Keynote: Keito Gaku interviewed by Justin Hall CXC Festival 2026-09-20 | Keynote: Keito Gaku interviewed by Justin Hall
CXC 2025: Experimental Design and Comics: A Conversation with Matt Madden CXC Festival 2026-04-18 | Matt Madden has continually developed systems, exercises, and challenges that push cartoonists and inspire creative exploration across the field of cartooning. His work includes 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style and instructional guides like Drawing Words and Writing Pictures. In his new book, Six Treasures of the Spiral, Madden applies strategic limitations and disciplined approaches to produce a body of work that is both technically impressive and emotionally resonant. Professor Andrew Kunka (Autobiographical Comics and The Life and Comics of Howard Cruse: Taking Risks in the Service of Truth) will discuss Madden’s latest work and reflect on the rigorous creative practice behind Six Treasures of the Spiral.
CXC 2025: Publishing - Best Practices, File Finesse, and Sanity Maintenance CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Title: Publishing_Tips_final_FINAL_ForRealThisTimev2.psd: Best practices, file finesse, and sanity maintenanceDescription: Join cartoonist and comic designer Meggie Ramm as they talk through the journey of working with a comic publisher, from file setup to cover design, from due dates to missed deadlines, and how to keep yourself sane in between.
CXC 2025: From the Editor’s Desk: Pitching, Writing, and Drawing YA and Kids’ Graphic Novels CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | How do you make your pitch stand out? What’s needed in a script? What’s expected from an artist? Join Sara Phoebe Miller, Editorial Director at BOOM! Studios, former editor of DC’s Books for Young Readers graphic novels, and writer of the YA graphic novel You Belong Here from First Second as she breaks down the editor’s perspective of this popular medium. She’ll share craft tips, tricks, and insights on what an editor looks for when creating comics and graphic novels for a young audience.
CXC 2025: Diggin’ The Details: Researching 101 for Biography Comics CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Time traveling with comics is too much fun, but when you’re creating a biography comic, it’s important to do it responsibly. Join James Easterly, creator of the upcoming biography comic Miyazaki & Moebius: The Making of Nausicaä, for a crash course on the best practices of researching for biography comics.
CXC 2025: Comics Scholars Roundtable CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Cole James Graham, Paddy McCabe, and Ruth Oliwe discuss their work as graduate students at OSU and within the broader comics and comics studies communities. Moderated by Sydney Heifler.
CXC 2025: John Musker - The Making of I’m Hip CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Get a behind-the-scenes look at animation creation from the director of The Little Mermaid and Moana!Director John Musker, with his collaborator Ron Clements, is responsible for the creation of some of the most beloved Disney animated classics of the past 40 years, including The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), Hercules (1997), Moana (2016), and more. Following his retirement from the studio in 2018, Musker embarked on the creation of the charming, hand-drawn short I’m Hip (4 mins., DCP) about a jazz-obsessed cat trying to prove his “coolness” to anyone he meets. For this presentation Musker uses his short to demonstrate his approach to character creation, movement, design, and more. A Q&A follows the presentation.Bio:John Musker is an award-winning animator, director and screenwriter. Along with co-director Ron Clements, he is best know for such Walt Disney films as THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989), ALADDIN (1992), HERCULES (1997), THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (2009), and MOANA (2016), among others. His most recent film is the short I'M HIP (2023).
