Monday, September 22, 2008

Baltimore Comic-Con, 2008



Yes, we know it's been quite a while since our last post, but it's been a trying summer for the KLC crew. A few of us have had some family illnesses, and that, as well as work obligations, have kept us away. However, we're very pleased to let you all know that Kids Love Comics will be exhibiting at The Baltimore Comic-Con, this weekend, September 27-28. KLC members and friends at the KLC booth include:

Jimmy Gownley
Scott Sava
John Gallagher
Rich Faber
Steve Conley
Mark McKenna
Art Baltazar/Franco Aureliani/Jamie Cosley
Dean Trippe/Jason Horn
Scott Cohn/Scott Neely
Ted Tucker
Frank Cammuso

... and some other surprise guests! There will also be some special items we'll be giving away free, as well as the books and merchandise we normally have for sale. Please come by the show and say hello. Marc Nathan puts on a spectacular family-friendly show, and we know you'll want to bring the kids!

We hope to see you this weekend!

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Heroes Con and stuff...

Hi All...
Thought I'd post some updates and links.

The Kids Love Comics gang had a wonderful time at Heroes Con.
What a great con for bringing kids and meeting friends.
Here's a wrap up report...
http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/?p=1002


The Graphic Classroom just posted a nice review of The Dreamland Chronicles Book One on their site.
http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/07/dreamland-chronicles-book-1.html

We're hoping to get a sketchblog up soon. So you'll hear from us on a DAILY basis.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Scott

Thursday, May 15, 2008

FCBD 2008 Pictures

As promised, we have pictures from this year's Free Comic Book Day! Kids Love Comics was well-represented. Jimmy Gownley, John Gallagher, and Steve Conley appeared at Marc Nathan's Cards, Comics, and Collectibles in Reisterstown, MD, while an hour north of there, Rich Faber was joined by John, and KLC friends, Jamar Nicholas, Mike Manley, and Scott Neely in the afternoon at Captain Blue Hen Comics, in Newark, DE. (and yes, John is so dedicated to Kids Love Comics, and Free Comic Book Day, that he managed to be in two states, and appear at two different stores on the same day!) As you'll see from the below pictures, kids (and families), comics, and fun were the order of the day!


Steve Conley (left) and Jimmy Gownley with their outstanding sketches.


Conley, Gownley, and Cards, Comics, & Collectibles owner Marc Nathan.


The crowds line up outside Captain Blue Hen Comics for FCBD '08!


Just look at them all!


Jamar Nicholas and his new pal.


(Blue Hen owner) Joe Murray and His Amazing Friends!


More super friends.


A prized Hulk from Mike Manley.


John Gallagher sketches for the kids.


With the movie opening that weekend, it was no surprise that Iron Man was the most requested sketch subject for Rich Faber.


Rich and John do a little white board demo on creating superheroes.


Learning how to create superheroes.



Scott Neely sketches Scooby Doo for a new friend


All in all, the theme of the day was that "Kids Love Comics!" And we're all thrilled about that!

Stay tuned for more news, events, and info soon!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Karen Gownley, KLC Executive Director speaks!

Hello! It's been quite an exciting few weeks as convention season gets underway. I wanted to thank everyone who stopped by the Kids Love Comics booth at NYCC. It was great to meet so many parents & teachers who were interested in finding graphic novels for the kids in their lives. I also got the opportunity to meet some amazing little artists! I'm hoping to see their work on our Recommended Reading List some day.

I'm pleased to announce that there are 3 "Amelia Rules!" books now available for FREE from the great website Wowio. Once you register on the site, you can download "Amelia Rules!" issues 1, 2, & 18. Again, it's absolutely free, so go for it!



The link is:
http://www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?txtSearch=%22amelia+rules%22

Issue #18 is the book nominated for "Best Single Issue" at this year's Eisner Awards. So if you haven't gotten a chance to read it, you'll certainly want to do that. (and if you're an industry professional, don't forget to vote for the Eisner Awards: link: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml )

The next KLC event I'll be attending is Heroes Con. I really look forward to seeing everyone there!

-Karen
Executive Director, KLC

Some pictures from NYCC '08

Hey there, everyone! Things have been crazy here at KLC Central, but we're all working very hard to bring you the best and the latest about kids comics. A lot of great things came out of this year's New York Comic-Con, so please continue watching this space for some exciting announcements in the coming weeks and months!

We all had a terrific time at the show, and recruited some spectacular new members to KLC! We'll have some announcements about membership in the near future, so keep checking back.

