Presented and produced by Miami Dade College
Miami, Nov. 14, 2019 – Fans of comics and graphic novels will find two days of varied panels featuring superstars of the industry at the 36th Miami Book Fair (MBF) at Miami Dade College (MDC). Taking place on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24, the Miami Book Fair’s comics programming also features comic book stores and dealers, publishers, indie artists, and the Artists’ Cove booth where creators will be selling books and memorabilia, illustrating on-the-fly, and chatting with fans about all things comics.
Book Fair’s comics programs kicks off with a whodunnit edition of the classic: Drink and Draw at The Standard Hotel and Spa on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. This year’s “who done it” edition will have us breaking out the magnifying glass to play out our gumshoe dreams. Audience teams will play mini games to figure out clues, as comics creators and illustrators solve a murder mystery story, exquisite corpse-style. Come for the cold case, stay for the chilled mystery-themed drinks. The event is free and open to the public.
During the weekend Street Fair, don’t miss a dozen panel discussions with comics and graphic novel creators, including LIANA FINCK, PAUL POPE, CHRIS WARE, DIANE NOOMIN, BRIAN FIES, BEN PASSMORE and so many others. All taking place in the MAGIC screening Room (Bldg. 8, First Floor).
Saturday, Nov. 23
11 a.m., Comics! Bob Eckstein and Liana Finck
Whether you start the morning with a cup of coffee and the New Yorker, or tea and an Instagram story, cartoons are still a part of Saturday morning rituals. Start your Saturday off with these incredible collections from New Yorker artists BOB ECKSTEIN (The Ultimate Cartoon Book of Cartoons) and LIANA FINCK (Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to Self).
12 p.m., Graphic Novel Adaptations
From television, to podcasts, to games and ancient myths, these creators are mining diverse media, new and old, and turning them into crackling-good comics. Join CAREY PIETSCH (Adventure Zone), GEORGE O’CONNOR (Olympians), VITA AYALA (Magic: the Gathering: Chandra), and TINI HOWARD (GLOW), as they talk about the challenges of adapting someone else’s work, and how it ends up an amazing, but totally different, reading experience. Moderated by CONOR MCCREERY (Kill Shakespeare).
1 p.m., Comics Spotlight: 25 Years of Mutts Comics with Patrick McDonnell!
For 25 years, author/illustrator Patrick McDonnell has brought the curious cat Mooch and loyal, trusting dog Earl, to life, along with the other inhabitants of the Mutts world. Celebrate the beloved world of Mutts, and take a deep dive into never before seen work, outtakes and more, in this career-spanning conversation with PATRICK MCDONNELL and Abrams ComicsArts Editorial Director, CHARLIE KOCHMAN.
2 p.m., The Memory Hole: Your Life in Pictures
Our memories are our most cherished, painful and deceitful possessions – diving back into them means facing realities we’re not always ready for. Cecil Castellucci (Girl on Film), Kevin Huizenga (The River at Night), Brian Fies (A Fire Story), and David Heatley (Qualification), talk about memories, both real and imagined, and discuss how time always provides a new way to process our past. Moderated by author/illustrator Kristen Radtke (Imagine Wanting Only This)
3 p.m., Specific Sci-fi Explosion
A mysterious traveler watches humanity’s rise and fall, two women uncover a galaxy-spanning conspiracy, a detective gets tangled up in a murderous gang’s pursuit of a legendary mind-altering substance, and a young woman discovers cheap rent can be deadly in an Afrofuturist tale of gentrification horror. KOREN SHADMI (Highwayman), G. WILLOW WILSON (Invisible Kingdom), PAUL POPE (Heavy Liquid),and BEN PASSMORE (BTTM FDRS) gather to take you on a tour of the strangest and most exhilarating sci-fi tales in comics. Moderated by comics editor JOAN HILTY.
4 p.m., I Belong Here: Identity as Power
How we navigate how others see us, and how that causes us to see ourselves are a key part of finding our path in life. Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer), Mira Jacob (Good Talk) and Vita Ayala (The Wilds), explore how the standards of “normality” manipulate perceptions of gender, race, and cultural heritage, and how they’re breaking those standards down. Moderated by author/illustrator Kristen Radtke (Imagine Wanting Only This).
