Yesterday we caught up with the creators who were part of the con and are returning to the show.

Today, the interviews will be with creators who are making their first (and hopefully not only) appearance at the show.

On the docket today we have:

Dave Roman (ECCC Keynote Speaker)

Greg Capullo

The Golden Bell Entertainment team

TJ Kirsch

Mark Mariano

Frank Cammuso

I would like to thank each one of them for taking the time to answer my questions and look forward to meeting them in person this Saturday.

For a complete schedule of the events happening at the Con and CosPlay, check out the website Electric City Comic Con

For a list of vendors including Electric City Comics click here

and as I mentioned yesterday check out the links to the creators websites to learn more about them and their work.

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Dave Roman

Astronaut Academy; X-Men: Misfits; Teen Boat!

ECCC Keynote Speaker

Dave Roman is the author/illustrator of Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, writer of Teen Boat! (both Junior Library Guild Selections), and Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery. He has contributed stories to Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, Comic Squad: Recess!, and is the co-author of two New York Times bestselling graphic novels, X-Men: Misfits and The Last Airbender: Zuko’s Story. Roman is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts and worked as a comics editor for the groundbreaking Nickelodeon Magazine from 1998 to 2009.

As a new creator to the Electric City Comic Con, what about the Electric City Comic Con appealed to you?

Libraries are some of my favorite places in the world, and I love the creative ways the staff of the Schenectady County Public Library are working to engage kids and families using comics and graphic novels. Taking some of the fun elements of comic book conventions like cosplay masquerades and an artist alley, but making it free to the public is a great way to get people to engage with art and storytelling. When a kid gets to meet a writer or artist, it lets them know that anything is possible. They can totally do this too! There’s a lot of great programming at Electric City Comic Con that let’s kids not only see how comics are made, but gives them a chance to actually draw side by side with professional artists as peers.

What are you currently working on and can you give a preview of your Keynote speech?

I’m balancing time between drawing my own stories and editing comics for a publisher named First Second books. I have a webcomic called Starbunny, Inc. (www.starbunny.net) about a lactose-intolerant bunny who hitchhikes across the milky way on a shooting star caught in a butterfly net. I am also a series editor on a line of graphic novels called Science Comics that pairs amazing cartoonists with compelling aspects of science like Rockets, Plagues, Dogs, Polar Bears, Robots & Drones.

My keynote will focus on the power of visual storytelling and the infectious nature of sequential art and how it can be used to change the world for the better! You don’t need to be a so-called “great artist” to make art that can have a positive effect on people (including yourself)!

What was it about comics that got you hooked and what is it about the medium of comics that lends itself to encouraging kids to read?

I was always a visual kid who responded to and identified with cartoon characters. I don’t think I ever connected with art that was purely realistic. I love the way that cartoons become tangible avatars for our abstract imaginations. Comic books are like the perfect middle ground between movies and prose books. Kids raised on TV, where all the work is done for you, can sometimes be intimidated by books that are all words. Teachers often share comics with reluctant readers, because if they get stuck there’s more context clues that keep them from getting overwhelmed. If they don’t understand a passage, they are more likely to scan the rest of the page rather than close the book and walk away. But the pictures in comics and graphic novels are more than just training wheels. Authors like Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics) talk about how when you read a comic, you are putting a lot of yourself into it. It takes your active imagination to make the pictures animate in your head, and you control the pacing of how it all unfolds. So even though it’s visual like the cartoons on TV, comics provide an intimate experience that has more in common with classic prose. All kids love stories. So once they realize that books can provide them in ways that are different and engaging (and not a much work as they thought), they usually become readers for life.

What are you currently reading and what would you recommend that would be great for kids to read?

Everyone (even adults!) should read El Deafo by Cece Bell! Its cute and colorful artwork skillfully uses the universal language of comics to place readers in the shoes of a young girl deaf girl who feels isolated from the other kids at school. Once she receives a sonic ear hearing device, she suddenly begins to feel like a superhero with her newfound abilities.

Most recently, I read Little Robot and Mighty Jack, both are graphic novels by Ben Hatke who is best known for the also wonderful Zita the SpaceGirl series. I think Ben is producing some of the most fun adventure comics out there. I’m also a huge fan of the Hilda books by Luke Pearson, which are weird, whimsical and breathtakingly beautiful with atmospheric art that evokes both European Comics and the anime films of Hayao Miyazaki (like Spirited Away).