Thanks to everyone who came by the KLC booth to chat and show support. We really love hearing all the fantastic suggestions and words of encouragement, and appreciate you all stopping by to say hi! We met so many great supporters of Kids Love Comics and look forward to seeing all the kids, educators, librarians, and retailers at upcoming shows!
For now, we'll leave you with these pictures of the KLC booth and members:


A young fan stops by the KLC Kids Day table.


Todd Webb sketches for the kids!


Josh (Mail Order Ninja) Elder, John (Buzzboy) Gallagher, and Scott (Dreamland Chronicles) Sava take a break for a photo op!


Rich (Roboy Red) Faber and John Gallagher manning their booth!


Jimmy Gownley with Amelia! (photo by Dan Kois, and borrowed from this nice NYCC interview with Jimmy on the Hermenautic Circle Blog)

We'll see you all in Charlotte, NC next month for Heroes Con!

Friday, May 02, 2008

Free Comic Book Day, May 3, 2008



Wow, it's May already! We here at KLC Central have barely had time to catch our collective breath from the New York Comic-Con (a report is forthcoming. Please forgive our tardiness as most of the crew have been fighting colds and family crises since the big event), and now Free Comic Book Day is upon us! On Saturday, May 3, many of your favorite Kids Love Comics creators will be attending events at participating local comic book shops across the nation! Among them will be Jimmy (Amelia Rules!)Gownley, Steve (Astounding Space Thrills, Star Trek)Conley, and John (Buzzboy, Roboy Red, NASCAR Heroes)Gallagher at Cards, Comics and Collectibles, in Reisterstown, MD; John Gallagher (can the man really be in two states in one day?!?) and Rich (Roboy Red, Buzzboy) Faber will be at Captain Blue Hen Comics, in Newark, Delaware, along with KLC friends Jamar (Grosse Adventures) Nicholas, Scott (Scooby Doo) Neely, and Mike (Monsterman, Brave and the Bold cartoon, Superman Adventures) Manley, among others. Other friends of KLC who are making appearances include Mark (Banana Tail) McKenna, at Grasshopper Comics in Williston Park, NY; Art Balthazar and Franco, of Tiny Titans and Patrick the Wolf Boy fame, at Challengers Comics + Conversation, in Chicago, IL; and Mike (Herobear and the Kid) Kunkel at Atomic Comics – Metrocenter, in Phoenix AZ. For more info on where to find your favorite comics creators check out the FCBD website!

Oh, in case you want to know what to look for, here are some of the covers of the KLC FCBD comics. First is Amelia Rules! Comics and Stories:



Next,the Kids Love Comics "Comic Book Diner" anthology features fun stories, how-to's, and more, by some of comics' top all-ages creators! John Gallagher's Buzzboy! Scott Sava's Dreamland Chronicles! Patrick the Wolfboy! Roboy Red! Banana Tail — and more! All hosted by Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules! characters! Plus: A Super-Cool Guide and Recommended Reading List of the best in Kids' Comics! A great introduction (and helpful guide) to comics for readers of all-ages:



Finally, NASCAR Heroes All Stars Special:



Please check the above link to the rest of the Free Comic Book Day offerings for more! We hope we'll see you at your favorite comic shop on May 3rd, Free Comic Book Day!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Gownley Rules! Amelia Receives 4 Eisner nominations!



We at Kids Love Comics are proud to announce that KLC co-founder, Jimmy Gownley and Amelia Rules! are up for 4 Eisners! Congratulations, Jimmy!

From the Press Release:

The 2008 Eisner Award nominees have been announced, and we are honored and thrilled to have received 4 nominations for Jimmy Gownley/Amelia Rules!

Nominations are:

Best Single Issue: Amelia Rules! #18, “The Things I Cannot Change”
Best Publication for Kids: Amelia Rules! & Amelia Rules! Funny Stories
Best Colorist: Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules!
Best Lettering: Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules!

This ties Gownley for the most individual nominations this year!

Issue #18, up for Best Single Issue, deals with one of Amelia’s friends coming to terms with her father being sent overseas for his job in the US Military.
An excerpt from the issue can be found in this year’s Free Comic Book Day edition of “Amelia Rules!”, available on May 3rd.

Additionally, the entire issue #18 can be downloaded from our website:
http://www.tweeniezeenie.com/downloads.html
Click on “Free Comic!”

We appreciate your consideration as ballots go out soon!


