2024 Program Panels

09/14/2024 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm | White Oak Room

Cults (religious and otherwise) have been part of the fabric of American history long before it was officially a country. What often start off as utopian projects usually devolve into fanaticism, exploitation, and even murder. Join moderator Marc Sobel and panelists Jesse Lambert (Hyperallegenic), Ellen Lindner (Lost Diamonds), George Wylesol (Internet Crusader), and Emi Gennis (American Cult) will discuss cults from a personal, historical, and fictional perspective and why comics are an ideal medium to delve into the depths of their mysteries.

Panelists: Jesse Lambert, Emi Gennis, Ellen Lindner, George Wylesol

Special Guests: George Wylesol

09/14/2024 | 12:30pm – 1:30pm | White Flint Amphitheater

Before the internet facilitated interaction and community for cartoonists worldwide, there were still networks that drew them together. From the page of seminal zine Factsheet Five to a mail network that criss-crossed the globe to dozens of alt-weekly newspapers that disseminated comics, the cartoonists who emerged at the height of the first zine explosion established the groundwork for what was to come. Tom Hart of the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW) has been capturing the experiences of the cartoonists who were there, and he’ll join panelists Ariel Bordeaux (Deep Girl, Clutter), Anders Nilsen (Tongues, Big Questions), Carol Lay (My Time Machine, Story Minute), and Peter Kuper (Ruins, World War III Illustrated) as they discuss their varied experiences in establishing comics community.

Panelists: Ariel Bourdeaux, Anders Nilsen, Carol Lay, Peter Kuper

09/14/2024 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm | White Oak Room

Conveying complex scientific and philosophical principles to a general audience is difficult, and it’s even harder to do so for younger audiences. However, in an era where scientific literacy is increasingly limited, it’s more important than ever to reach wider audiences, and comics provide a unique platform for creators with scientific expertise as well as the passion and skill to convey that pictorially. Moderator Alice Santos will discover how Jay Hosler (The Way Of The Hive), Sarah Firth (Eventually Everything Connects), Erika Johnson (Ever-Present Thoughts), and Cara Bean (here i am, i am me) investigate and communicate scientific ideas.

Panelists: Jay Hosler, Sarah Firth, Erika Johnson, Cara Bean

09/14/2024 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm | White Flint Amphitheater

One of the best things about cartooning is that there are no rules with regard to their line and how they express themselves through mark-making. Some cartoonists use a dense, scribbly style, while others might try a sketchy and loose line. Others fuse different influences into their own unique stylizations. Moderator John Kelly (Dummy magazine) will discuss these visual style choices that Josh Bayer (Unended), Caroline Cash (PeePee PooPoo), Sophie Yanow (The Contradictions), and Benji Nate (Girl Juice) have made.

Panelists: Josh Bayer, Caroline Cash, Sophie Yanow, Benji Nate

09/14/2024 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm | White Oak Room

Sports have often been thought of as a realm of heteronormativity where queer athletes have had to hide their identity for decades. In recent years, this has started to change, and the narratives in sports-related comics have changed as a result. The grind of being an athlete and the joy of competition and camaraderie have been a perfect blend for coming-out stories and romance. Moderator Tanya Dorph-Mankey will join Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!), Tillie Walden (Spinning), Jonah Newman (Out Of Left Field), and Coco Fox (Let’s Go, Coco!) as they discuss the sports they’ve written about and their experiences around them.

Panelists: Tillie Walden, Ngozi Ukazu, Jonah Newman, Coco Fox

Special Guests: Ngozi Ukazu

09/14/2024 | 2:30pm – 3:30pm | White Flint Amphitheater

Dash Shaw and Eleanor Davis are visionary cartoonists. Both coming from art school backgrounds, they made their mark at a young age and have continued to evolve over the years, crafting a wide variety of innovative comics while never repeating themselves. Shaw’s body of work includes Bottomless Belly Button, New School, and the new Blurry, while Davis’s comics include Why Art?, The Hard Tomorrow, and You & A Bike & A Road. Moderator Rob Clough will join them in a discussion of their careers, their aesthetics, and their working methods.

Panelists: Dash Shaw, Eleanor Davis

Special Guests: Dash Shaw

09/14/2024 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm | White Oak Room

This is a time of transition in the world of small-press publishing, as a number of long-time publishers have shuttered in recent years. Happily, many more publishers have arisen in their place, each with a different aesthetic, focus, and mission. Moderator John Warren will discuss the ins and outs of small press publishing with Daryl Seitchik (Parsifal Press), Nick Bunch (Reptile House), Alexander Laird (Frog Farm), Rachel Bivens (GoPress Girl), and Andrew Alexander (CRAM Books).

Panelists: Daryl Seitchik, Nick Bunch, Rachel Bivens, Alexander Laird, Andrew Alexander

09/14/2024 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm | White Flint Amphitheater

Renowned Alt Manga translator Ryan Holmberg will have a wide-ranging conversation with emuh ruh of cutting-edge publisher Glacier Bay Books on their history, philosophy, and their upcoming publication plans.

