Join in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act with An Evening with U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Nate Powell, and Andrew Aydin, a discussion of the Civil Rights Movement and the experience of telling Congressman Lewis’s story in the graphic memoir March. Selections from March: Book One and Book Two are on display in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum’s  exhibit The Long March: Civil Rights in Cartoons and Comics currently on view until November 30, 2014.

The award winning a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock will enhance the program with music that addresses critical issues of democracy, freedom, racism, and economic and
social justice.

This event takes place at the Archie M. Griffin East Ballroom in the Ohio Union. Free and open to the public. Open seating, no tickets required. Nearby parking available in the Ohio Union South Garage, Arps Garage and the South Campus Gateway Garage.

Book signing to follow the event. Books will be available for purchase.

Co-sponsored by the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum; Office of Diversity and Inclusion; College of Arts and Sciences; The Ohio State University Libraries; The Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise; The Office of Student Life  and Student Life Multicultural Center; U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Ohio; Wexner Center for the Arts; Wexner Medical Center; Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity; Department of African American and African Studies; and the Moritz College of Law.

Art by Hanneriina Moisseinen.

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is very pleased to serve as the venue for the International Comic Arts Forum’s 17th annual academic conference from November 13-15, 2014.

“ICAF is looking forward to collaborating with the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum to showcase scholarship that complements OSU’s holdings and affirms the library’s commitment to engaging regional, national, and international comics communities.”

Since 1995, the International Comic Arts Forum has been dedicated to promoting the scholarly study and appreciation of comic art, including comic strips, comic books, comics albums and graphic novels, magazine and newspaper cartooning, caricature, and comics in electronic media. The forum provides a supportive, collegial environment to showcase innovative comics scholarship and comic art for critics, historians, teachers, and comics professionals from around the world.

As part of the three day event, we will be visited by a wide range of creators and writers:

Justin Green, author of Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, the first work of extended graphic autobiography in the U.S.

Carol Tyler, author of Late Bloomer and the autobiographical trilogy You’ll Never Know

Phoebe Gloeckner, author of A Child’s Life and Other Stories

Hanneriina Moisseinen, a brilliant cartoonist from Finland and the artist for the ICAF  poster

Dash Shaw, cartoonist and animator and author of New School and Bottomless Bellybutton

Jeff Smith, author of Bone and RASL in conversation with Tom Spurgeon, comics historian and journalist

Bart Beaty, author of Comics vs. Art will deliver the academic keynote

Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (the creators of the graphic novel memoir series March), with special musical guests Sweet Honey in the Rock

In addition, the conference will feature a wide range of exciting academic papers on international and historical topics (see Schedule of Events) which are free and open to the public. For more information visit the International Comic Arts Forum website.

Most of the conference events will be held at the Ohio Union in rooms located on the third floor, with a few events at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum in Sullivant Hall (see Schedule of Events for details). Parking during the day is available in the Ohio Union South garage.

Co-sponsored by  the College of Arts and Sciences, Popular Culture Studies, Department of English, Film Studies Program, Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures, Department of French & Italian, and Department of Comparative Studies, and the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and University Libraries.

Image: Will Eisner Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. THE SPIRIT and WILL EISNER are Registered Trademarks of Will Eisner Studios, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Exhibit Reception from 6:00-7:30 pm | Lecture at 7:30 pm

In celebration of the current exhibition, Will Eisner: 75 Years of Graphic Storytelling, the public is invited to a free presentation by Columbus cartoonist Jeff Smith, creator of the bestselling graphic novel Bone and friend of Will Eisner, on October 30 at 7:30 pm. Smith will discuss the legacy and impact of Will Eisner’s life and career. Prior to the talk, there will be an exhibition reception from 6:00-7:30 pm where you can view the current exhibits and enjoy light refreshments. The talk takes place in the Jean and Charles Schulz Lecture Hall (room 220) on the second floor.

Come explore the rare treasures of one of the largest university manga collections in the world, right here at OSU! The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum holds over 20,000 manga materials spanning its history, genres, and formats. This event is a special opportunity to view these works up-close with specialists on hand to provide the context.

Items on display will include early Japanese newspaper comics of the 1920s (Jiji manga), original art by Osamu Tezuka, Sugoroku (Japanese board games), original sketches by Sugamo Prison inmates, contemporary mangaka portfolios, and more.

From 5:00-5:30 pm there will be a brief presentation on the history of the collection and how to access it for classes or your own pleasure from the Cartoon library & Museum’s reading room.

This event is free and open to the public and takes place in the Will Eisner Seminar Room (room 205).

Please join us in the Jean and Charles Schulz Lecture Hall (room 220) on Friday, September 26, 2014 at 7:00 PM for a free, evening screening of the new documentary, Root Hog or Die, about ground breaking cartoonist John Porcellino and his 25+ years running the self-published series King-Cat.  John Porcellino will introduce the film, and a book signing will be held after the screening.

film trailer
artist’s website