Don’t forget to check out our entire new website, with frequent blogs by Jimmy Gownley, Podcasts from Amelia herself, and lots of fun stuff to do.

After NYC, we're HeroesCon bound!

from our friends in Charlotte:
HEROESCON INCREASES EXPOSURE OF ALL-AGES COMICS
New Section To Be Headed By “Kids Love Comics” Creators

This week Heroes Convention 2008, long known for its family-friendly environment, announced the creation of a special section of the convention dedicated to all-ages comics and creators! Headed by the respected Kids Love Comics group of creators, the section is tentatively being called “The Kids Love Comics! Garage,” in honor of Charlotte, North Carolina’s long association with NASCAR and the stock-car racing community.

HeroesCon is no stranger to comics for kids, being an early and ardent supporter of creator-owned books like Mark Crilley’s Akiko and Jeff Smith’s Bone. The convention has, since its inception in 1982, worked hard to maintain a family-friendly atmosphere, where both kids and their families can feel comfortable in a fun-filled environment. By teaming with the Kids Love Comics group, they have created a special area of the fan-favorite convention dedicated to just this idea, and headed by some of the most recognizable names in all-ages comics.

Kids Love Comics is a non-profit (status pending) group that promotes literacy through comics and graphic novels. They are an organization of professionals and patrons of the comic book, publishing, and children’s book industries, dedicated to making kids comics readily available to the general public through both new and traditional venues.

Creators who will be attending HeroesCon under the auspices of Kids Love Comics include: Jimmy Gownley, creator of the quintuple Eisner-nominated Amelia Rules; Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja, Batman Strikes!); John Gallagher (Buzzboy, NASCAR Heroes), Rich Faber (Buzzboy, Roboy Red); and Scott Sava (Dreamland Chronicles, The Lab). They will be joined by an always-impressive lineup of all-ages creators, behind works including Archie, Scooby-Doo, PowerPuff Girls, and many more.

Fleshing out a record-breaking guest list and publisher lineup at one of the most fan-favorite comics conventions in the country, the Kids Love Comics Garage section of HeroesCon 2008 expands and reaffirms HeroesCon’s support of and dedication to all-ages comics.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Bookmark This Blog: Word Balloons


KLC is proud to welcome the crew of Word Balloons to the kids' comics blogosphere! One would be hard-pressed to find a more capable cabal of kid-centric critics and commentators (including Brigid Alverson, Robin Brenner and Eva Volin among others), and we can't wait to see what they do with their little corner of the Internet.


In their own words:

Word Balloons is a group blog about comics for kids. We will cover all ages from preschool through young adult, but we won’t lump all ages together; we’re smart enough to know that a three-year-old has different abilities and interests than a 13-year-old.

Our goal is to be the morning newspaper for anyone interested in kids’ comics: creators, editors, teachers, librarians, retailers, and most importantly, readers. We will present interviews, reviews, and opinions and link to the best of what other folks are writing. We expect to have frequent guest posts, and we invite our readers to send us a heads-up whenever they see something interesting about kids’ comics on the internet or even in print.

Also, we will cover all the comics kids read, as opposed to the comics grownups think they should read. That means we will cover works of great literary and artistic merit, but we won’t ignore the formulaic crap either. If it’s fun, it’s in.

So pour yourself some milk, grab the cookies, and join in the conversation!

Kids Love Comics Comes to Beantown!


Comic Book Question & Answer with Josh Elder
April 22, 7 p.m.

I'll be hosting a session on all things comics at the main branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square where I'll be answering any and all questions about comics: how they're made, how they work, how you can make your own, etc.

I will also be leading workshops for children and teens earlier in the day as well as giving a mini-symposium on graphic novels in schools and libraries for any interested teachers and librarians.

For more information call 617.536.5400 x 2334 or visit www.bpl.org

Hope to see you there!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Kids Love Comics at New York Comic-Con!


Kids Love Comics at New York Comic-Con!
April 18-20, 2008

KLC has joined with New York Comic-Con to help make this year's NYCC better than ever, participating in Sunday's KIDS DAY at the show.


"We were thrilled & honored when they asked us to help design programming for the convention's Kids Day," says KLC Executive Director Karen Gownley. "Our whole mission is to let people know how great comics can be for children - and here was this huge convention looking to share that message, too. It's a win-win."


