Some of the online comics events in the coming weeks. As usual, please check the time zones noted below and adjust to your location as appropriate.
- April 21, 3:30pm (EST?)
Global Comics Lecture Series: The Real and Serial in Zhang Leping’s The Wandering Life of Sanmao
Sanmao, or “Three Hairs,” has entertained and educated readers in China and beyond from 1935 to the present, ranking him among the world’s longest-lived comics characters. Sanmao’s creator, Zhang Leping (1910-1992) adapted the wordless escapades of this gangly, pumpkin-headed orphan boy across more than fifty years of a changing historical landscape, from the mass entertainment of 1930s Shanghai and brutal wars of invasion and civil strife in the 1940s to Mao’s mass campaigns of the 1950s and on into the post-Mao era of economic reform. Sanmao lives on today in comics reprints in multiple languages, as well as a huge range of transmedia productions from live-action and animated films to stage plays, propaganda exhibits and even museums. Sanmao became a household name between the years 1947 and 1948, when Zhang Leping published The Wandering Life of Sanmao (Sanmao liulangji) across 250 installments in the Shanghai newspaper Dagong bao (L’Impartial). Wandering Life resonated with the realities of historical crisis during those years, a time of disastrous economic collapse and civil war on the eve of the 1949 Chinese communist revolution. Just as, if not more, important to the strip’s impact and lasting fame, however, was its form: an open-ended, serial comic strip embedded within the pages of another open-ended serial, the daily paper. How these two globalized serial forms, one fictional and the other factual, worked in symbiosis to engage the imagination of readers on the eve of a revolution is the topic of this lecture.
- April 21, 6:00pm (PDT?)
Grownups Unite! with John Jennings and Damian Duffy
Meet authors John Jennings and Damian Duffy at the next book club as the Sacramento Public Library book club discusses their graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower. John Jennings is a professor, author, graphic novelist, curator, Harvard Fellow, New York Times Bestseller, 2018 Eisner Winner, and all-around champion of Black culture. Damian Duffy is a cartoonist, scholar, writer, curator, lecturer, teacher, and a Glyph Comics, Eisner Comics, and Bram Stoker Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist.
- April 22-23
Comics Picturing Girlhood Symposium
Comics have long relied on reinforcing reader identity formation whether through interest, age group or hobbies. Constructed and largely mythical notions of gendered readership consequently became key aspects of many of these comics. As gendered products, comics have constructed feminine role models and identities to which girls have replied with both rebellion and conformity. The aim of this symposium is to inspire and promote discourse around comparative constructions of girlhood. This exploration will consider relationships between and influences on European girls’ comics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
- April 22-24
The Boston Comics in Color Festival
The Boston Comics in Color Festival [BCICF] is a family-friendly event for all ages focusing on creators of color and stories by and about people of color. This event will take place both online and on the campus of Roxbury Community College (RCC) and will be the first of its kind in the city of Boston. It will include event headliner(s); special guest speakers; panel discussions with working artist and writers, workshops on comic art and writing, as well as an outdoor in-person (following all City of Boston guidelines) market place and artist alley for comic creators can share and sell their books, materials, artwork.
- April 22, 11:00am CDT
Masterclass with Derf Backderf
The Marc Sleen Museum is organizing its first online masterclass on Thursday, April 22. The guest speaker is the American Derf Backderf, trained as a journalist and not a draftsman, which makes his drawing style look somewhat naive, but no less strong.
He made his international breakthrough with the comic My Friend Dahmer, the story of his friendship in his adolescence with Jeffrey Dahmer, the later serial killer. His most recent comic strip novel, Kent State, describes the tragic events of May 4, 1970, when the National Guard shot and killed unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University. Although the promo materials for this event are all in Dutch, the lecture itself will be in English.
- April 22, 8:00pm ET
Mark Waid: Comic Writing
This is a highly intensive, learning-focused session in which Mark will layout the ins-and-outs of plot structure, and creating riveting stories and memorable characters! Owing to the highly personal and instructive nature of this course, only 10 seats are available for this exclusive session!
Proceeds from this talk benefit Hero Initiative, the charity that helps comic book creators in medical or financial need! Registration: $125 US.
- April 23, 1:00pm ET
Creative Engine Masterclass with Jessica Abel
If — no matter how you try to chain yourself to your worktable — you're constantly failing to put the time and focus into your ambitious creative work you know it needs, you'll love finding out...
- Master the four essential phases of the creative process you need to produce awesome work reliably... you're probably skipping at least one!
- How to predict, and AVOID the pitfalls that derail you time and time again
- The secret (that you actually already have!) to leveling up your creative life
- How to take back control and keep moving — even when things get really challenging
- April 23, 7:00pm ET
Comics Out Loud: Hello Boyfriend
Join Hello Boyfriend members Jade Armstrong, Keelin Gorlewski, Victor Martins, and Christine Wong for an evening of comics being read out loud and discussion about their work!
