew it (it will be interesting to see what the podcast version ends up being).

Today I did attend the Kid’s Stuff: Making Comics for All Ages panel, but that will get its own post, likely later tomorrow.

Other than a couple other small things (there’s a panel in town next week and maybe a couple of other events), King Con has capped off a very busy year. It did serve as a great finale.

Agnes Quill An Anthology of Mystery Buy at Amazon.com

I’m not really a horror fan. At least not when it comes to the slasher/zombie/blood and guts kind of horror. I can tolerate some of it in very small doses but as I like to tell people, I have enough bad dreams without exposing myself to that.

Spooky, though, I like. I adore moody, supernatural stories involving ghosts or any other strangeness. So of course, if you know anything about me, you know I loved Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery (SLG Publishing, 2006).

I don’t think I’m alone in usually thinking of Dave Roman as a creator who typically does all-ages comics. And certainly, he does those remarkably and wonderfully well. Still, as writer of the stories here (he’s also artist on one of them), it’s pretty delightful to see how well he’s able to tackle more mature subject matter. While nothing is too over-the-top in terms of horror, but when you have a murderous, philandering husband and monstrous rats as well as some dead children, it’s still not a book I’d be handing a 7-year-old.

Agnes Quill is a wonderful heroine — smart, capable, resourceful and witty. To make two (fairly lazy and obvious) pop-culture comparisons, she’s like Buffy meets Hellboy, which is, of course, awesome. When first meet her when she’s digging through crypts to retrieve an heirloom for one of the ghosts that has employed her and then dodging gunfire. While Agnes is brave, she also knows when it’s time to run away. I also admire Agnes using her powers to speak to ghosts to her own advantage — yes, she is helping to solve mysteries, but mostly, she’s trying to get paid.

The city of Legerdemain is kind of outside of time with its Victorian style but modern sensibility. I wouldn’t call it “steampunk” but I bet some other people would. I love how fully-realized this world feels — the mythology seems to run pretty deep — and this volume only seems to tap the surface.

The stories run from dark to humorous. “The Mummified Heirloom & the Divided Man” opens the book and is a gritty introduction to this world. Jason Ho’s art is all dark shadows and distorted angles, giving this tale an appropriate feel of horror. Conversely, the next story, “Lost & Found,” drawn by Raina Telgemeier, has more of a light sweetness. The next two stories, with art by Jeff Zornow and Roman himself, respectively, follow this same rhythm — darkness followed by more fun. It keeps the book from feeling too mired in horror and shows the depth that this concept has.

A history of Agnes and her family, excerpts from her journal, and an art gallery round out the volume. These are nice touches and really show the time Roman devoted to developing this character.

Sadly, as of now, this is all the Agnes Quill there is. I know I’d love to see more.

The War at Ellsmere Buy at Amazon.com

Along with Raina Telgemeier and Hope Larson, Faith Erin Hicks is part of a new wave of female creators making really awesome comics aimed at younger female readers (vaguely “young adult” but their work tends to cover a range from probably 12-16 or so).

I think Hicks’ Zombies Calling is utterly delightful, but this month, I’m going with The War at Ellsmere (but do pick both of them up). Ellsmere follows Juniper, who has transferred to Ellsmere Academy and immediately makes an enemy of the school’s queen bee, Emily. She find an ally in her roommate, Cassie, who is as quirky and awkward as she is. Throughout, Hicks’ bold, cartoony art — her characters are all big eyes and smirky expressions — creates a wonderful portrait of female adolescence and how there’s really not that much separating the popular girls from the unpopular ones. Maybe you didn’t go to boarding school like the characters here, but you’ll find something to relate to.

This is one of those books that I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about it. It’s a wonderful example of an awesome comic for teenage girls. Or anyone, honestly.

Hicks is someone to watch and I’m overjoyed to see she has two works-in-progress for First Second Books. And if her Wolverine short story isn’t enough to make you love her work entirely, I don’t think I want to talk to you anymore.

Smile Buy at Amazon.com

I hated every minute of having braces.

Yes, that’s a dramatic statement since I’m sure there were times I didn’t think about my braces too much (plus I did also sleep, so I doubt I was doing too much hating in my sleep). But ultimately, I remember nearly two years of aching teeth and discomfort.

I don’t regret having braces but I adored the day I got them removed. Of course, then there was the retainer.

In the autobiographical Smile (Scholastic, 2010), sixth-grader Raina Telgemeier trips and knocks out one of her front teeth (and pushed the other up inside her gums — cue the cringing now). This began four long years of trips to the dentist and orthodontist and other -ists as they try to repair her mouth.

Along the way, she grow into herself. She deals with leaving her childhood behind as she experiences first crushes and fights with friends. There’s even an earthquake. Telgemeier’s art is animated and cute. It’s curvy and dynamic and filled with exaggerated facial expressions. It moves the story along and I love the subtle changes Raina goes through as she moves from girl to young teenager.

Telgemeier is only a few years older than I am so I could relate to the time period in which she came of age. I was delighted at how she wasn’t in a particular rush to grow up (she was a girl who loved video games and The Little Mermaid) and her family is loving and supportive. This was a refreshing portrayal of being a young teenager to me, and very easy to relate to.

(The scene where Sammy gives Raina a Valentine’s Day present and it’s painful and awkward for both of them? Yes, that happened to me, too.)

The dental aspect is handled in a playful way. Something that should be horrifying is rendered as fun. Onomatopoetic words such as “snap” “poke” and “twist” accompany scenes of the tightening of braces and Telgemeier’s art is always so lovely that nothing is ever too gross. The only scene that made me squirm was when Raina had her gums cleaned. Still, I did have my teeth ache in sympathy throughout the book.

While I didn’t (thankfully!) experience the kind of dental trauma that Telgemeier did, I still saw a lot of myself in her story. Smile is a quick and fun read. It’s a lovely book for any older child worried about middle school (or braces!) and for those of us who have been there. And that just about covers everyone.