CXC 2025 Keynote Speaker: Charles Burns CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Hear from one of the most influential cartoonists of his generation whose work ranges from Criterion Collection covers to the landmark graphic novel Black Hole.Internationally renowned cartoonist Charles Burns is best known for early work in Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly’s avant-garde comics magazine RAW and such influential comics as Black Hole (1995–2005), X’d Out (2010), The Hive (2012), and many more. For this keynote address as part of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, Burns reflects on his distinguished career and recent work, such as Final Cut (2023), Kommix (2024), and Unwholesome Love (2024). Burns will be interviewed by comics writer and film & comics scholar (Appalachian State University), Craig Fischer. A reception at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum follows the presentation.Bio:CHARLES BURNS grew up in Seattle in the 1970s. His work rose to prominence in Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman’s RAW magazine in the mid-1980s, and since then he has worked on a wide range of projects including album covers, ad campaigns, and set design. He has illustrated covers for Time, The New Yorker, andThe New York Times Sunday Magazine. His full-length graphic novel, Black Hole received Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz awards. He lives in Philadelphia.IG: fictopicto
CXC 2025: Use Comics to Tell the Story of a Childhood Shaped by Trauma (Audio + Slides) CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | "The Eyes of My Eyes Are Opened: How Precious Rubbish Makes Use of Comics to Tell the Story of a Childhood Shaped by Trauma" presented at the 2025 CXC Festival. Description: There isn't enough language in the world to wrap all the way around atrocity. Sometimes the truth is too intimate or hideous to tell with text or images alone. Kayla E., author of Precious Rubbish, expands on why only comics can tell the story of a childhood shaped by trauma.Bio:Kayla E. (she/her) is an award-winning Texas-born artist of Mexican American descent. She works as creative director at Fantagraphics and is a recipient of a 2023-2024 Princeton Hodder Fellowship. She earned her B.A. in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard University, where she served as the Art Director for the Harvard Lampoon. Precious Rubbish, her graphic novel debut, is a work of trauma recollection told in the style of post-war children’s comics. Kayla lives in North Carolina with her wife and two dogs.preciousrubbish.comIG: instagram.com/precious.rubbish
CXC 2025: Where Do You Get Your Ideas? with Jeff Smith (Audio +Slides) CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Jeff Smith, author of the Bone graphic novels, discusses story inspirations for his latest graphic novel series TUKI, the 2-million-year-old tale of one of our earliest ancestors to control fire and eat cooked food.
CXC 2025: Gag Cartooning with Lonnie Millsap CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | Lonnie Millsap's gag cartoons have appeared in the New Yorker over eighty times, and his comic, titled bacön, is syndicated by Andrews McMeel/Universal Uclick. Join him for this intimate workshop on the craft of gag cartooning!Lonnie Millsap is a Los Angeles born and raised, New Yorker Magazine cartoonist, whose main goal is to make people laugh. His cartoons have appeared in the New Yorker over eighty times, and his comic, titled bacön, is syndicated by Andrews McMeel/Universal Uclick. It runs three times weekly on gocomics.com/bacon. He is a two-time Reuben Award nominee (Online Comics- Short Form) and he was also nominated for the 2025 Thurber Prize. Millsap self-published thirteen books of cartoons since 2010 and he has been a special guest at countless book and comic conventions since 2011 including: San Diego Comic-Con and Small Press Expo. His work has been praised by noteworthy cartoonists such as Sergio Aragones, Keith Knight, and Gary Panter. His latest book, which is still untitled, will be released in July of 2025.GoComics: www.gocomics.com/baconIG: @lonniemillsapBluesky: @lonniemillsap
CXC 2025: Creating Copra Crash Course CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | The Creating Copra Crash Course covers comic book making from filling up a blank page to managing a small business and everything in between. Based on Michel Fiffe’s acclaimed DIY guide, this presentation marries the practical with the idealistic as we dissect the creative process while demystifying the hurdles that are part of today's publishing landscape.
CXC 2025: CXC 2025 Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Reception + Awards Ceremony CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | CXC attendees and guests are invited to kick off the weekend with our annual Friday party at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, the mecca for cartoons and comic art! Explore our current exhibits Motion Lines: How Cartoonists Draw Movement and Write It Down, Draw It Out: The Comics Art of Carol Tyler, enjoy refreshments, and cheer on your cartoonist colleagues as we give out our annual awards. Awards presentation at 6:00 pm.
