After a hiatus in May, up pop TWO Nerd Nites for June — this first one, at Top of the Park, features some marvelous comix nerds, who are in town for the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF). So we (kindly) kidnapped them for a special Nerd Nite!

Zack Giallongo’s going to tell us why scaring kids can be a GOOD thing, Maris is here to fill us in on adventures in Antarctica, and Hanah Stiverson shows us how comics allow readers to dig into new ways to explore what it means to be human.

Please note the earlier time and different locale than a usual Nerd Nite!

When: Thursday, June 14 – doors 5 pm/talks 5:30 pm

Where: The Annex, Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Summer Festival (915 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109)

No cover charge – thanks, AADL!

Zack Giallongo — I’ll Give You Something To Be Scared Of!: Why It’s Good To Be Frightening To Children

A look at the storytelling techniques that use frightening and disturbing imagery for kids, and why those stories stick with us through the relatable heroes that overcome them

About Zack:

Zack is a professional cartoonist and teacher, and a not very professional banjo-player or dresser. You might know him from his work on various Star Wars books, including the Ewok graphic novel, Shadows of Endor, and the series of Doodle books. You might also know him from his NYT bestselling graphic novel, Broxo, about teenage barbarians and zombies. He loves animals, D&D, and writing about himself in the third person.

Find him online here: @zackules

Maris Wicks — Is It Cold In Here or Is It Just Me?

Everything you ever wanted to know about Antarctica, and probably some stuff you didn’t (like that time I pooped in a bucket).

About Maris:

Comic book artist and writer with an insatiable appetite for science. Especially science in strange places

Find her online here: @mariswicks

Hanah Stiverson — The Future Is Non-human: Examples of the Comic Book Mutant, Cyborg, and Alien

American comics have historically been used as a way of imagining other modes of being. Since the creation of Superman humanity has been allowed an imagined space of greater power, ability, and capability. In recent years comics have transformed to include a wider range of experiences and bodies, and to allow for fuller beyond-human experience. In this talk I will be looking at examples of recent comic books that imagine fantastical ways of being, which allow readers to explore their humanity from new perspectives.

About Hanah:

Hanah Stiverson is currently a PhD student at the University of Michigan in the department of American Culture. Her current research focuses broadly on comics as a mode through which race, gender, sexuality and power can be articulated. Hanah works primarily with Image Comics texts to consider the ways in which access to a profitable creator-owned market has allowed traditionally marginalized voices new space to create dynamic works. Hanah is the co-coordinator of the Transnational Comics Workshop, which brings together scholars from many fields to encourage an interdisciplinary approach to reading and engaging with comics as a medium.