Armstrong is a cartoonist specializing in slice-of-life and humour. They like swimming, municipal politics, and long walks on the beach. Their middle-grade contemporary graphic novel, Scout is Not A Band Kid is set to release Spring 2022 from Random House Graphic. Gorlewski is an illustrator from Toronto. She draws comics with her friends. She knows where a lot of countries are and she can eat her own weight in salmon nigiri but doesn’t like to. Martins is a cartoonist and illustrator living and working in Toronto. Currently, they are working with PEOW on their first full-length graphic novel, Stay, about being a small alien inside a big robot and also in love. Their life goal is to defeat their nemesis, French racing driver and 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup Champion Victor Martins. Wong is a Canadian cartoonist from Toronto. She likes to draw comics about her life, and wants to make you laugh. She is currently masquerading as an English teacher while she gathers material for her next book.
- April 23, 8:00pm ET
Dan DiDio
Now YOU can talk to Dan and find out about the ins-and-outs of the comic business, how cartoons get on the air, and more! Dan is happy to answer questions about the business, or just talk comics or animation in general!
Your purchase of this Talk gets you access to a private 55-minute Q-and-A session with longtime comic writer/editor/historian and animation executive Dan DiDio!
Proceeds from this talk benefit Hero Initiative, the charity that helps comic book creators in medical or financial need! Registration: $50 US.
- April 24, 3:00pm EST
Graphic Novel Double Feature
Books of Wonder is delighted to host the Graphic Novel Double Feature event with authors, DAVE ROMAN for Astronaut Academy: Splashdown, and ABBY DENSON for Kitty Sweet Tooth on Saturday, April 24th at 3pm EST via CrowdCast.
Celebrate the release of these amazing graphic novels with DAVE ROMAN and ABBY DENSON as they share their books and answer questions from the audience during the live feed! Ages 6 & up.
- April 24, 3:00pm EST
Hands On: More Than Breaking Even with Sage Coffey
Join Sage Coffey as they walk through the psychology behind sales, their approach to convention etiquette, and pricing self-published mini-comics to maintain accessibility without going broke in the process.
- April 24, 2:00pm PDT
The Real Queer Pirates of History
Sam Maggs and Kendra Wells, the creators of the Tell No Tales:
Pirates of the Southern Seas graphic novel, discuss the real queer pirates of history.
- April 24-25, May 1-2
DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE ON A DEADLINE: Comics and Graphic Novels Editing Workshop
Enroll in this workshop to learn comics editing, an important aspect of making comics that is often considered a mystery. Whether you’re working for a publishing company or creating your own comics, editing is a major part of the creative and business process. Learn from legendary editor Danny Fingeroth’s decades of experience and success—and his stumbles, too—how to be the best possible editor you can be in a wide variety of situations.
Experience editing decisions and conflicts through in-class and at-home editing challenges. You’ll look at classic published stories, raw scripts, problematic art, where you’ll have the chance to see what you would have done with it—and what ended up in the printed comics! Registration: $699.99 US.
- April 27, 6:00pm ET
Howard Chaykin – Paradigm: BEYOND
Whether you’re a beginner trying to find your artistic voice or seasoned artist looking to hone your visual language skills, comic book artist/writer Howard Chaykin’s Paradigm art classes exclusively on TalentTalk teaches aspiring artists what shapes, distance, and movement tell us about time and journey.
In this visual exploration, Chaykin takes you inside storytelling to walk you through page layout and show you WHAT works and WHY. Registration: $30 US.
- April 27, 8:00pm EST
The Future of Comics: Building The Community We Want to See
Join Leila Abdelrazaq, Zach Clemente, Lawrence Lindell, and Carta Monir as they discuss their visions for the future of small press comics. Moderated by Neil Brideau.
- April 29, 6:00pm EDT
Teaching STEM/STEAM with Graphic Novels
A panel of experienced educators and librarians—Tracy Edmunds, Lee Francis, Jim Ottaviani, C.A. Preece—will share insights on their discovery process and results from using graphic novels to teach STEAM programs. Attendees will learn how to research ideas for key subjects; find academic resources that support their efforts, and tools for students to use in creating their own STEAM–centric stories.
The 60-minute presentation will be moderated by LibraryPass’ John Shableski and will include a live Q&A segment where the panelists will answer attendees’ specific questions submitted via the registration form and during the session.
NOTE: A Certificate of Completion will be available to those who attend this webinar.
- April 29, 7:30pm EDT
Meet Trots and Bonnie
In the 1970s and 1980s, National Lampoon was home not only to some of the funniest humor writing in America but also to many of its best cartoons. One of the greatest was Trots and Bonnie by Shary Flenniken, a comic strip that followed the adventures and mishaps of the guileless teenager Bonnie and her wisecracking dog, Trots. Flenniken joins Community Bookstore to present Trots and Bonnie, in conversation with Emily Flake. This event is part of our ongoing series with NYRB, and will take place on Zoom.