CXC 2025: Crafting and Conveying Emotion: Illustrating the Feelings of Characters CXC Festival 2026-03-18 | How can one effectively convey a character’s emotion to the reader?Even when characters and settings are fixed—for example, a 10-year-old girl in a park or an old man in the kitchen—completely different emotions such as “sadness,” “happiness,” or “anger” can be expressed by simply changing the composition, facial expression, or background.Marco Kohinata, a Japanese manga artist and illustrator known for her soft art style, will discuss and demonstrate her techniques and tips for effectively crafting characters’ emotions.
CXC 2025: Spotlight on Carol Tyler CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | Join renowned cartoonist Carol Tyler for an exploration of her new graphic novel, The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of my Grief (Fantagraphics 2025) which is debuting at CXC. The Ephemerata draws upon Tyler's own bereavement to bring forth a masterful exploration of uncharted emotional territory for herself and others, in a work that is both painfully intimate and philosophically rich. Tyler’s other graphic novels include Late Bloomer, You’ll Never Know, and Fab 4 Mania. Her wide-ranging autobiographical work is currently featured at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum exhibit, Write It Down, Draw It Out: The Comics Art of Carol Tyler.
CXC 2025: The MINT Project: Emerging Manga Artists at CXC CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | Manga International Network Team (MINT) is the name of a project/project team formed to support manga artists and editors who aim to be active globally and to increase the international recognition and value of diverse Japanese manga... and the MINT project is why we're lucky enough to have two exciting manga creators at this year's show! Join Keita Katsushika, Marco Kohinata, and MINT/JPIC coordinator Adam Jimenez in this discussion about the MINT project.
CXC 2025: The Past, Present and Future of Comics Education CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | When reflecting on the future of comics, the industry often dominates the conversation, but the art of comics extends far beyond that. In this discussion, we will explore the world of comics through the lens of academic study, engaging with the medium’s vast possibilities. Programs dedicated to the study of comics are emerging nationwide—whether at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), CCA (California College of the Arts), or SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago). Susan Kirtley (Professor at Portland State University) will lead a conversation with Patrick Lay (Professor at Columbus College of Art and Design), Conor Stechschulte (Professor at SAIC), and Carly (Instructor at Sequential Arts Workshop) to discuss the current state and future of comics within academia.
CXC 2025: My Old Therapist Was Worried About Me Publishing this Book: Spotlight on Kayla E. CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | Kayla E’s harrowing memoir PRECIOUS RUBBISH is a stunning achievement and is not for the faint of heart. It is a masterfully designed graphic novel about pain, trauma, child abuse and incest told in a style that perfectly evokes the lighthearted children’s comics of the 1950s and ‘60s. She will be interviewed by comics historian John Kelly (DUMMY, The Comics Journal) who had the experience of watching PRECIOUS RUBBISH evolve from its earliest initial manuscript into the masterpiece it is today.
CXC 2025: CXC at CMA - Editorial Cartoonist Ann Telnaes CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | An in-depth one-on-one discussion with esteemed political cartoonist Ann Telnaes, lead by Jenny Robb, head curator of comics and cartoon art at OSU’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Ann is a multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning artist who–after working for The Washington Post for over sixteen years–resigned after a cartoon she submitted was rejected because it criticized billionaire tech and media executives, including Jeff Bezos, for trying to curry favor with President Trump.Ann Telnaes is known world-wide for her editorial cartoons in various mediums — animation, visual essays, live sketches and traditional print. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 and 2025 for her editorial cartoons. She was also awarded the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 2016 and the Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning in 2023.
CXC 2025: Small Press Publishing Roundtable CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | Andrew Alexander of CRAM Books will be hosting this year’s Small Press Roundtable, which will feature Emu Ruh of Glacier Bay Books, Alex Hoffman of Fieldmouse Press, and Tomasz Kaczynski of Uncivilized Books. Here, these publishers will discuss the state of publishing and share their experience navigating the comics industry.