5 p.m., Imaginary Anatomy, Real Desire: Comics
A mysterious invitation to a ball populated by beasts, a man losing his grip on reality falls into a dark sexual obsession, and a vivisectionist’s handbook finds forms nature never intended. CYNTHIA VON BUHLER (The Illuminati Ball), NINA BUNJEVAC (Bezimena), and KATE LACOUR (Vivisectionary) will take you on a journey to the darkest corners of the human psyche. If you’re lucky, they’ll bring you back. (MATURE CONTENT)
Sunday, Nov. 24
11:30 a.m., Youth in Revolt
Rebel youth get their lives back on track by running away — to New Orleans, to a low-budget slasher film set, to outer space! MK REED and GREG MEANS (Penny Nichols), HANNAH TEMPLER (Cosmoknights), and KAMI GARCIA (Teen Titans: Raven) talk about driving their young protagonists’ destinies and how comics publishing is redefining books for young people. Moderated by author CONOR MCCREERY.
12:30 p.m., Best American Comics
Every year, Best American Comics collects some of the most exciting graphic works of the year, showcasing the work of established and up-and-coming artists found everywhere from the pages of their graphic novels, comic books, periodicals and more! Join BEN PASSMORE, ANGIE WANG and CONNOR WILLUMSEN for a talk highlighting the kaleidoscopic diversity of the comics form today. Moderated by BAC series editor BILL KARTALOPOULOS.
1:30 p.m., Biography: Mind Over Body
Our physical appearance often determines others’ expectations of us, but the truth of humanity is so much greater. Bill Griffith (Nobody’s Fool) and Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick (Hawking) discuss the lives of their subjects, legendary physicist Stephen Hawking, and sideshow performer “Schlitzie the Pinhead” and how they transcended the limits others put on them. Moderated by Abrams Editorial Director Charlie Kochman.
2:30 p.m., Pulp Thrills
Murderous socialites, costumed super thieves, a super-natural force possessing a new father, and an elite unit of boy scouts! GABY DUNN (Bury the Lede), DEAN HASPIEL (The Red Hook, Volume 2), CELINE LOUP (The Man Who Came Down The Attic Stairs), and MATT KINDT (Black Badge, Volume 2), come together on a rollicking panel that will delve deep into the dark, the horrific, and the lustful – all the best elements of pulp, in comic form! Moderated by noir author and comics writer ALEX SEGURA (Pete Fernandez Mysteries).
3:30 p.m., Comics Spotlight: Chris Ware on Rusty Brown, in Conversation with Chip Kidd
Take a journey through the nature of time and space with the masterfully illustrated and brilliantly designed Rusty Brown. Chris Ware is back with another expansive and introspective work of graphic fiction 16 years in the making. Join CHRIS WARE and CHIP KIDD for a conversation that explores the rich depths of these interconnected, decade-spanning narratives that bring warmth to aching loneliness like only a Ware story can.
4:30 p.m, Testify! Drawing Ourselves Whole
Creation is a force that can make sense of the parts of our life where we are victimized or erased. Join Diane Noomin (Drawing Power), Kat Verhoeven (Meat and Bone), and Erin Williams (Commute), as they discuss how their newest books tell women’s stories of abuse, self-loathing, and need for connection, and find surprisingly uplifting ways to move forward. Moderated by author/illustrator Kristen Radtke (Imagine Wanting Only This).
For Book Fair updates, please visit www.miamibookfair.com, call 305-237-3528, or email wbookfair@mdc.edu.
Find the Book Fair on social media at:
https://twitter.com/miamibookfair
https://www.facebook.com/MiamiBookFair
http://instagram.com/miamibookfair
Visit MiamiReads.com for complete schedule and more information. #MiamiReads
Miami Book Fair media contacts: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net or Deyanira Navarrette, 305-495-7168, deyanavarrette@gmail.com