Library love took all forms this past weekend at ALA 2024, but If there was one resounding takeaway that librarians and comics creators shared, it was the right to self-expression and the right of library patrons to read what they choose. This affirmation was echoed throughout by ALA President Emily Drabinksi, the Friday night “Rally for the Right to Read: Voters Unite against Book Bans,” in the speeches of keynote speakers, librarians and from authors who participated at the convention.
“The book is powerful, but the library is the energy behind that power,” said Trevor Noah in his opening session speech.
Both Noah and “Rally for the Right to Read” speaker Hanif Abdurraqib, a National Book Award finalist and MacArthur fellow, stressed the roles that libraries played in fostering their curiosity about the world and their creative practices. According to Abdurraqib, censorship will make the world “less survivable not just for people at its margins, but for all of us.”
Below were some of the comics-related highlights from ALA 2024.
Ben Clanton gets a lot of love
If there was a case for an ALA 2024 bestseller, Ben Clanton (Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth, Ploof) would certainly qualify. The meet-and-greets may have been scheduled for one hour, but ten minutes grace was what attendees could afford in their rush to become proud owners of one of the 55 or so coveted books at each of the six autographing sessions. And speaking of narwhals, Clanton and Andy Chou Musser actually got to do real live whale watching once they touched down in San Diego.
Pedro Martin receives recognition for MexiKid
Not only did Pedro Martin receive a Newberry Honor for MexiKid, his graphic novel debut, but he followed that impressive resume-maker with an Odyssey Honor for its audiobook adaptation. Librarians had lots of love for Martin at ALA 2024 as his signings at the Penguin Random House booth proved popular indeed.
Oni Press makes a full court push for The Night Mother and Eat Your Heart Out
Both Jeremy Lambert and Terry Blas served double duty at multiple autograph sessions and as panelists promoting The Night Mother and Eat Your Heart Out, respectively. In Saturday’s “It’s Giving Main Character Energy: New Graphic Novels with Powerful Protagonists,” both Blas and Lambert agreed that living through an alter ego is a powerful element that gives characters their true source of energy.
“My primary motivation was to write a character who took control of her life,” said Blas. “I was raised in a high demand, high control religion. I didn’t have the courage to live the life I wanted to live at seventeen or eighteen. I wanted to create a character I could live through.”
When asked what makes a flawed character so compelling, Lambert said that flawed characters bring something to the table, something to the story that “makes them human as a protagonist.” Lydia Anslow, the artist on Eat Your Heart Out, had this to say about complicated characters:
“Complicated characters are the best. If you don’t have a complicated character, you have a person who is always right. Even Superman isn’t right all the time.”
Fantagraphics advocates for J&K, Search and Destroy, My Time Machine
John Pham, Ben Applegate and Carol Lay arrived at “Literary Comics: Spotlight on Fantagraphics” to talk up their respective books releasing this summer and fall. Applegate, an editorial director at Kodansha, was especially hyped about translating Atsushi Kaneko’s Search and Destroy, identifying with the book’s punk sensibility and rage against hypocrisy and injustice. Applegate likened the villain’s monologues to the angry social media monologues and outbursts of the present.
Pham drew inspiration for J&K (out in paperback now) from Charles Shultz and how he “did so much with so little” in Peanuts.
Lay used an experience of death as a focal point in My Time Machine, working the pandemic into the narrative.
“I wanted to go back in time and stop it…but ultimately, I have no control over such things.”
BOOM! Studios celebrates five years with SIKTC and showcases Man’s Best and I Heart Skull-Crusher
Pornsak Pichetsote (Man’s Best), Josie Campbell (I Heart Skull-Crusher) and James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing the Children) came together in Saturday’s “BOOM! Studios: The Year to Come” to talk about the differences between writing for comics, writing screenplays, and writing short stories. The verdict: it’s about control and the audience you write for.
“When I write a script, it’s usually for a large production team,” said Campbell, writer and producer for “My Adventures with Superman.” “If I’m writing for comics, I’m writing for the artist. I’m designing what the image should look like, what the characters say in each panel.”