CXC 2025: Queer Indie Comics Roundtable CXC Festival 2026-03-10 | Join Eisner Award winner Caroline Cash—creator of the Pee-Pee Poo-Poo series—as she leads a lively discussion on queer voices in comics. Featuring the fresh, bold, and talented voices of Eileen Chavez, Jasjyot Singh Hans, and Emily Zullo, this conversation dives into their experiences in the comics industry and explores what the future holds for queer storytelling in the medium.
CXC 2025: Spotlight on Michel Fiffe: A COPRA Celebration and Farewell CXC Festival 2026-03-06 | Columbus's own Brian Canini moderates a career-spanning interview with renowned Copra creator Michel Fiffe. Fiffe's 12-years-in-the-making masterpiece Copra concludes in 2025--so what better time to reflect on Fiffe's career-to date... and to see what his next ambitious project might be!
CXC 2025: Global Manga: The Worldwide Influence of Japanese Comics CXC Festival 2026-03-06 | The centerpiece of CXC 2025's manga track, Global Manga: The Worldwide Influence of Japanese Comics brings together creators from literally around the globe—Japan, France, and here in the U.S--to discuss manga and its influence at home and abroad. You won't want to miss this conversation with a spectacular lineup of manga stars including: Keita Katsushika (Japan - Higashi Tokyo machimachi), Loui (France – Red Flower), Marco Kohinata (Japan – Akari), and Gigi Murakami (U.S. – Resenter).
CXC 2025: Spotlight on Curtis creator Ray Billingsley CXC Festival 2026-03-06 | Ray Billingsley’s enduring comic strip Curtis was one of the first to explore family life for African-Americans in national newspapers, reaching a daily readership of over 43 million. Lauded for his excellent cartooning and barrier-breaking contributions to the field, Billingsley was awarded the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award in 2020, the highest award given in the industry. Join Billingsley and Dr. Kay Clopton (The Ohio State University) for an exploration of his remarkable career and the profound impact Curtis had—and continues to have—on its readers.
CXC 2025: Jhonen Vasquez in Person! CXC Festival 2026-03-06 | Join us in the Canzani Auditorium for an unforgettable conversation with one of the most original voices in animation and comics today. Vasquez is best known for creating the cult-classic Nickelodeon series Invader Zim, a groundbreaking show that blended sci-fi, satire, and dark humor into an unforgettable visual style. He is also the mind behind the influential alternative comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, which sparked spin-offs like Squee!, Fillerbunny, and I Feel Sick—all of which have earned devoted fanbases over the years.In addition to his work as a cartoonist, Vasquez is a producer, writer, director, and voice actor, known for pushing creative boundaries and cultivating unique, often subversive worlds. Operating under aliases like Mr. Scolex and Chancre Scolex, he has carved out a distinct voice that resonates across generations of fans.Jhonen will be interviewed by M.S. Harkness, a memoir cartoonist from Columbus, Ohio.
CXC 2025: Understanding (Kids) Comics:The Business and Craft of Kids Comics CXC Festival 2026-03-06 | Join Sara Phoebe Miller, Editorial Director at BOOM! Studios, former editor of DC’s Books for Young Readers graphic novels, and writer of the YA graphic novel You Belong Here from First Second as she talks with two stars of the kids' comics scene--Jerzy Drozd and Lucy Knisley--about their work, how they got interested in kids' comics, and how they navigate the surprisingly-complex kids' comics publishing world.
CXC 2025: Queen of Horror Manga: Spotlight on Gigi Murakami CXC Festival 2026-03-02 | Manga isn't only created in Japan--it's a global phenomenon! Join French-Ghanaian manga artist Loui (creator of the Red Flower series) and Gigi Murakami (creator of Resenter and artist for The Sinister Sisters, which features three chilling stories based on Ghanaian urban legends and folktales) as they discuss the role of African characters and African creators in manga.Moderating this panel will be Dr. Stanford W. Carpenter -- cultural anthropologist, sometime comic creator, former archaeologist, and is the Academic Liaison for Comicpalooza & Founder of Comicpalooza University.