There are actually a lot of fantastic creators at the Electric City Comic Con like Mark Mariano, Jacob Chabot, Jess Fink, Eric Colossal, Marcus K. Anderson, & Gregg Schigiel, all of whom have produced books worth checking out. I consider Frank Cammuso (Salem Hyde) to be a cartooning legend, and am always excited to meet him and read his new books. His expressive and hilarious drawings practically jump off the page.

What is the biggest obstacle the comic industry faces in appealing to the younger / newer generation of readers and what do think is the best approach to appeal to these new readers?

I think the lack of distribution channels is the biggest hurdle for any book, especially those produced independently or from small publishers. Most kids like comics, but where can they find them?

There’s been a resurgence of independent bookstores, but they are still few and far between. A lot of potential readers might not have access to them. Even though it’s easier than ever for an author to share his work on the internet, it’s still hard to get noticed amongst all the other things competing for attention. That’s why librarians, as well as teachers, have been such great allies for helping connect readers with comics on a one to one basis. They can hand-select the perfect story for the kids who would best appreciate or benefit from them.

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Greg Capullo

Artist on Batman and Spawn

Greg Capullo is a self-taught Illustrator and just completed his run on the best-selling and highly acclaimed BATMAN series for DC Comics with Scott Snyder. Prior to that, he was best known for his 80 issue run on Image Comics’ SPAWN, created by Todd McFarlane. Other popular comics work includes Marvel Comics X-FORCE, QUASAR, as well as a slew of one-shot titles. He is also the creator of The Creech, a Sci-Fi/Horror comic published by Image Comics.Greg has provided art for Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, contributed lead character designs for the award winning HBO animated SPAWN series, was the cover artist for many popular musical groups including Korn and Disturbed. For more on Greg, his growing up with comics and his work on Batman check out the interview I did with him last year when he was at the Guilderland Library for Batman Day 20015.

As a new creator to the Electric City Comic Con, what about the Electric City Comic Con appealed to you?

I was born and raised in Schenectady. It’s my hometown. So, it’s pretty cool to shake hands with my brothers and sisters.

What are you currently working after wrapping up your legendary run on BATMAN? Any more DC Comics work in the future?

Currently, I am working on a creator-owned project with Mark Millar, called Reborn, which I am very excited about. It brings me back to my roots before I got into comics which follows influences like Frank Frazetta. To put this project in a nutshell, it is like Lord of the Rings meets Road Warrior.

One of the many contributions from your run on BATMAN with Scott Snyder was the new Batman suit, what were the influences for this design?

I tried to incorporate a little bit of every story arc that I did with Scott along with giving him the type of cowl that I had always hoped to give but was unable to as I was following Jim Lee’s New 52 designs. For example, the emblem on the chest pays tribute to our final story arc Super Heavy. The purple lining of the cape is a nod to the purple gloves in Zero Year. The only thing I did differently with the gauntlet and the boots was to beef them up from Jim’s original design. But the cowl is something that I always wanted to do and was inspired by Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns and the armor that Batman wore to fight Superman. That cool bull nose really thrilled me.

What was it about comics that got you hooked and what is it about the medium of comics that lends itself to encouraging kids to read?

I don’t know. Super Heroes are cool. They look cool and they do cool stuff. They go to cool places and are just flat out cool. And anybody that thinks that comics aren’t cool is a fool. They are written on a college level which ensures that a child reading them will either have to pick up a dictionary or ask him parents in order to understand the meaning of several words. And I think that’s pretty cool.

What are you currently reading and what would you recommend that would be great for kids to read?

Unfortunately, I am far too busy to have the time to read. But, my recommendations would be any of the Batman books that I’ve done at DC.

What is the biggest obstacle the comic industry faces in appealing to the younger / newer generation of readers and what do think is the best approach to appeal to these new readers?

Kids these days have more options in the form of cool and exciting video games which are flashy, fast and thrilling. It’s kind of hard to compete with that, but I think Super Hero movies as well as Super Hero TV shows often spark an interest in kids to seek out the comic books that those things originated from. Parents can always lead by example by picking up comic books themselves, in particular, my Batman books that I did with Scott Snyder.

