Kids' interest in comic books is healthy and strong if the first annual New York City Kids' Comic Con was any indication.
Held on Saturday, April 28, at Bronx Community College, the daylong affair saw kids of all ages checking out a variety of comic books, meeting comics professionals and attending workshops on how to create their own comics.
Photo: Kyo Morishima
Organizer Alex Simmons—educational outreach director at New York's Museum for Comic and Cartoon Art and a comics scribe in his own right—said he was very pleased with how the day turned out. "Everything we did seemed really successful in a lot of ways and appreciated by the people who came," he said. (For more pictures from the event, check out Photo Mania.)
Creators like Kyle Baker, Raina Telgemeier, Jim Salicrup and Jamal Igle were at the show to draw sketches for attendees; publishers like First Second Books and Scholastic Books came; and editors from Archie, DC and Marvel Comics were on hand to give tips and pointers to the next generation of up-and-comers.
At panels held throughout the day, professionals spoke about such topics as racial and cultural identity in comics, the history of the medium and how to make comics. Speaking about comics as educational tools, Scholastic executive editor Sheila Keenan said, "For more literate people, when you read a novel you kind of see the movie in your head. But for others, it's like reading music note for note—you don't see the bigger picture. Comics can be a way to present that bigger picture."
Children and adults came from all over the city to attend the show, but perhaps none had come as far as Chicago librarians Lance Anderson and Penny Blubaugh. "I took the kids in my [manga book club] to Wizard World Chicago, but this is just 500 times better," Blubaugh said. "It's easier to get around and there's much more aimed at kids."
Simmons hopes this will be the first of many comic conventions for kids in New York. "I think an annual kids' comic-con would be wonderful, and I think as we grow, it could become even better."