Panelists: Ryan Holmberg, emuh ruh

09/14/2024 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm | White Oak Room

Epic space opera, where empires rise and fall. Ancient conflicts between clashing ruling forces and a faction of cosmic, shamanic midwives. Goddesses spinning threads that determine the fate of mortals. Reality and gender identity blurring back and forth. These sweeping and expansive fantasy and science-fiction ideas are just a few examples of the cutting-edge narratives written by queer artists. Moderator Andy Hartzell will discuss these works with Sig Burwash (Vera Bushwack), buttercup (UM), Ashanti Fortson (Leaf Lace), and Hannah Templer. (Cosmoknights).

Panelists: Sig Burwash, buttercup, Ashanti Fortson, Hannah Templer

Special Guests: Sig Burwash

09/14/2024 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm | White Flint Amphitheater

There’s a new wave of young cartoonists specializing in a style of memoir that’s more closely aligned with work from the late 80s and early 90s than anything being published now. There’s a bold and refreshing frankness in their work where nothing is off-limits but little is sensationalized. It is the matter-of-factness with which they approach raw and thorny subjects that makes their work so compelling. Moderator Alex Hoffman will be leading a discussion with some of the vanguard in this new movement: Angela Fanche (Me & Night), Allee Errico (Froggie World), Kayla E (Precious Rubbish), and Tara Booth (Processing).

Panelists: Tara Booth, Kayla E, Angela Fanche, Allee Errico

Special Guests: Tara Booth

09/14/2024 | 5:00pm – 6:00pm | White Oak Room

Since 1997, R. Sikoryak has hosted Carousel, a series of comics readings and visual performances by cartoonists and theater artists, presented around the U.S. and Canada. This special edition of Carousel at SPX features exhibiting artists and guests, performing live. Join us for an audio-visual journey to the place where comics and performance collide! Featuring: Stan Mack (Stan Mack’s Real Life Funnies), Bianca Xunise, (Punk Rock Karaoke), Amy Kurzweill (Artificial: A Love Story), Jeffrey Brown (Kids Are Still Weird), Joel Christian Gill (Fights), Shing Yin Khor (The Legend Of Auntie Po), and R. Sikoryak (Constitution Illustrated).

Panelists: R.Sikoryak, Stan Mack, Jeffrey Brown, Amy Kurzweill, Joel Christian Gill, Shing Yin Khor, Bianca Xunise

Special Guests: Jeffrey Brown and Stan Mack

09/14/2024 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm | White Flint Amphitheater

Sometimes when the apocalypse comes, it’s up to teenagers to discover it, confront it, or process its aftermath. For young people whose lives naturally take on a sense of heightened drama, having to deal with an incomprehensible threat is almost a logical progression. Moderator Faith Cox explores several different kinds of monsters and apocalyptic scenarios with Chris Gooch (In Utero), Julian Hanshaw (Space Junk), Liz Suburbia (Sacred Heart), and Ricky Lima (Undergrowth).

Panelists: Chris Gooch, Ricky Lima, Julian Hanshaw, Liz Suburbia

Special Guests: Chris Gooch

09/14/2024 | 6:00pm – 7:00pm | White Oak Room

Reproductive rights have been under attack and are at a crisis point in America, and a number of cartoonists have been bringing attention to this crucial issue both in recent years and with new publications. Published by Silver Sprocket, panelists Marnie Galloway, Sage Coffey, and Isabella Rotman are debuting Abortion Pill Zine: A Guide To Misoprostol And Mifepristone at SPX. Fellow panelist Anna Sellheim contributed to the abortion rights anthology Comics For Choice as well as a widely-read comic called There For Us, about her positive health care experience at Planned Parenthood. Moderator Karen Green will discuss why this work is so significant to them and what went into creating it.

Panelists: Sage Coffey, Marnie Galloway, Isabella Rotman, Anna Sellheim

09/15/2024 | 12:30pm – 1:30pm | White Oak Room

There’s a growing culture in comics that’s deeply connected with the idea of finding ways to get closer to the land and think closely about what we eat, how we grow it, how we gather it, and agriculture & gardening in general. Host Alice Santos will explore this topic with Yasmeen Abedifard (Death Bloom, When To Pick A Pomegranate), Iona Fox (Almanac), Sarah Becan (Let’s Make Bread!), and Isabella Rotman (Gatherer).