Webcomics are the capitalism-free way to skirt censorship
Sunday’s “From Online to On-Shelves: Must-Read Webcomics Coming to Print” addressed the importance of webcomics as sources of inclusion and diversity. Moni Barrette moderated the panel with featured speakers Junepurrr (SubZero), Michelle Fus (Ava’s Demon) and Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!). According to Junepurrr, webcomics provide the forum to “create the story you would want to read” and “is the lens of the author that makes people connect.”
Ukazu echoed that sentiment, likening webcomics to “an economy free from capitalism.” Ukazu observed that webcomics represent a source of rebellion that falls outside of the purview of book banners, providing a crucial lifeline to the readers that need it.
“With webcomics, you get to be the sicko, and you find other sickos. It’s this Wild West where you can be the sicko you want, find the stories you want and build a playground for yourself, and others are invited to it.”
Even with the proliferation and explosion of webcomics (and webcomics converted to print), Fus believes that webcomics continue to be an understudied resource, resulting in a chasm between the online world and libraries. To remedy this, the trio suggested tools that librarians could use to promote webcomics, including highlighting access points, aggregating lists that could be circulated through social media such as TikTok and creating a voting system to recommend webcomics that librarians review.
“Webcomics have been around for 25 years,” said Fus. “The strangest thing is that now it’s finally being recognized. Comics will always be the same, but the tools will change…at some point all comics will mesh together.”
Mangasplaining: if you can dream it, there’s probably a manga about it
Manga was well-represented at ALA 2024 and ahead of Anime Expo, with GNCRT seminars, meet and greets with artists and panels throughout the weekend. On Saturday, Deb Aoki (Mangasplaining), Joe Pascullo (New York Public Library), Leslie Flynn (Austin Public Library) and Ben Applegate converged in a mid-morning session to discuss the benefits of reading manga and how librarians can curate collections to reach a broad audience.
According to Aoki, manga is cradle-to-grave entertainment in Japan with lax age restrictions, unlike American comics that have strict age bifurcations. But with growing buzz and the popularity of anime streaming on Netflix, library patrons have developed increasing appetite in the titles driving the shows. While readership is primarily comprised of teenagers, adults have begun browsing titles. And as manga moves into the mainstream, it offers opportunities for community and connection, appealing to readers with its different perspectives and cultural experiences.
“Most manga are a trip to a different cultural perspective, which is a beautiful thing for someone looking outside of mainstream culture,” said Applegate.
What can librarians do to expand their manga collections?
“Attend industry panels,” said Pascullo. “Refer to publisher release calendars to scour plots and ages. Look at the Anime News Network, My Anime List, Library Journal and Goodreads.”
Flynn suggested that librarians use “best of” graphic novel lists, review resources published on the ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) website and listen to Aoki’s podcast, “Mangasplaining” as starters. Flynn also recommended that librarians network with librarians who have existing manga collections to get recommendations on starter titles. There was one other benefit Flynn reiterated on why libraries should carry manga titles.
“Reading manga challenges your brain in a way that western comics do not.”
Suggested starter manga titles by genre discussed at ALA 2024:
Romance: Emma, Friday at the Atelier, A Business Proposal, Sign of Affection, My Happy Marriage, Cherry Magic, Sweat and Soap
History: Vinland Saga, Showa: A History of Japan, Okinawa, In This Corner of the World, Golden Kamuy, Cherry Magic, Vagabond
Slice-of-life: What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Blue Giant, I Want to Be a Wall, Princess Jellyfish, Is Love the Answer?, Hirayasumi
Humor/Action/Comedy: The Fable, Night of the Living Clam, The Yakuza’s Bias, Cells at Work: Code Black, Life Lessons, Sakamoto Days
Suspense: A-Do, Alice in Borderland, King In Limbo, Summertime Rendering, Homunculus, Blood on the Tracks, Otherworld Barbara, 20th Century Boys
Superhero: Kaiju No. 8, Pluto, Tank Chair, The Darwin Incident
Literary: Haruki Murakami Manga Stories, Battle Angel Alita, The Rose of Versailles
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