Working together with kid-friendly publishers, retailers, and others in the industry, KLC put together several presentations and panels which will be a part of the convention's "Kids Day" (Sunday, April 20th) http://www.nycomiccon.com/app/homepage.cfm?moduleid=4524&appname=100453&campaignid=61372448&iUserCampaignID=38193330
The panels will touch on topics from creating comics, to publishing to marketing, and everything in-between.


Also, Kids Love Comics will have a presence in the "Kids' Stage" on Sunday. A "green screen" area will be set-up where kids can get their photos taken in a variety of virtual comic book worlds. KLC members will also be on-hand to offer advice to young cartoonists, talk to parents, teachers, and librarians about the best in children's comics, and detail the benefits of becoming a KLC member.


Additionally, we are proud to have Scott Sava (Dreamland Chronicles), Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja), John Gallagher(Buzzboy, NASCAR Heroes), Rich Faber (Roboy Red, Green Lantern), and Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!) appearing at the convention all weekend. Stop by their booths to get some autographs, chat with the artists, and get the latest books from these kid-friendly talents. As an added bonus, KLC will have previews of their Free Comic Book Day comics on display, so fans can get a sneak peak at some of the coolest offerings for next month's awesome event!

Please be sure to come by the Kids Love Comics Booth #2242. KLC looks forward to seeing you in New York!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

KIDS DAY THIS WEEKEND AT JIM HANLEY'S UNIVERSE


Kids Love Comics' own living Perpetual Motion Machine, Josh Elder, is on the move once more. Josh is organizing a "Kids Day" at Jim Hanley's Universe, on Saturday, April 21st (this weekend! Hurry to New York!). The following is liberally borrowed from Newsarama:

Press Release

Jim Hanley's Universe cordially invites you to join us on Saturday, April 12th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for an extravaganza of comics, cookies, and creativity.

With special guests Nick Bertozzi, Frank Cammuso, George O'Connor, Kevin Pyle, Aaron Renier, Misako Rocks!, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Sara Varon, Fred Van Lente, and MC, Josh Elder, Jim Hanley's Universe invites you to a day of celebration and creative comics creation at their Manhattan location (4 West 33rd Street). With live drawing, readings, activities, there's something for kids of every age, and a cookie to finish the day off with. Helping oversee the event will be Josh Elder, creator of the graphic novel series and nationally syndicated comic strip Mail Order Ninja, writer for The Batman Strikes and Chief Awesomeness Officer of the American Awesomeness Association.

"Comic books are enjoying a renaissance right now, and it seems that now, after so many years, kids are interested again in comics," said Vito Delsante, the Events Coordinator at Jim Hanley's Universe. "We thought that with this new popularity, the fact that librarians and teachers are looking to comics as teaching tools and the timing of the New York Comic Con, the time was right to dedicate an entire day to the kids and their love of comics."
__

Creator Schedule:

10 – 12: Sara Varon (Sweater Weather, Robot Dreams), Geoffrey Hayes (Benny and Penny in Just Pretend), and Aaron Renier (Spiral Bound)
12 – 2: Misako Rocks! (Biker Girl, Rock and Roll Love) and Kevin Pyle (Blindspot) and Fred Van Lente (Marvel Kids)
2 - 4: Dave Roman (Nickelodeon, Astronaut Elementary), Raina Telgemeier (The Baby-Sitters Club), Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch (Otto's Orange Day)
4 – 6: George O'Connor (Journey Into Mohawk Country) and Nick Bertozzi (Houdini: The Handcuff King) and Matt Manning (Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century)

and

All Day - Kids Comic-er Extraordinaire: Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja)

AWESOME!

Friday, March 21, 2008

New Amelia Rules Website!


Jimmy Gownley's award winning character, Amelia McBride has her own new Website, complete with games, an Amelia podcast, and a slew of other cool features!


You can even play a nifty "Whack-A-Mole" type game, but with none other than Amelia Rules characters Pajamaman and one of the dreaded Ninja kids from across the neighborhood!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Create your own comic book pages with art from AMULET Book One!


Amulet is a fine new all-ages GN by Flight's own Kazu Kibuishi, and you should check out this story, which I find on par with Harry Potter in complexity and excitement...


here's the scoop from the scolastic site:Critically acclaimed comic artist Kazu Kibuishi has created an incredible adventure series set in a magical and dangerous world filled with man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, deep family secrets and two courageous kids.

After a family tragedy, Emily, Navin, and their mother move to an old ancestral home to start a new life. On the family's very first night in the mysterious house, a strange noise lures them into the basement where Em and Navin witness their mom's kidnapping by a humongous, tentacled creature who drags her down behind the basement door. The kids give chase down a twisty spiral stairway and find themselves in a world filled with shadowy enemies and unlikely friends.

