By Jeremy Fuscaldo
When I was a undergraduate student, I had developed an appetite to learn and read as many comics as I could. One of the many comics that I had rented from my local library at the time was Jeff Smith’s Bone series, which had been previously published under Scholastic. But then in 2005, the series was republished under their newly formed imprint, Graphix, an imprint that would go on to form a life of its own publishing a variety of comics, books, and graphic novels by a wide array of diverse publishers. And for the next 20 years, Graphix would evolve and continue to publish books that would inspire the next generation of readers.
When I had arrived at the Scholastic offices in downtown NYC on Mercer Street on Friday, October 18th, I had no idea how large the Graphix party would be. When I walked inside building, I was surprised by the murals of Clifford the Big Red Dog and the Magic School Bus, and a Captain Underpants statue hanging by the stairs (three flagship series that I grew up reading in my childhood). There was even a Dog Man walk around mascot that was greeting everyone near the entrance before we headed to the downstairs gallery featuring artwork from a variety of grade school students.
Not before long the 20th anniversary panel had commenced and it did not disappoint. Moderated by Lizette Serrano, the Vice President of School and Library Marketing at Scholastic, the panel featured several authors and illustrators who were discussing what they were working on. The lineup included Samuel Sattin (Unico Awakening), Jamar Nicholas (Leon the Extraordinary), Gale Gilligan (Babysitters Club, Freestyle, Fresh Start), Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Smile, Ghosts, Understanding Comics, Making Comics, The Cartoonist Club).
The panel began with Sattin as he showcased artwork from the Unico series that he and his team has been working with illustration team Gurihiru (Eisner Award-winning illustration team from Sapporo, Japan, consisting of Chifuyu Sasaki and Naoto Kawano, who worked on Gwenpool, Superman Smashes the Klan and The Unstoppable Wasp). The series was based upon the original manga that was created by Osamu Tezuka. He also confirmed that the follow-up book to the series was in the works, adding that the sequel will explore deeper themes and the previous installment would be seen in a different light after the sequel.
Following this, Nicholas shared some of his creative process on making the Leon book series, including Leon the Extraordinary. He explained that he had wrote the series because he was inspired by his relationship with his mother. He also shared that kids have gone up to him and asked him “Are you Leon?” adding that he wanted to reflect that in the character of Leon and his relationship with his mom. When promoting his upcoming book Leon: Worst Friends Forever (with coloring done by Bonaia Rosado), he teased that the plot would be about what would happen when you saved the day and get everything you wanted, and what does it mean to have friends.
The panel then transitioned over to Gilligan and the books that they have written and illustrated for the Graphix imprint. They also talked about one of the previous books that they have worked on, Freestyle, a high-energy graphic novel about friendship, middle school, and the art of yo-yo maneuvers. They shared that their friends having complete faith in the project and how the book was an incredible learning experience. Gale also shared artwork from their upcoming books, Fresh Start, and how it was inspired by their own experience traveling to new cities, going to new schools, and making new friends. It was created independently while working on The Baby-Sitters Club series. Gale was glad to have made this book as it is a very personal story published. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2025 with coloring done by K Czap.
Last but not least, Telgemeier and McCloud talked about their first collaboration together on the book, The Cartoonist Club. When working together on this book, they both went insane (in a good way) to make it happen. There was even a small sneak preview where Scott’s artwork can even be seen within the comic, during the sequences when the protagonists are working on their own comics. They shared that there is an educational element for the kids protagonists trying to discover things on their own in the story.
Another highlight of the panel was some of the panelists talking about the medium of comics and the collaborative nature of publishing. Gale shared that they have been drawing comics for fun and believes that we are all in this together. They added that you will never know whose life you will change for the better. Samuel shared that you have to build and connect with people. And McCloud added his belief that community is important, adding an anecdote from Will Eisner of how comics had to die and be reborn as a medium. During the panel, he also shared that making mistakes is a valid strategy; failure can lead to successes and that there is no one way to tell a story. Whatever idea they are chasing for inspiration, or something that makes them laugh, it is not a zero sum game.
As the panelists were taking questions from the audience, David Sandler joined to announce a few new books that Graphix will be publishing, including, but not limited to, Wish I was a Baller (Amar Shaw and Rashad Douchet); Sea Legs (Niki Smith and Jule Bakes); Saphi the One Eyed Cat (Joho/Joanna Ho); Reel Life (Kane Lynch) and Diary of a Nature Nerd (Tiffany Everett). He also shared that Graphix will be venturing into publishing Manga in the foreseeable future starting in the spring of 2025, with titles such as Hikaru in the Light (March 2025) and Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms (April 2025).
As Mr Sandler transitioned into talking about the Bone series and its upcoming series collection being introduced for sale during the 2024-25 release schedule, Jeff Smith made a surprise appearance, much to the delight of everyone. During this time, he had talked about his work on Bone and how the series grew and evolved beyond a basic comic sold in stores; and how he drew inspiration from Carl Barks, Walt Kelly, Charles Schulz and literary influences such as J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Afterwards, there was a party at the rooftop of the Scholastic building where everyone got to mingle with one another, and eat snacks, dinner, and cake. And there was even a special birthday celebration that had a cake that came with special sparkle candles. Everyone was gifted with a take home bag that included copies of graphic novels showcased during the evening’s panel. I got to meet some of my favorite writers and cartoonists, including Jeff Smith and Gale Gilligan. It was a special night that I will never forget and I hope that the next 20 years of Graphix history at Scholastic will be even more diverse just as it is now.
Unico: Awakening was released on August 6, 2024 and is now on sale online and in stores. Leon: Worst Friends Forever has been released earlier this month, on October 9, 2024, and is on sale at comic shops and book stores; Fresh Start is scheduled for a release of January 7, 2025; And The Cartoonist Club is scheduled for release on April 1, 2025.
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