Panelists: Yasmeen Abedifard, Isabella Rotman, Iona Fox, Sarah Becan

Special Guests: Yasmeen Abedifard

09/15/2024 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm | White Flint Amphitheater

While time travel stories can be fun and sometimes confusing, things tend to get complicated when someone goes backward or forward in time in order to try to fix something. Inevitably, that makes things worse. It could mean you get trapped in feudal Japan, have an awkward encounter with a younger version of your own self, or even worse, see a bleak future. Moderator Warren Bernard will talk about the time travel tales from Carol Lay (My Time Machine), Jess Fink (We Can Fix It!), Luke Healy (Self-Esteem And The End Of The World) and Benjamin Wilgus (Chronin).

Panelists: Carol Lay, Jess Fink, Benjamin Wilgus, Luke Healy

Special Guests: Carol Lay

09/15/2024 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm | White Oak Room

Join moderator Jules Bakes and cartoonists Emma Hunsinger (How It All Ends), Jarad Greene (A For Effort), Walter Scott (The Wendy Award), and Anna Sellheim (Brittle) as they discuss their comics about middle school, high school, art school, and teaching school. Every one of them is awkward in their own way, and the panel will expand on how each cartoonist turns these struggles into compelling narratives.

Panelists: Emma Hunsinger, Walter Scott, Jarad Greene, Anna Sellheim

Special Guests: Emma Hunsinger and Walter Scott

09/15/2024 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm | White Flint Amphitheater

Comics provide a unique way of looking at consensus reality in startlingly new and different ways. Whether used to represent the way mental illness can affect the way we perceive reality, how occult forces can warp perception, or how in the far future the ways in which surviving species might perceive humanity, the use of line and color offers a world of possibilities. Francesca Lyn will explore the topic with Peter Kuper (Ruins, Insectopolis), Laura Pérez (Ocultos, Totem), Christi Furnas (Crazy Like A Fox: Adventures In Schizophrenia), and Nate Powell (Fall Through, Swallow Me Whole).

Panelists: Christi Furnas, Laura Pérez, Peter Kuper, Nate Powell

Special Guests: Christi Furnas and Peter Kuper

09/15/2024 | 2:30pm – 3:30pm | White Oak Room

There are some comics you can just feel, right through the page. Horror comics that rely on graphic depictions of violence and gore do it for a reason, but the reason can vary. For some comics, it can be connected to psychedelia and satire. For others, it’s meant to conjure up the unsettling images of eldritch and Lovecraftian forces. For others, this kind of violence blends with erotica. Some cartoonists can make gore funny. Moderator Peter Rostovsky will discuss how and why Corinne Halbert (Acid Nun, Scorpio Venus Rising), Tinguu (The Cannibals), Gigi Murakami (Resenter), and Andi Santagata (Yennefer’s Body) use gore and violence.

Panelists: Corinne Halbert, Gigi Murakami, Andi Santagata, Tinguu

09/15/2024 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm | White Flint Amphitheater

CRAM Books is a small press Riso publisher run by Andrew Alexander, produciing exciting and challenging new work. Join Alexander and moderator Rob Clough as they explore the origins and aesthetics of the press, along with long-time collaborator Max Huffman (CRAM anthology), Allee Errico (Froggie World), and Angela Fanche (Me & Night).

Panelists: Andrew Alexander, Max Huffman, Allee Errico, Angela Fanche

09/15/2024 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm | White Oak Room

Non-fiction comics span from the familiar biographies to deeply thought-out ruminations on science and technology, to deep dives into history, politics, and philosophy. They allow for complex visual representations of ideas and a compression of data that can make difficult topics easier to understand. Moderator Jonathan Gray will explore these concepts with Glynnis Fawkes (1177 B.C.: A Graphic History Of The Year Civilization Collapsed {with Eric H. Cline}), Caitlin Cass (Suffrage Song), Bill Campbell (The Day The Klan Came To Town {with Bizhan Khodabandeh}), Dan Nott (Hidden Systems), and Nate Powell (March {with Andrew Aydin and John Lewis}).

Panelists: Glynnis Fawkes, Dan Nott, Nate Powell, Bill Campbell, Caitlin Cass

09/15/2024 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm | White Flint Amphitheater

SOLRADIO, the podcast of the comics criticism website SOLRAD.CO, proudly presents a deep dive into the Harvey Award-nominated debut graphic novel Tender, by Beth Hetland. Beth will join moderator Alex Hoffman and critics Jules Bakes and Rob Clough as they explore the themes and imagery of her harrowing book.

Panelists: Beth Hetland, Jules Bakes, Rob Clough

Special Guests: Beth Hetland

09/15/2024 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm | White Oak Room

The surreal world of single-panel gags is one that’s easy to enjoy and difficult to conceive on one’s own. Moderator Sofia Warren leads a panel of fellow New Yorker cartoonists consisting of Lonnie Millsap, Sara Lautman, Amy Kurzweill, and Hilary Campbell on the art and science of perfecting an art form with a deep and venerated sense of history and tradition.

Panelists: Lonnie Millsap, Sara Lautman, Amy Kurzweill, Hilary Campbell

Special Guests: Lonnie Millsap and Sara Lautman