NEWS
ICV2 INTERVIEW: MONI BARRETTE, INCOMING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMICSPRO
Librarian, Nonprofit Organizer, Eisner Judge
Posted by Brigid Alverson on November 13, 2026 @ 2:36 pm CT
Moni Barrette is the incoming Executive Director of ComicsPRO, taking over from Marco Davanzo (for more on her background and the role, see “ComicsPRO Hires New Executive Director”). Barrette has been working with ComicsPRO for some time, and she brings her skills as a librarian, the co-founder of the nonprofit Creators Assemble!, and former President of the ALA’s Graphic Novel and Comics Round Table to the job. She has 20 years’ experience as a librarian, and most recently she has been Director, Collection Development at the digital comics service LibraryPass, transitioning to Collection Development Team Lead when that company was acquired by Joyful Reading earlier this year.
What attracted you to this job? Why did you decide to apply?
I heard a lot about the legacy of ComicsPRO through my retailer and publisher friends, but getting to know Shannon Live really started to gain my interest in community building, education, and advocacy opportunities. This year, Oni Press made it possible for me to attend the annual conference. I was impressed both by the business opportunities and the overall potential.
Have you worked with ComicsPRO before?
Yes! I started attending the COMET Metadata Standard meetings when I was able, a subject close to my librarian heart! Also, when I attended the conference this year, I presented on the topic of library partnerships for retailers, along with Katie Pryde, and a second presentation about library partnerships for comic book publishers. In August, I participated in the Hey Kids! Comic Shops! Online Lit Conference along with librarian colleague Christina Taylor.
I know you started your career as a librarian, and you’ve done several different things in addition to that. How do you think your background makes you a good match for this position?
I have a particular set of skills! In addition to creating a library partnerships with my local retail comic book shops since 2006 to raise awareness of the organizations involved, I’ve done a lot of similar administrative work which this role requires: Board member and eventually President of the Graphic Novel and Comics Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA), Eisner Awards judge, frequent comics convention panelist on subjects including comic book censorship. In 2020, I co-founded Creators Assemble! Inc., which is a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources for comics industry folks and getting comics into classrooms and libraries. Through that organization, I host annual comic book industry networking events at San Diego Comic Con and Wondercon, where we mix retailers, publishers, and creators at rotating conversation tables moderated by comics librarians and teachers. My role at Comics Plus over the past six years has me working on distribution agreements, reviewing dozens of new and backlist comics every week, and maintaining relationships across a number of industry stakeholders. I’ve worked well in bureaucratic atmospheres, such as libraries and the 150-year-old organization that is ALA, and I’ve worked in fast paced business environments.
Conversely, what challenges do you anticipate? Where will you be playing catch-up?
Despite having deep and long-lasting relationships with multiple retailers, I’m not one myself. I see this as an opportunity to be in an administrative role where I hold down the proverbial fort and work on ways to better enable retailers to thrive in their shops. There will be a lot of listening and learning, but I’m confident in my ability to bring a mix of maintaining the best traditions while also forging new paths.
ComicsPRO has changed a lot in the past few years, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, the Diamond bankruptcy. What do you see as their role in the world of comics retail?
There have been amazing accomplishments, both throughout the organization’s early history and over the past few years with projects like COMET Metadata Standard, revamping of Local Comic Shop Day, and of course the business and community-building value of the annual conference. But perhaps ComicsPRO’s greatest contribution is its ability to make independent comic retailers a recognized stakeholder in decisions affecting the future of the comic book industry.
Do you have a local comic shop that you visit frequently? If so, what do you like about it?
I have to give a huge shout out to Knowhere Games & Comics in San Marcos, California. You could say I’m biased because my husband worked there for several years, but it’s more than that: Mathias and his team go above and beyond making the shop a community staple. It feels like a second home, and I know I’m not the only repeat customer who feels that way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brigid Alverson
Contributing Editor. Alverson has been writing about comics since she launched MangaBlog in 2005. She wrote the Comics A.M. column for Robot 6 (now part of CBR), and currently edits the Good Comics for Kids blog at School Library Journal. In her earlier life, she had roles at magazine and book publishers.
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