Graphic Novels: Events

2021

Join us online for the July Curatorial Short, as comics writer and executive Paul Levitz joins curator Karen Green for a discussion of the mechanics and importance of comics fanzines.

2020

Join us online on Thursday, October 29, as artists R. Sikoryak, Breena Nuñez, Ezra Claytan Daniels, and Derf discuss how today's events percolate up into their work, proving that political content is not just for editorial cartoons..

Join us on Thursday, February 27, as legendary cartoonist Kim Deitch (Reincarnation Stories) and rising star Noah Van Sciver (Fante Bukowski)  discuss their new books, their influences, and the way in which their real and comics personae interact. 

2019

On Monday, October 28, join founding Weirdo editor R. Crumb, subsequent editors Peter Bagge and Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and contributor Drew Friedman, as they discuss both the comics anthology and the recent history, The Book of Weirdo, with author Jon B. Cooke.

On Thursday, September 19, join comics artists Sandy Jimenez (World War 3 Illustrated) and Nicole Virella (Marvel Comics) with comics writers Edgardo Mirando-Rodriguez (La Borinqueña) and Julian Voloj (Ghetto Brother) for a discussion with moderator Sara Gómez Woolley on the history of Latinx-American comics, and the roles that activism and representation have taken in them. Co-sponsored by Be'chol Lashon.

2018

On Wednesday, October 17, join Professor Elizabeth Leake (Italian Department, CU) and cartoonist Henrik Rehr in a conversation with publisher Mark Siegel (First Second) on how European cartoonists have viewed and interpreted the American West, sparked by Professor Leake's recent monograph on the Italian Western comic, Tex.

On Monday, April 23, join outstanding and outspoken Jewish cartoonists Eli Valley, Miriam Libicki, Ben Katchor, and Liana Finck as they discuss the confluence of religion, comic art, and the First Amendment with moderator Victor Navasky.

2017

On Wednesday, October 4, join  Zep, a comics phenomenon in Europe, his French compatriot Pénélope Bagieu, and homegrown comics DIY-heroine Julia Wertz, for a discussion of their progress from self-publishing to mainstream success.

On Wednesday, September 27, join cartoonists Tom Toro, R. Sikoryak, and Emily Flake join New Yorker cartoon editor Emma Allen for a discussion of contemporary cartoon satire in this new Gilded Age of Trump.

On Thursday, March 9, join alumnus Steven Boss, donor of the Steven Boss Humor Magazine Collection; magazine cartoonist and illustrator Mort Gerberg, humor savant Mark Newgarden and scholar Eddy Portnoy for a discussion of the history, cultural significance, and impact of humor magazine as  time capsules of laughter.

2016

Coming up on Thursday, 17 November, scholar Tahneer Oksman joins Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber for a book talk, discussing ways in which certain Jewish women cartoonists manifest their Jewishness through their work.

Coming up on Tuesday, 1 November, at 7 PM: French cartoonists Kerascoët, Pénélope Bagieu and Catherine Meurisse speak with Kriota Willberg about the challenges of conveying powerful emotions through comics. Part of the FRENCH COMICS FRAMED events, co-sponsored by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Comics Association.

On Thursday, 13 October, pioneering cartoonist and activist Howard Cruse joins writer and cartoonist Allan Neuwirth for a discussion of Cruse's five-decade-long career, in celebration of the acquisition of the Cruse archives by sponsor, Columbia's Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

On 20 September, five Spanish cartoonists, whose work on the cutting edge of comics has brought about a new wave of cartoon art in Spain come to Columbia: Santiago García, Javier Olivares, David Rubín, Ana Galvañ, and José Domingo. Co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Spain and Columbia's Hispanic Institute.

On Monday, 18 April, 2016: author and cartoonist Michael Maslin in conversation with illustrator Edward Sorel, discussing Maslin's new book on Peter Arno, the foundational cartoonist of The New Yorker. 

On Wednesday, 16 March, 2016: in honor of Bill Griffith's decision to bequeath the majority of his archives to Columbia's Rare Book & Manuscript Library, a conversation between Griffith and cartoonist Art Spiegelman.

