The future of comics looked bright from Colston Hall at Bronx Community College on Saturday, April 25^th, as over 700 kids, parents, teachers and artists took part in the 3rd annual Kids Comic Con.

Free for attendees under 17, this year’s Kids Comic Con stressed diversity and creativity. The floor was abuzz with fans collecting sketches from artists such as Chris Giarusso (Mini-Marvels, G-Man), and flipping through graphic novels and comic books at exhibitor tables. Exhibitors included a range of independent and self-published artists, as well as publishers such as Archie Comics and First Second Books. Artist Ken Wong, who was there in part to promote Secret Identities: the Asian American Superhero Anthology from the New Press, also showcased his ingenious origami comic Pandora’s Box, a retelling of the classic myth as told on the sides of a folded paper box, with the story requiring readers to open the box along with Pandora, and the “inside story” printed within.

While there were plenty of comics and graphic novels for sale, the show was as much about empowering young readers to take an active part in the comics world, creating their own drawings and stories. Alex Simmons, the show's founder, refers to the show’s mission as “giving comics back to kids.” This was reflected by one of the exhibitors, 13-year-old Jessica Weiss, whose love of comics inspired her to create her own. This year she had her own table at the Kids Comic Con, promoting her new comic Crisis in Geezerville.

Comics creating workshops were held throughout the day, as well as panel discussions with industry professionals discussing their work with comics. Art workshops included a workshop on character design with Neil Numberman, illustrator of Joey Fly, Private Eye, Comics 101 with Andrew Arnold, illustrator of Adventures in Cartooning, beginning manga workshops with artists Yali Lin and Misako Rocks, and a number of others.

Panels included the popular Careers in Comics with Colleen Venable (designer, First Second Books, and self-published artist); Raina Telgemeier (artist, The Baby-sitters Club graphic novels, and co-author of Del Rey X-Men manga and online comic Smile); Peter Gutierrez (writer and educator specializing in media literacy); and Jonathan Bresman (senior editor, Mad Magazine), moderated by Janna Morishima, director of Diamond Kids Group at Diamond Book Distributors.

There were also several educational workshops, including How To Have Fun Reading Comics with educator Peter Gutierrez, who gave parents and teachers suggestions for how to make the most out of comics’ educational potential without draining them of their inherent fun.

Kids were encouraged to take part in a reader’s theater for TOON Books, taking cues from the drawings and word balloons of Eleanor Davis’s Stinky to stage a performance of the story.

Other activities included an Emotes drawing contest, portfolio reviews and a magic show. All in all, it proved to be an entertaining and inspirational event, and preparations are already underway for next year. To learn more about the Kids Comic Con, please visit the official website.

photos by Kyo Morishima