Greg will be in artists alley selling copies of Batman prints and signing a limited number of comics or items per person from 12:00-2:00 pm.

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Golden Bell Entertainment

The Sunday Comics, The Love of a Bingle Lancer

As a new creator to the Electric City Comic Con, what about the Electric City Comic Con appealed to you?

Being from New York, it isn’t everyday that we get to go to some awesome local shows. Rachel, one of the founders at Golden Bell Studios, actually had went to SUNY New Paltz at one point and upstate New York has always had a special place in her heart. A small con surrounded by friends is what we really love.

When last we spoke you were working The Sunday Comics, any new or projects in the works currently?

The Sunday Comics is still going on, we are ready to launch the next several issues but a lot has been going on since then. As far as Children’s Books, we are releasing The Love of a Bingle Lancer in October and that can be found on IndieGoGo still for late pre-orders along with The Sunday Comics. Another children’s book we have currently live on Kickstarter is The Adventures of Jam and Jelly.

We also entered our foray into live action film and 2d animation. With live action, Marc, one of the other founders of Golden Bell, directed his film debut, currently live on Kickstarter entitled Drowning House. It’s a PG-13 Family Drama likened stylistically and tonally to films like American Beauty and Magnolia. Thanks by the way, Chad, for truly being one of our biggest fans, huge shoutout to you for being the first backer yet again on our first film!

In regards to 2D Hand Drawn Animation, Marc and Rachel are co-directing The Valiard Mansion, based on a Victorian Era Illustrated novel written by Ezelle Van Der Heever. That project will be released during Christmas time, but in the meantime we have our first stuffed animal line, Fatterpillars, coming to Kickstarter at the end of July and a bunch of other projects going up in between now and then such as InsecTales which is the first story we all worked on together about a trio of traveling bugs going cross country during the Gold Rush, its a real doozy and something that everyone is going to just love!

What was it about comics that got you hooked and what is it about the medium of comics that lends itself to encouraging kids to read?

Comics have always been a love of all ours here at Golden Bell. Rob, one of the other three co-founders here at Golden Bell, grew up in his early days with the classic mainstream comics that everyone loves to geek out on. Rachel had her entrance to comics through Japanese manga and always brings a fresh storytelling perspective when we collaborate. With Rachel, it was more about not only reading comics for fun, but focusing on experiencing a foreign culture through the pages of the translated volumes, encouraging other children to read for the similar educational reasons. Marc had grown up first reading The Sunday Comics, and it was always a fun thing to look forward to every Sunday at breakfast. It created a family environment where the kids felt like the grownups, sharing in a newspaper that they couldn’t fully read yet, while having fun and being able to show their favorite jokes and strips to their parents. Having short simple jokes and stories was one of the first things that got Marc into comics and it transformed shortly afterwards into all different forms of media ranging from comics to film.

What are you currently reading and what would you recommend that would be great for kids to read?

Working over 100 hour weeks here at Golden Bell we haven’t had much time to read anything outside of our own stuff. Working now with over 100 creators we find little time to explore much else, but that has been a blessing in disguise! Giving a shameless shoutout to ourselves is never a bad thing but the quality of work we’re producing and creating ourselves now has been better then anyone could have ever expected coming from a relatively new start-up entertainment company. I would definitely recommend checking out our site: www.GoldenBellStudios.com

What is the biggest obstacle the comic industry faces in appealing to the younger / newer generation of readers and what do think is the best approach to appeal to these new readers?

There are some major obstacles and the industry as a whole has largely ignored and thus lost the younger audience. Most comics are now catered to older fans without much care for newer readers, which we believe is one of the biggest follies that the industry is facing. We approach a lot of stories with the mission to cater to an audience craving content that just isn’t there anymore. We want people to read fresh, new content that is relatable to the modern era, without having to go back to read old volumes of things that haven’t held the test of time. Taking the steps to bring content like this to our audiences means that we listen to our fans of all ages!