Kazu Kibuishi is the editor of the popular Flight comics anthologies, as well as the creator of Daisy Kutter, a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. He lives in Alhambra, California.




Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Some cool all ages titles from the big guys!

We at KLC often focus on those undiscovered gems in all-ages publishing, but there are some very good titles that deserve attention-- most notably Marvel's "Adventures line, and DC's Johnny DC titles-- especially the Teen Titans-centric titles of Teen Titans go! and Tiny Titans!

Marvel's Spider-Man book is great, but it is the Marvel Adventures Avengers (say that 3 times fast!) that really shines, especially when written by Jeff Parker!

take a peek!


Saturday, February 02, 2008

New All Ages Humor: Another Dirt Sandwich by Ray Friesen

Hivribody!

This is my first official post since becoming a team member of the KLC blog (Kids Love Comics having graciously let me insinuate myself into the group a few months ago anyway) So I thought I should introduce myself and shamelessly plug my work!

My name is Ray Friesen, I'm a cartoonist living in California. A few years ago, I was nominated for the Ignatz Award for Most Promising New Talent. I have delightfully poofy hair, a flamboyant taste in hats, and am fond of drawing penquins.

I have 3 published graphic-novels-of-the-humorous-persuasion: "A Cheese Related Mishap", "YARG!" and my latest and greatest, "Another Dirt Sandwich" which, by a strange coincedence, is available in this month's Previews catalog (Page 293, publisher Don't Eat Any Bugs Productions, order # Feb083715 in case you were wondering.) It got one of those cool 'kid friendly' icons, which I didn't even know they had....

Here is my shpiel for 'Dirt':
ANOTHER DIRT SANDWICH
Some Rambling & Hilarious Exploits of Tbyrd Fearlessness

Feeling a bit peckish? Try Another Dirt Sandwich! It's a graphic novel of the humorous persuasion with all the fixin's: Swindling! Mustard! Birds wearing hats! It's just chock full of cartoony goodness. A must read for kids and kids at heart. If you like silly, then giggling is guaranteed.

This book chronicles the ramblings adventures of inept ostrich con-man Tbyrd Fearlessness, and his gullible rube-turned-sidekick Hopalong Cassowary in their search for fame and fortune, or at least lunch.

If you eat only one book this year, make it this one. Chomp. Mmm! You can barely taste the gravel.

$12.95
100 pages
Full Color

Here are some nice things people said about me:

"...Friesen’s humor tends toward younger readers, while his language and ideas seem better suited to a more sophisticated audience. The art, however, ranges so widely (from digital Claymation to outright cartoons) that the pages remain visually engaging throughout, and the humor comes at a furious pace, with sometimes four of five jokes crammed into a single panel. Lots to look at here."
-- Jesse Karp, American Library Association Booklist


"Gr 5-8–The most impressive thing about this book is the author, who started his cartoon career at age 12 and is now 17. The comic follows the zany adventures of two young teens and a penguin as they race to save exploding cheese from chicken ninjas. ... it is a worthy effort from a young writer who obviously has a bright future."
--Scott La Counte, School Library Journal


"Raymond Q. Wonderfull’s madcap adventures get wierderand more hilarious with each issue. Writer/artist Ray Friesen packs his whimsical story with crazy characters and concepts..."
--Wizard Edge Magazine

"One of the first things you’ll notice about RQW is that there isn’t so much of plot, as an extended ramble. It’s sort of like those jokes that meander on and on with no signs of ending for a solid ten minutes… except that unlike most of those jokes, RQW is funny, and quite frequently at that. Plot twists happen at the drop of a hat, as do random shopping expeditions, goofy jokes, and shifts of location. It works, I think, because Friesen doesn’t seem to ever take RQW seriously. He may or may not be making it up by the seat of his pants, but he certainly does his best to give you that impression. As each non-sequitur shows up, it’s more over the top and bizarre than the one before, and it’s hard to keep from laughing. Each cliffhanger is resolved in a humorous way rather than trying to fit in strange plot twists, and that really sums up the entire book—humor over plot. We’re starting to see more all-ages adventure books hit the market these days, but RQW is definitely the silliest."
--Greg McElhatton, iComics.com



Well, that's about it really. All the pertinent tidbits anyway. Thanks for letting my ramble. You can read the first chapter of all my books, and my free weekly strip on my webular site, www.DontEatAnyBugs.com

Ray

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Educator Resource: Judy Moody's brother Stink goes Graphic!


