2025 Program Panels

09/13/2025 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm | White Oak Room

Comics are an ideal medium for documenting certain kinds of experiences that mark a rite of passage, like the death of a parent, the end of a relationship, or a meaningful experience as a teen. Tom Hart will explore this idea with Jules Bakes (Sea Legs), Jonathan Baylis (So Buttons), Jesse Lee Kercheval (French Girl), and Štěpánka Jislová (Heartcore).

Panelists: Štěpánka Jislová, Jonathan Baylis, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Jules Bakes, Tom Hart

Special Guests: Štěpánka Jislová

09/13/2025 | 12:30pm – 1:30pm | Brookside C

Come sit around the campfire with Jordan Crane (It Goes Like This, Keeping Two), Brian Ralph (Daybreak, Reggie-12), and Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly) and some surprise guests as they reminisce about the halcyon days of the late 90s when Highwater, Red Ink, and Fort Thunder were at their creative peaks. It’s all about the community and reckless adventures!

Panelists: Tom Devlin, Jordan Crane, Brian Ralph

Special Guests: Jordan Crane

09/13/2025 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm | White Oak Room

Celebrated cartoonist Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!) debuts her new book, Flip, at SPX 2025, and moderator Johanna Draper Carlson will sit down with her to discuss it. Flip is a thrilling and fantastical tale about self-acceptance, black girlhood, and how walking a mile in someone else’s shoes can teach you how to finally see yourself.

Panelists: Ngozi Ukazu, Johanna Draper Carlson

Special Guests: Ngozi Ukazu

09/13/2025 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm | Brookside C

Brian Baynes revived the comics fanzine with the popular and influential Bubbles, which has turned into a yearly festival and a publishing concern as well. Renowned translator and scholar Ryan Holmberg will discuss their collaboration on books like Bat Kid, The Translator Without Talent, Beautiful Monster, and other projects.

Panelists: Brian Baynes, Ryan Holmberg

09/13/2025 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm | White Oak Room

Working through trauma in the form of a graphic memoir is a process that is both difficult and therapeutic. But what happens when it’s done and out in the world? Moderator Alice Santos will discuss this with Kayla E. (Precious Rubbish), Natalie Norris (Dear Mini), Briana Loewinsohn (Raised By Ghosts), and Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (The Joy Of Snacking).

Panelists: Natalie Norris, Kayla E, Briana Loewinsohn, Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, Alice Santos

Special Guests: Kayla E.

09/13/2025 | 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Brookside C

A discussion between Ben Passmore (Your Black Friend and Other Stangers, Black Arms to Hold You Up) and Bill Campbell (The Day The Klan Came to Town, The Adventures Of Lion Man, Refuge) about the radical potential of obscured history and the graphic novel.

Panelists: Ben Passmore, Bill Campbell

09/13/2025 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm | White Oak Room

Growing up in a dysfunctional family can be difficult to process, but a number of cartoonists have done so in their comics. Moderator Sally Madden will discuss the funny, sad, and sometimes absurd ways that Lee Lai (Stone Fruit), Eagle Valiant Brosi (Black Cohosh), Melissa Mendes (The Weight), and Mara Ramirez (Flea) have done it.

Panelists: Lee Lai, Eagle Valiant Brosi, Melissa Mendes, Mara Ramirez, Sally Madden

Special Guests: Lee Lai

09/13/2025 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm | Brookside C

Legendary editor, educator, and cartoonist Paul Karasik will discuss his newest project: The New York Trilogy, an adaptation of Paul Auster’s short story collection that he did in collaboration with David Mazzucchelli & Lorenzo Mattotti.

Panelists: Paul Karasik, Rob Clough

09/13/2025 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm | White Oak Room

Be it a misfit, a loser, or an outcast, there’s a lot of comedy (cringe or otherwise) that can be mined with a protagonist who just doesn’t fit in. Moderator Alex Hoffman discusses this with Marc Torices (Cornelius), Laura Terry (Adorable Empire), Trishelle Jeffery (Best Breasts In The West), and Vivianna Maria Stanislavska (Kuš!)

Panelists: Marc Torices, Laura Terry, Trishelle Jeffery, Viviana Maria Stanislavska, Alex Hoffman

Special Guests: Laura Terry, Marc Torices, and Vivianna Maria Stanislavska

09/13/2025 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm | Brookside C

New York City: The City That Never Sleeps has been the setting for countless stories. Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Rachel Coad (New York City Glow), Peter Kuper (The System), and Josh Neufeld (“Supply Chain Superhero”) all have their own interpretations of the city, and moderator Faith Cox will go into detail with them.

Panelists: Dean Haspiel, Rachel Coad, Peter Kuper, Josh Neufeld, Faith Cox

Special Guests: Dean Haspiel and Rachel Coad

09/13/2025 | 5:00pm – 6:00pm | White Oak Room

True historical events and myths passed down through time can both have an identical impact, reverberating through time. Craig Fischer will explore how Mimi Pond, (The Mitford Sisters And Me), Anders Nilsen (Tongues), Ben Wickey (More Weight: A Salem Story), and Frances Cordelia Beaver (Give My Best To Your Kind) delve into the past.

Panelists: Anders Nilsen, Mimi Pond, Ben Wickey, Frances Cordelia Beaver, Craig Fischer

Special Guests: Anders Nilsen, Ben Wickey, and Mimi Pond

09/13/2025 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm | Brookside C

Since 1997, R. Sikoryak has hosted Carousel, a series of comics readings and visual performances by cartoonists and theater artists. 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: Gigi Murakami (Resenter), Keith Knight, (K Chronicles), Kevin Huizenga (Curses), Tom Gauld (Revenge Of The Librarians), Julia Gfrörer (World Within The World), and R. Sikoryak (Constitution Illustrated).