- April 29, 8:00pm EDT
The 2021 Stone Award for Literary Achievement Lecture: Lynda Barry
The 2021 recipient of Oregon State University Stone Award for Literary Achievement and Stone Lecture speaker is American author, cartoonist and teacher, Lynda Barry.
Barry has worked as a painter, cartoonist, writer, illustrator, playwright, editor, commentator and teacher and found all those roles to be very much alike.
Recipients of the Stone Literary Award give readings, master classes and lectures highlighting the value of creative communications in contemporary American culture. In conjunction with the prize, an "Everybody Reads" program features a selected book by the writer, with events at libraries, book clubs and independent bookstores.
The honorarium for the award is $25,000, making the Stone Award one of the most substantial prizes for lifetime literary achievement offered by any university in the country.
- May 2, 5:00pm EST
Cartoonist Coffee
Using Zoom's break-out rooms, we'll randomly split participants up into small groups to have 15-minute conversations. Get to know new cartoonists, spend time with friends you haven't seen in a minute! When the 15 minutes is up, we'll reshuffle participants for another small group conversation!
No jerks! Bring your own coffee/tea/water/etc.
- May 4, 6:00pm ET
Howard Chaykin – Part I: PARADIGM
Comic books rule our cultural landscape today—look no further than all the top-grossing movies. But HOW is the language of comics constructed? What do shapes, distance, and movement tell us about time and journey? And how is this all connected (no lie!) to live theater?
In this visual demonstration, Chaykin walks participants through the PARADIGM, the perfect and archetypal visual to illustrate the hidden language, syntax, and vocabulary of comics and the comics page.
BONUS: Participants will also get an ACTUAL three-page excerpt from a comic book script to follow and use what they’ve learned to create a layout based on the principles of the paradigm. Participants ALSO have the option of sending their layouts to Chaykin after the fact of a real professional critique! Registration: $30 US.
- May 5, 8:30pm CDT
'Batman: Analyzing the Three Greatest Bat-Versions of All Time' Webinar
Join the New York Adventure Club as they celebrate and analyze three of the greatest versions of Batman, aka the Caped Crusader: the Batman TV series (1966-8), Hall of Fame comic book artist Neal Adams’ legendary Batman run (1968-74), and Warner Bros.’ groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series (1992-5).
- Three different depictions of Batman discussed, dissected, and deconstructed, made new again by pop culture.
- The comic book origins of the Batman TV series, from the shows that followed the comics faithfully, and the ones that didn’t!
- How a young, upstart Neal Adams went around the powers-that-be at DC Comics in order to get his vibrantly new vision of Batman in print.
- Why Warner Bros. animator Bruce Timm succeeded with his Batman cartoons, creatively and commercially, beyond any previous superhero animation attempt.
Led by Arlen Schumer. Registration: $10 US.
- May 6, 7:00pm ET
Christopher Priest: The ENTIRE craft of comics
This long-form, 90-minute session is thoroughly upfront and honest, not for the weak of heart, and includes plenty of time for YOUR Q-and-A. As Priest says, “It’s kind of like life coaching for people dumb enough to want to do this for a living.”
In this survey, Priest will walk you through his infamous “Edited By Owz” Creators Style Guide, a comprehensive Art of (Comic Books) War rant prized by Marvel and banned by DC! This overview covers all of the major aspects of The Mission of being a working professional in the comics industry and is open to artists as well as writers and editors.
What is the CRAFT of comics all about? How do you enter as MUCH as an equal as you can, accelerating your career and ramping up your eventual peak value RIGHT from the jump? How do you shape that all-important story pitch? And the big question: Is this REALLY “what you want to be when you grow up?” Registration: $30 US.
- May 11, 6:00pm ET
Howard Chaykin – Part III: PARADIGM IN PRACTICE
The Paradigm in Practice deals with writer tools for story breakdown, and also the hidden nuances of comic storytelling. How should you format a script, regardless if you’re working with an artist or drawing it yourself? Why do panel borders MATTER? How can a conversation become the greatest action? How do you best bring the reader into the time-and-place setting of your story? All this and more is addressed by one of comics’ greatest storytellers! CRUCIAL information for pros, and deeper appreciation for enthusiasts!
Chaykin’s Paradigm classes are not prerecorded YouTube videos or seminars you just silently watch. These are live, interactive classes in an intimate and friendly Zoom video setting where you get to ask Chaykin questions and he gets to see YOUR work in real-time. Registration: $30 US.
- May 19, 6:00pm (PDT?)
Grownups Unite! Sandman Vol. 1
Join the Grownups Unite! crew as they discuss, Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes on Wednesday May 19th, at 6 p.m. Come join your fellow adults who love comics and graphic novels! Sacramento Public Library staff will also highlight new Graphic Novel titles for adults.
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