CXC 2025: Writing Cartoonist Biographies CXC Festival 2026-03-02 | When it comes to important creators or even forgotten individuals, sometime storytellers become the story! But how do you capture the work and life of a cartoonist with the written word? Find out when authors Caitlin McGurk (Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins) and Dan Nadel (Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life) share the secrets behind their critically-acclaimed biographies. Moderated by Justin Eisinger (It Rhymes with Takei).
CXC 2025: Role Playing Games in Comics With Scout Underhill & Scott Kurtz CXC Festival 2026-03-02 | Join Steve Hamaker (Bone colorist, creator of PLOX and Fish N Chips) as he talks comics and role playing games with Scout Underhill (creator of DnDoggos) and Scott Kurtz (creator of PvP and Table Titans Club).We will be chatting about how role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons can be a great catalyst for creating comics and graphic novels for kids.Scout Underhill is the creator of the new graphic novel series, DnDoggos. Inspired by their real life pets, DnDoggos follows the dice rolling adventures of three dogs, Pickles, Tonka and Zoey.
CXC 2025: Cartooning for Double Victory: Black Press Cartoonists and the Fight for Equality CXC Festival 2026-03-02 | During World War II, Black journalists and cartoonists rallied behind the “Double Victory” campaign—victory over fascism abroad and racism at home. This program, presented by Dr. Felecia Jones Ross, associate professor in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University, explores how political cartoons in the Black press championed civil rights, challenged stereotypes, and energized readers to see the fight for freedom as inseparable from the fight for equality. Dr. Ross will highlight the artistry and activism of these groundbreaking cartoonists in a talk based on the digital exhibition she curated for the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Moderated by Anne Drozd.Online exhibition: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5ccea184cd98490687c362dcfe1a63e6
CXC 2025: Spotlight on Mimi Pond CXC Festival 2026-03-02 | Celebrate the debut of Mimi Pond's lastest masterpiece, Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me with this carrer-spanning interview. Moderator Sydney Heifler takes on on a guided tour of Mimi's storied carreer--from her earliest works, to her most recent--this gorgeous, dazzling biography of the eccentric Mitford Sisters.
Spotlight on Tony Moore CXC Festival 2026-02-10 | Columbus, Ohio-based writer Michael Cavender as he sits down with artist and co-creator of THE WALKING DEAD and FEAR AGENT, Tony Moore! They'll be discussing the veteran artist's career and influences but especially his penchant for horror. Come and hear the fan favorite creator's thoughts on the medium after a highly successful 25 years.Tony Moore is a comic book artist that broke into the business in 1999 drawing Battle Pope. Since then, he's penciled titles including Masters of the Universe, Brit, Fear Agent, Exterminators, and the Eisner Award-nominated series The Walking Dead. In recent years he has collaborated with musicians such as Ryan Bingham, John R Miller, JP Harris, The Winetree, Laid Back Country Picker, and Tyler Childers, providing poster art and album covers, and has even directed a few music videos.Courtesy of The Laughing Ogre
Spotlight on Lonnie Millsap CXC Festival 2026-02-05 | Moderator Rob Lee, host of Truth In This Art, for a lively conversation with cartoonist Lonnie Millsap about the art and humor of cartooning. We'll explore Lonnie’s creative process, his approach to crafting jokes and memorable cartoons, and the story behind his newest collection, My Pockets Are Juicy! Discover how he uses humor to connect with readers and tell engaging stories—whether you're a lifelong comics fan or a newcomer.
Talk & Teach: Coloring Graphic Novels CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Columbus-based colorist John Novak will demonstrate digital techniques of adding color that evokes emotion and helps convey character, setting, narrative focus, time period, and more.