Panelists: Gigi Murakami, Keith Knight, Kevin Huizenga, Tom Gauld, Julia Gfrörer, R. Sikoryak

09/13/2025 | 6:00pm – 7:00pm | White Oak Room

Moderator Jacob Shapiro (Fantom Comics) talks with publisher Zach Clemente (Bulgilhan Press), Mark DeVera (Yen Press), and journalist Heidi MacDonald (The Beat) about the issues facing small press publishers and retailers in the wake of a flood of edicts whose duration and impact have been unpredictable.

Panelists: Jacob Shapiro, Mark DeVera, Zach Clemente, Heidi MacDonald

09/14/2025 | 12:30pm – 1:30pm | White Oak Room

Vampires have served as a metaphor for power for ages, but the cartoonists on this panel focus in on the power exchange relationships between the vampires and their lovers. Manga translator and scholar Ryan Holmberg will moderate a discussion with Tinguu (The Cannibals), Ana Two (Dark Room), Gigi Murakami (Resenter), and Paige Hender (The Confessional).

Panelists: Tinguu, Ana Two, Gigi Murakami, Paige Hender, Ryan Holmberg

Special Guests: Gigi Murakami

09/14/2025 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Brookside C

Free expression is under attack in the US in an unprecedented way. Warren Bernard will moderate a discussion with some of the most significant figures related to censorship in comics history, as they discuss how they have found ways to resist it. Panelists include Gary Hallgren (Air Pirates Funnies), Denis Kitchen (Kitchen Sink, CBLDF), John Kelly (Dummy), Ann Telnaes (Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist), and Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer).

Panelists: Ann Telnaes, Denis Kitchen, Gary Hallgren, Maia Kobabe, John Kelly, Warren Bernard

Special Guests: Ann Telnaes

09/14/2025 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm | White Oak Room

Caroline Cash (Pee Pee Poo Poo), Katie Fricas (Checked Out), and Al Varela (Young, Dumb & Queer) join moderator Tanya Dorph-Mankey in discussing how their work both emphasizes and subverts familiar tropes in romance and soap-opera comics from a queer perspective.

Panelists: Caroline Cash, Katie Fricas, Al Varela, Tanya Dorph-Mankey

09/14/2025 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm | Brookside C

SOLRADIO, the podcast of the comics criticism website SOLRAD.CO, proudly presents a deep dive into the graphic novel debut by Kit Anderson, Second Shift. Kit will join moderator Alex Hoffman and critics Jules Bakes and Rob Clough as they explore the themes and imagery of her intriguing sci-fi mystery where reality isn’t quite what it seems.

Panelists: Kit Anderson, Jules Bakes, Rob Clough, Alex Hoffman

Special Guests: Kit Anderson

09/14/2025 | 2:30pm – 3:30pm | White Oak Room

Moderator Marc Sobel will engage with Tom Gauld (Revenge of the Librarians) and Kevin Huizenga (Curses) in a free-flowing conversation about ideas. How does each cartoonist organize their thoughts on paper? How does doodling enable them to talk through their process to a finished comic? In what ways do the images themselves convey the same meaning as words?

Panelists: Tom Gauld, Kevin Huizenga, Marc Sobel

Special Guests: Tom Gauld

09/14/2025 | 3:00pm – 4:00pm | Brookside C

Frog Farm is an exciting new risograph publisher that hosts regular gatherings with comic readings, comedy, and videos. Alexander Laird will host a special SPX edition with Grayson Bear (Business Insider), Audra Stang (Valley Valley/Idella Dell), and A. T. Pratt (Dot Comics, Big Apple Matinee).

Panelists: Audra Stang, Grayson Bear, A.T. Pratt, Alexander Laird

09/14/2025 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm | White Oak Room

The most frightening horror stories don’t necessarily involve blood, gore, or jump scares. It’s the stories that unsettle you with atmosphere and terrifying realizations that are often the scariest. Julia Gfrörer (World Within The World), Beth Hetland (Tender), and Ashley Robin Franklin (The Skin You’re In) will explain why with moderator Francesca Lyn.

Panelists: Julia Gfrörer, Beth Hetland, Ashley Robin Franklin, Francesca Lyn

Special Guests: Julia Gfrörer

09/14/2025 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm | Brookside C

How do you express sound in comics? How do you depict horrifying trauma without it overwhelming you? How do you adapt a story that doesn’t seem to fit in comics? Faith Cox will discuss how innovative formal solutions and play can help depict the impossible with Kayla E. (Precious Rubbish), Joonas Sildre (Between Two Sounds), Paul Karasik (New York Trilogy), and Peter Kuper (Insectopolis).

Panelists: Kayla E, Peter Kuper, Joonas Sildre, Paul Karasik, Faith Cox

Special Guests: Joonas Sildre, Paul Karasik, and Peter Kuper

09/14/2025 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm | White Oak Room

Color is an underrated aspect of cartooning. It can advance a narrative, fill in blank space, modulate emotion, or add abstract elements to stories. John Warren will inquire how Carlos Sanchez (Rune), Ingrīda Pičukāne, (Three Sisters), Sanika Phawde (Wedding Juice), Carly Shooster (Mamita) employ color in their comics.

Panelists: Carlos Sanchez, Ingrīda Pičukāne, Sanika Phawde, Carly Shooster, John Warren

Special Guests: Carlos Sánchez and Ingrida Picukane (Ingrīda Pičukāne)