On Monday, 7 March, 2016: Comics@Columbia celebrates Will Eisner Week with a conversation between writer Paul Levitz and his teaching partner, Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber, to discuss Levitz's new book on Will Eisner.

2015

On Monday, 7 December, 2015, cartoonist, illustrator, playwright, screenwriter, memoirist, etc Jules Feiffer came to campus to chat with comics writer, editor, and promoter Danny Fingeroth, in support of Martha Fay's Feiffer retrospective book, Out of line: the art of Jules Feiffer.

On Thursday, 8 October, 2015, cartoonist and educator Alex Simmons moderated a panel on diversity in comics, with Amy Chu, Larry Hama, John Jennings, Alitha E. Martinez, and Shawn Martinbrough.

On Monday, 13 April, Comics@Columbia celebrated the acquisition of the Kitchen Sink Press archives with an evening devoted to Denis Kitchen, with Howard Cruse, Maggie Galvan, James Danky, and David Hajdu.

2014

On Monday, 3 November, 2014, editorial cartoons were the topic in a discussion among cartoonists Jeff Danziger, Liza Donnelly, and Peter Kuper.

On Tuesday, 7 October, 2014, Comics@Columbia and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library held an opening for "Comics at Columbia: Past, Present, Future," an exhibition of over 160 items--art, sketches, correspondence, scripts, books, and more--from the RBML archives.  The exhibition featured recent acquisitions, as well as materials in a variety of long-held archives.

On Tuesday, 4 March, 2014, Comics@Columbia and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library celebrated the acquisition of Al Jaffee's archives, with Al himself, joined by MAD art director Sam Viviano, cartoonist Peter Kuper, and writer Paul Levitz moderating.

2013

On Wednesday, 13 November, 2013, Brooklyn, the hotbed of contemporary comics talent, sent three of its stars up to Morningside Heights for a discussion of their work: Dash Shaw, Gabrielle Bell, and Lisa Hanawalt.

On Monday, 14 October, 2013, Comics@Columbia premiered Sequart's documentary on Chris Claremont.

On Wednesday, 9 October, 2013, Comics@Columbia and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library celebrated the acquisition of the Pinis' archives with a panel moderated by librarian and Elfquest fan Sabrina Sondhi, featuring Wendy and Richard Pini with comics librarian Karen Green.

On Monday, 15 April, 2013, Comics@Columbia partnered with the Cultural Affairs office of the French Embassy to host one of four events in the "Picture This!" series.  This panel presented a conversation between two masters of literary adaptation, French cartoonist Alex Alice and American cartoonist Ronald Wimberly.

On Thursday, 7 March, 2013, Comics@Columbia and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library celebrated some recent Golden Age (and Golden Age-related) acquisitions: Batman scripts from Jerry Robinson's archives and the research materials used to write the acclaimed Superman: the high-flying history of America's most enduring hero. Author Larry Tye joined writer/editor Denny O'Neil, cartoonist Al Jaffee, and former Warner exec Jay Emmett in a discussion moderated by former DC Comics president Paul Levitz.

2012 

On Thursday, 8 November, 2012, rising star Liana Finck discussed her adaptation of letters from the Bintl Brief with Forward publisher Samuel Norich, and Yiddish studies scholar Eddy Portnoy.

On Saturday and Sunday, 24-25 March, 2012, Comics@Columbia held a 2-day symposium honoring the intertwined histories of comics and New York City.  For more information on this event, including links to videos of the panels, see the separate "Comic New York" tab on this guide.

2011

On Friday, October 28, 2011, writer Marzana Sowa and artist Sylvain Savoia discussed their comics memoir of Marzana's childhood in Soviet, then Solidarity, Poland.

On Friday, 7 October, 2011, scientist and comics writer Jim Ottaviani came to Columbia to talk about his comics adaptation of Richard Feynman's autobiography.

2009

On Wednesday, 10 June, 2009, Comics@Columbia kicked off its first-ever comics event with artist and fantasist Dame Darcy.

2016