Talk & Teach: What’s so funny? Brainstorming Ideas for Gag Cartoons CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Want to create cartoons but can’t think of any ideas? Join New Yorker cartoonist Chelsea Carr to learn and practice several techniques for coming up with jokes for one-panel gag cartoons.Filmed at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and MuseumVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Spotlight on Deprog CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Meet Tate Debs, a hardboiled, hard-drinking, leather-loving dyke detective with an office in the back of Los Angeles’s last video store. When a femme who may just be fatale hires Tate to infiltrate a mystical group that sounds suspiciously like the cult Tate escaped years ago, she must decide if Vera’s charms are worth being re-traumatized. Join writer Tina Horn (SfSx) and artist Lisa Sterle (Witchblood) for a no-holds-barred discussion with Justin Hall (No Straight Lines) about creating genre comics that showcase queer, feminist, kinky, and sex-positive themes.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Spotlight on Jeff Smith CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Jeff Smith sits down with journalist Christian Hoffer to discuss the success of self-publishing Tuki, a look back on his career, and a look forward to what fans can expect in the coming years.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
A Conversation with Ed Steed CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Grammy-award winning cartoonist Ed Steed is one of The New Yorkers’ most popular artists. In addition to hilarious cartoons, he’s created illustrations and magazine covers for the magazine as well. Cartoonist Chelsea Carr speaks with him about his impressive career.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Comics Publishing Roundtable 2024 CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Join Avi Ehrlich from Silver Sprocket for a 2024 publishing “state of the union” roundtable discussion with a diverse group of publishers from some very different corners of the comics publishing landscape: Bill Campbell (Rosarium Publishing), Chip Mosher (DSTLRY) and (Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics).Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Special Guest Spotlight: Bryan Lee O’Malley CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Bryan is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his seminal and influential comics masterwork, SCOTT PILGRIM. SCOTT PILGRIM was and continues to be an international best-selling comic, was adapted into the cult classic film SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD by director Edgar Wright in 2010, became a video game from Ubisoft, and is currently enjoying continued success as the hit Netflix animated series SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF. His work also includes LOST AT SEA and the fantasy/cooking graphic novel SECONDS, among others. You won’t want to miss this career-spanning interview with Bryan conducted by renowned comics journalist John Kelly!Recorded at the Canzani Auditorium at Columbus College of Art & DesignVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Ahn Jae-huun in Conversation CXC Festival 2025-08-19 | Join us for a talk featuring Ahn Jae-huun, a master of hand-drawn 2D animation, as he discusses his craft and career in conjunction with Cartoon Crossroads Columbus.Acclaimed Korean animator Ahn Jae-huun joins Kyoung Lee Swearingen, Ohio State associate professor of Design and Moving Image Production, for an informal conversation about Ahn’s remarkable body of work and his animation studio, Meditation with a Pencil. Samples of Ahn’s past and upcoming work was shown, with ample time for audience questions.Filmed at the Wexner Center for the arts Film and Video TheaterVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Coming of Age Brown in the United States: YA/MG Latinx Comics CXC Festival 2025-07-08 | Rafael Rasado and Jarod Roselló have created works for all ages bringing the Brown experience to the forefront with their work. Dr. Fernanda Díaz-Basteris will be in conversation with Rafael and Rosello about their practice and approach to all ages comics.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Small Press Manga Publishing: Mangaberg vs Bubbles CXC Festival 2025-07-08 | What is entailed in licensing, translating, and publishing classic manga titles as a small press? Historian and translator Ryan Holmberg and Bubbles Zine editor Brian Baynes discuss their collaborations, past and future.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Process Talk: What Kind of (Colored) Pencil Do You Use? CXC Festival 2025-07-08 | Comics aren’t just drawn in ink and colored on a computer! Join two modern masters of colored pencil comics, Mel Gillman (As the Crow Flies, Stage Dreams, Other Ever Afters) and CXC 2024 international guest Léonie Bischoff (Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies, The Great Turkey Walk) as they discuss–and demonstrate–this unique media for comics-making.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Talk & Teach: Packing, Shipping, Storing & Displaying Your Original Art: Cheap & Easy Tricks CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | This demonstration will present clear, concise techniques for dealing with your original artwork, based on professional museum standards but scaled down for busy, working, cash-strapped artists who do not wish to have to think about this sh*t. Come learn easy & slick techniques to safely pack up original pages, hang bare paper works, and more.Filmed at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and MuseumVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