To educators, parents and comic shop owners...

Megan McDonald, author of the fantastic Judy Moody books, has offered up a create-your-own-comic pdf for kids, tying in with last year's Stink graphic novel/book hybrid. Story ideas, panel and page designs and more are offered up in a fun and inventive way-- I will be downloading this for my kids tonight!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

YALSA ALEX Award Winners


YALSA ALEX Award Winners  were announced today-- congratulations!


From the site: 2008 Alex Awards

YALSA, the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association, named the recipients of the 2008 Alex Awards, ten adult books with specific teen appeal. The awards, sponsored by Booklist, were announced at the 2008 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, January 11-16.

The 2008 Alex Awards winners are:

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China, by Matthew Polly, published by Penguin/Gotham Books (ISBN13:978-1592402625)
Bad Monkeys, by Matt Ruff, published by HarperCollins (ISBN13: 978-0061240416)
Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm, by Jeff Lemire, published by Top Shelf Publications (ISBN13: 978-1891830884)
Genghis: Birth of an Empire, by Conn Iggulden, published by Delacorte (ISBN13: 978-0385339513)
The God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle, published by Scribner (ISBN13: 978-1416533245)
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Sarah Crichton Books (ISBN13: 978-0374105235)
Mister Pip, by Lloyd Jones, published by Random/Dial Press (ISBN13: 978-0385341066)
The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, published by DAW (ISBN13: 978-0756404079)
The Night Birds, by Thomas Maltman, published by Soho (ISBN13: 978-1569474624)
The Spellman Files, by Lisa Lutz, published by Simon & Schuster (ISBN13: 978-1416532392)

The Alex Awards were created to recognize that many teens enjoy and often prefer books written for adults, and to assist librarians in recommending adult books that appeal to teens. The award is named in honor of the late Margaret Alexander Edwards, fondly called ìAlexî by her closest friends, a young adult specialist at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. She used adult books extensively with young adults to broaden their experience and enrich their understanding of themselves and their world.

Monday, January 14, 2008

ALA report: TOON BOOK Launches


One of the most exciting KLC functions this week was the launch of Art Spegleman's TOON Books. With an introduction by Michele Gorman, TOON Books was launched, as Spiegleman, Francoise Mouly, and collection of cool graphic novelists met and greeted other creators, publishers, and some very eager GN Library experts, including Ally lyga and Robin Brenner The age rage is around 4-8, and Spegleman's clout should draw some much needed attention to Kids' Graphic Novels...


I had a chance to check these books out, and was especially excited to see work by the greatFrank Cammuso  (Max Hamm: Fairy Tale Detective), with Jay Lynch on Otto's Orange Day.


Saturday, January 12, 2008

More from ALA



Just a few pics tonight-- KLC members Scott Sava, Jimmy & Karen Gownley, Rich Faber, Jamar Nicolas and others were in attendance at the show today-- here are a few pics...

Friday, January 11, 2008

ALA Starts with a Bang!


We saw a great start to the ALA Mid-Winter Conference, as attendees were enticed into the hall by mini-cheesesteaks, Philly style pretzels and cool books today. While it was a tight fit for all four of us in the 8x8 booth, we never had time to notice, as librarians came by in droves to take sample comics, reccomended reading lists and get a signature or two...


Michele Gorman came by to talk about her new book, "Getting Graphic: Comics for Kids." It seems it is really doing well in spreading the word on GN's for kids, and the best part-- it has a cover by KLC's own Jimmy Gownley!

The book is a comprehensive look at GN's and comics for kids, every libaraian and educator should have of a copy of this handy guide to elementary entertainment!

I told Michele about my new job as editor of the NASCAR-related all-ages "NASCAR Heroes," and we discussed a possible KLC workshop in Charlotte at her Uber-Library the week of Speed Week (a NASCAR related festival in NC)-- I can't wait!

Kids Love Comics Heads to Philly for ALA!


Kids Love Comics creators and publishers will be on hand at this year's American Library Association Conference, in the ever-popular graphic novel pavilion.


John Gallagher (Buzzboy, NASCAR Heroes), Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules), and Scott Sava (Dreamland Chronicles) will all be in the KLC Booth, part of Diamond Book's mega-booth at the show.

Hello, and welcome to all our new library friends! Come back later for pics and reports on the ALA experience!