Thanks so much once again, Chad, for expressing an interest in all the projects that we do and we can’t wait to see you at the show. Hope everyone stops on by at our booth for some free goodies, even just popping in to say hi makes us happy. Oh, and if fans mention this little interview with Chad we’ll throw in something special for the reader!

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TJ Kirsch

She Died In Terrebonne, Lost And Found: An Amy Devlin Mystery

T.J. Kirsch, who lives in Troy, NY. His work has been published by Archie Comics, Oni Press, and Image Comics, and he is the illustrator of the critically-acclaimed She Died In Terrebonne with writer Kevin Church. His most recent graphic novel, with writers Christina Weir and Nunzio Defilippis, is titled Lost And Found: An Amy Devlin Mystery, from Oni Press.

As a new creator to the Electric City Comic Con, what about the Electric City Comic Con appealed to you?

I had heard many good things about the show from creators in the area, and that they were particularly friendly towards kids and casual comics fans. Organizers of shows like these should promote comics in a positive way, and that’s what the people behind ECCC seem to be all about.

Any new or projects currently in the works ?

Since late last year, I have been serializing a new graphic novel called Pride Of The Decent Man: A Cartoon Strip Drama. I’ve posted Parts One & Two online free at www.prideofthedecentman.com, with Part Three starting shortly. It’s basically the story of a man with a troubled past seeking redemption in the eyes of his small town and family. I would tell casual readers that it’s basically a comics version of a quiet indie movie drama. I’ve been posting behind the scenes processes on my various social media – which you can get to from www.tjkirsch.com.

It will be collected into hardcover form in 2017.

What was it about comics that got you hooked and what is it about the medium of comics that lends itself to encouraging kids to read?

I probably had the exact amount of an attention span to read comic books and strips as a kid – plus I liked to draw. I stopped reading comics for a bit as a teenager but rediscovered them in art school through alternative comics and graphic novels. I realized then that comics was a medium you could utilize to tell any story, not just superheroes or kids comics/comic strips.

What are you currently reading and what would you recommend that would be great for kids to read?

I don’t have much time to read lately at all since my daughter was born three months ago, but the last graphic novel I read will be a favorite for a long while – Daniel Clowes’ new book PATIENCE.

As far as kids comics, I’m not exactly an authority, but I’m partial to James Kochalka’s JOHNNY BOO series for younger readers. My niece is a big fan.

What is the biggest obstacle the comic industry faces in appealing to the younger / newer generation of readers and what do think is the best approach to appeal to these new readers?

I think the biggest obstacle the industry faces are some corporate executives who are very out of touch and have no idea how to appeal to casual or younger readers. Some of them see no reason to change if they are making a profit. If they actually listened to the public or kid’s opinions for five minutes they’d realize they need relatable, diverse, positive characters and stories to engage new readers…with eye catching, colorful, fun artwork! Not gloomy, hateful, dark comics that look traced from photographs.

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Mark Mariano

The Other Side of Hugless Hill, Flabbergast: Science Friction, Happyloo: Flying Colors

Mark is a Harvey Award Nominated cartoonist from New Jersey. He’s an Adventure Time cover artist, a contributor to Aw Yeah Comics!, The Sakai Project from Dark Horse, and Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream. As proud organizer of the traveling Kids Love Comics pavilion for several comic conventions, Mark assembles the roster of super-talented artists, and creates the programming.

As a new creator to the Electric City Comic Con, what about the Electric City Comic Con appealed to you?

I love libraries and I love libraries that love comics. I’ve heard great things about last year’s event and I’m looking forward to meeting young readers and the awesome staff of the Schenectady Public Library.

Any projects in the works currently?

I am currently working on a comic/picture book entitled, Claire Lost Her Bear At The World’s Fair. Can you guess what it’s about? It’s a lost and found tale with a lesson about what really matters in life. Created with my brother, Chris Mariano, the book intergrades facts about the 1964-65 World’s Fair throughout the story.

What was it about comics that got you hooked and what is it about the medium of comics that lends itself to encouraging kids to read?

The fact that any story can be told through comics is what hooked me. It didn’t matter how strange the idea was, in comics, anything works. As a kid, I saw comics as cartoons broken up into panels. My two favorite comics were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures from Archie Comics and Groo. I would draw my own seven page comic books highly influenced by those books.