CXC International Spotlight: Léonie Bischoff CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | Join Ohio State scholar Maggie Flinn, editor of Drawing (in) the Feminine: Bande dessinée and Women (OSU Press 2024), for a spotlight interview with CXC 2024 international guest, Swiss-Belgian cartoonist Léonie Bischoff. This career-spanning interview will cover Léonie’s extensive comics output, both in Europe and in North America–including her recently translated comics biography, Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies (which, in its original French form, won the Audience Favorite prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival) and her upcoming comic, The Great Turkey Walk, a classic American story of grit, ingenuity, friendship, and turkeys! CXC is one of only two North American appearances this year by Léonie. You won’t want to miss it!Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Chris Pitzer and Ted Adams Premiere The Eclipse Index CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | Chris Pitzer and Ted Adams have both retired from the companies they started (AdHouse Books for Chris and IDW Publishing and Clover Press for Ted) and they’re working on a book about the company where they both started their career — Eclipse Comics! Be the first to learn about The Eclipse Index, an overview of every Eclipse title combined with meandering and obsessive text that uses Eclipse to look at the entirety of comic book history. Ted and Chris will have a limited ashcan edition available. Excelsior!Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
CXCs Emerging Talent Award 2024 CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | Join along for the tension and the excitement as Jeff Smith and Vijaya Ayer award this year's emerging talent award to the phenomenal cartoonist Kelly Wang in Absentia.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
Non-fiction Comics & History: Youth Explosion! CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | In recent years, political activism and protest movements have been driven by young people hungry for social justice and other important causes. These protests hearken back to earlier, similar movements, many of which have been documented in recent historical graphic novels. Join moderator Andy Kunka (University of South Carolina Sumter) in discussion with Derf Backderf (Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio), Nate Powell (the March trilogy, Save It for Later), and Chris Oliveros (Are You Willing to Die for the Cause?) as they look at ways in which past political activism can teach us about the present.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
The Surreal and Magical Realism in Comics CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | To tell a story completely grounded in reality is often assumed to be the most truthful approach to storytelling, but what can be factually true can often feel emotionally empty if not dishonest. Through the use of surrealism, magical realism, and metaphor, Sam Szabo (Enlightened Transexual Comix) and L. Pidge (Infinite Wheatpaste) are able to speak to a deeper truth about the way they see the world and express that truth through their work. Caroline Cash (Pee-Pee Poo-poo #1) will be hosting this discussion on magical realism in comics.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
The Sounds of Silence: Spotlight on Maggie Umber CXC Festival 2025-07-03 | Maggie Umber’s work has always pushed the boundaries of the comics form—often wordless, deploying unconventional media, and challenging narrative expectations. Her magisterial Sound of Snow Falling tells the seasons of two owls without words, but evoking a world of sound that we might finally hear if we learned to listen. Her newest book, Chrysanthemum Under the Waves, is a meditation on loss, mourning, and the new lives we exhume in the process. Join OSU comics scholar Jared Gardner in conversation with Maggie as they discuss her career, her craft, and her most recent book, six years in the making and premiering at CXC.Filmed at the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryVideo production by NicolettecinemagraphicsPart of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - September 26 - September 29, 2024 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC is a FREE comics, art & animation festival in Columbus, Ohio! www.cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org
