Jeremy Foscardo
When I was an undergrad, I developed an interest in studying and reading as many comics as I could. One of the many comics I rented from the local library at the time was Jeff Smithof bone series, which was previously published in academic. But in 2005, the series was republished under their newly formed imprint, graphics, The imprint would go on to take on a life of its own, with various comics, books, and graphic novels published by many different publishers. Over the next 20 years, Graphix will continue to grow and publish books that inspire the next generation of readers.
When I arrived at the Scholastic offices on Mercer Street in downtown New York City on Friday, October 18, I had no idea how big the Graphix party would be. As I walked into the building, I was amazed by the mural of Clifford the Big Red Dog and the Magic School Bus, as well as the Captain Underpants statue hanging on the stairs (three flagship series I read as a kid). There was even a “dog man” walking around as the mascot who greeted everyone near the entrance before we headed downstairs to the gallery where various elementary school children’s art was on display.
The 20th Anniversary panel started shortly after and it did not disappoint. Moderator Lizette SerranoAs Vice President of School and Library Marketing at Scholastic, the group consists of several writers and illustrators discussing what they are working on. Lineup includes Samuel Sardin (Unocal Awakens), Jamal Nicholas (Extraordinary Leon), Gail Gilligan (babysitters club, freestyle, new beginning), Lentelgemeier and Scott McLeod (Smile, ghost, Learn about comics, Make comics, Cartoonists Club).
The panel started with Sattin who presented a presentation from unique He and his team have been working with the illustration team on the series Gurishiro (The Eisner Award illustration team from Sapporo, Japan, consists of Chifuyu Sasaki and Naoto Kono, who participated in ” gwenpool, Superman crushes the Ku Klux Klan and The unstoppable wasp). The series is adapted from the original comic Osamu Tezuka. He also confirmed that a follow-up book in the series is in the works, adding that the sequel will explore deeper themes and look at the previous installment in a different light after the sequel.
Later, Nicholas shared some of his creative process Leon series of books, including Extraordinary Leon. He explained that he wrote the series because he was inspired by his relationship with his mother. He also revealed that children came up to him and asked him “are you Leon?” adding that he wanted to reflect that in Leon’s character and his relationship with his mother. While promoting his upcoming book Leon: Worst friend ever (Colored by Bonaya Rosado), he teased that the plot will be about what happens when you save the world and get everything you want, and what it means to have friends.
The panel discussion then turned to Gilligan and the books they have written and illustrated for Graphix Press. They also talked about a book they had written previously, freestyleis a vibrant graphic novel about friendship, middle school, and yo-yo skills. They shared that their friend had faith in the project and that the book had been an incredible learning experience. Gale also shared artwork from their upcoming book, new beginningand how their own experiences of going to new cities, going to new schools, and making new friends inspired them. It is created independently while working babysitters club series. Gail was delighted to produce this book as it is a very personal story. Expected to release Spring 2025, coloring by K Chap.
Last but not least, Telgemeier and McCloud talk about their first collaboration on the book, Cartoonists Club. When they wrote the book together, they were both crazy about making it happen (in a good way). There’s even a small preview where Scott’s artwork can even be seen in the comic during a sequence where the protagonists create their own comic. They shared that it was educational for the child protagonists to try to discover things for themselves in the story.
Another highlight of the panel was some of the panelists talking about the collaborative nature of the comics medium and publishing. Gayle shared that they drew the comics for fun and believed we were all in this together. They add that you never know whose life you will change for the better. Samuel shared that you have to connect with people and make connections. McCloud added that he believes community is important, adding an anecdote from Will Eisner about how comics died and were reborn as a medium. During the panel discussion, he also shared that making mistakes is an effective strategy; failure can lead to success, and there is no one way to tell a story. No matter what ideas they seek for inspiration, or what makes them laugh, it’s not a zero-sum game.
As panelists answered questions from the audience, David Saylor Jointly announced several new books to be published by Graphix, including but not limited to: I wish I were a golfer (Amar Shaw and Rashad Touchet); sea legs (Nicky Smith and Jules Bakers); One-eyed cat Safi (Joho/Joanna Ho); Reel life (Kane Lynch) and Diary of a Nature Nerd (Tiffany Everett). He also said that Graphix will venture into publishing comics for the foreseeable future starting in spring 2025, with titles including light within light (March 2025) and Mecha-Ude: Robot Arm (April 2025).
When Mr. Thaler started talking about bone series and its upcoming collection during the 2024-25 launch period, Jeff Smith made a surprise appearance, much to the delight of everyone. During this time he talked about his work bone and how the series developed and evolved beyond the basic comics sold in stores; and how he drew inspiration from it Carl Backus, Walter Kelly, Charles Schulz and literary influences, e.g. JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
This was followed by a party on the roof of the academic building where everyone mingled, had snacks, dinner and cake. There was even a special birthday celebration with a cake with special sparkling candles. Everyone received a take-home bag containing the graphic novel that the group presented that night. I got to meet some of my favorite writers and cartoonists, including Jeff Smith and Gale Gilligan. It was a special night that I will never forget, and I hope that the next 20 years of Graphix’s history at Scholastic will be even more diverse than it is now.
Unocal: Awakening Released on August 6, 2024 and available online and in stores now. Leon: Worst friend ever It was released earlier this month (October 9, 2024) and is available in comic shops and bookstores; new beginning Scheduled for release on January 7, 2025; and Cartoonists Club It is expected to be released on April 1, 2025.