As an adult, music became my main focus and passion but one book ignited my love of comics. Phoenix: Future by Osamu Tezuka inspired me to create comics professionally. I felt my art style was too cartoony to ever make it in comics, but meeting and reading the work of Jimmy Gownley, John Gallagher, Andy Runton, Art Baltazar, and Franco, I knew making kids’ comics was where I belonged.

The art is was makes comics so enticing to kids. The layout of a page helps too. I think the reader takes in the entire page first. They can see how many panels and speech bubbles await them. It’s not an entire page covered in words, which can seem like a challenge to a reluctant reader. With comics, the young reader is confident that they can tackle the comics page one bubble at a time, one panel at a time. I think it’s a more comfortable reading environment.

What are you currently reading and what would you recommend that would be great for kids to read?

I’m catching up the outstanding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series from IDW. It’s great. I’m also studying The Art of Zootopia and The Art of Jay Ward Studios.

For kids, I highly recommend Amelia Rules! and The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley, Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke, Ariol by Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavant, Cardboard by Doug TenNapel, The Creeps by Chris Schweizer, G-Man by Chris Giarrusso, Pix by Gregg Schigiel, Super Dinosaur by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard, Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai, Groo by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier, and Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka

What is the biggest obstacle the comic industry faces in appealing to the younger / newer generation of readers and what do think is the best approach to appeal to these new readers?

The fact that the comic industry doesn’t market or attempt to appeal to young readers is their biggest obstacle. Major comic publishers should take notes on how the traditional book publishers handle their comics. Publishers like Scholastic and First Second are doing it right. The major comic companies should just publish graphic novels for the kids market. Forget the floppies. Dark Horse does it with their Avatar series, Image started to do it with Oddly Normal. Both books are a great step in the right direction for the comic industry.

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Frank Cammuso

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde, Knights of the Lunch Table, Otto’s Orange Day

Frank Cammuso is the author/illustrator of the graphic novel series The Misadventures of Salem Hyde from Amulet Books. He also created the graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table from Scholastic. Frank co-wrote/drew the comic Otto’s Orange Day and Otto’s Backwards Day for Toon-Books. Cammuso is also an award-winning political cartoonist for The Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse, NY. His cartoons have been reprinted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsweek. His fiction and satire have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and on National Public Radio.

As a new creator to the Electric City Comic Con, what about the Electric City Comic Con appealed to you?

It’s a fairly new show that has a strong focus on Kids Comics. It’s important to get kids to read early.

What are you currently working on?

I have a couple of big projects in the works. Unfortunately, there is not a lot I can talk about at this time.

What was it about comics that got you hooked and what is it about the medium of comics that lends itself to encouraging kids to read?

The combination of words and pictures is key. I always enjoyed the interplay between the two. As for encouraging kids to read, the world is becoming more visual. Look at your phone or a tablet it’s all pictures. Kids growing up today will need to become visually literate and comic are the perfect teacher.

What are you currently reading and what would you recommend that would be great for kids to read?

I just re-read Tom Sawyer. I would recommend that and Huck Finn any day of the week. I also enjoyed Navigating Early, which is similar in theme.

What is the biggest obstacle the comic industry faces in appealing to the younger / newer generation of readers and what do think is the best appraoch to appeal to these new readers?

Probably the biggest obstacle is getting the books into the hands of young readers. At no other time in history has there been so much of a demand for their attention. Whether it’s computer games or phones or TV, kids today have a ton of options. If books aren’t put into their hands early and they don’t develop a love of reading then there is a good chance that the child will NOT become a reader.

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Other Creators appearing

Jacob Chabot

Jacob Chabot is an Eisner-nominated and New York Times Bestselling cartoonist who has worked on various Marvel Comics, Hello Kitty, Plants Vs. Zombies, Spongebob, The Simpsons, and The Mighty Skullboy Army.

Emily Ree

Emily is a Hudson Valley-based graphic novelist. Her comic, Anarchy Dreamers, follows the adventures of a group of sparkly kids who came back from the dead! The printing of the first issue of Anarchy Dreamers was successfully Kickstarted by fans in late 2015.

I plan to be there most of the day and plan on taking pictures of Cosplayers and event.

Hope to see lots of people there…