Our Guests

Check out books by all the cartoonists who’ve made an appearance at the Fest!

2019 Guests

Frederick Luis Aldama is the Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of English and University Distinguished Scholar at the Ohio State University. An expert on Latinx popular culture, Aldama is the author, co-author, and editor of thirty books, including Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, Your Brain on Latino Comics, and Tales from La Vida: A Latinx Comics Anthology.
Amy Godfrey is a cartoonist, artist, and aerial dancer, and as the former Manager of Children’s Services at the Southwest Regional Library, created the Durham Comics Fest in 2010. She is also the brains behind the Durham Comics Project book! Find out more about Amy at amykgodfrey.com.
Paul Karasik is the co-author of the Eisner-winning How To Read Nancy with Mark Newgarden and the writer of City of Glass, a Paul Auster adaptation with art by David Mazzucchelli. He has served as co-editor for Raw and Masters of American Comics, is a frequent cartoon contributor to The New Yorker, and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, The Center for Cartoon Studies, and many more. Art by Paul Karasik; author image by Ivy Ashe & Paul Karasik.
Mark Newgarden is the co-author of the Eisner-winning How To Read Nancy with Paul Karasik. His comics and illustration work has included contributions to Garbage Pail Kids and Raw, much of it collected as We All Die Alone. He is also the the co-author (along with his partner, Megan Montague Cash) of the Bow Wow series of children’s books, and he teaches at Pratt Institute and the Parsons School of Design. Artwork © 1986 Mark Newgarden; photo © 1986 Philip Nel. 
Megan Raley is a Volunteer Coordinator and member of the Steering Committee for the Small Press Expo (SPX), a comics event for “the best and brightest established creators in independent comics” held annually in Rockville, MD.
Jen Wang’s The Prince and the Dressmaker has received endless acclaim, including being a 2018-19 nominee for the North Carolina School Library Media Association Young Adult Book Award and a winner of the Harvey Award for Best Children’s or Young Adult Book. She is also co-founder and organizer of Comic Arts LA.

2018 Guests

Amy Godfrey is a cartoonist, artist, and aerial dancer, and as the former Manager of Children’s Services at the Southwest Regional Library, created the Durham Comics Fest in 2010. She is also the brains behind the Durham Comics Project book! Find out more about Amy at amykgodfrey.com.
Molly Ostertag is the author of The Witch BoyTomboy and the illustrator of Strong Female ProtagonistThe Castoffs, and Shattered Warrior among others.  Read more about Molly at mollyostertag.com, and find her books at the library!
Liz Prince is the author of Will You Still Love Me if I Wet the Bed?Tomboy and more, as well as contributing to the Adventure Time and Steven Universe comic books and creating the television show Clarence. Read more about Liz at lizprincepower.com, and find her books at the library!
Jenny Zervakis is the Durham-based creator of Strange Growths, the influential comics zine that opted for personal, contemplative storytelling in the otherwise brash and violent alt-comics scene of the 1990s. The Comics Journal calls it “an acknowledgement of the prismatic quality of life—the sheer breadth of its pitfalls and possibilities.”
clough-photoRob Clough is a Durham-based comics critic who writes for the print and online editions of The Comics Journal and at highlowcomics.blogspot.com.

2017 Guests

Kristy Guevara-Flanagan is the director of Wonder Women!: The Untold History of American Superheroines and other documentary films and teaches documentary filmmaking at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Read more about Kristy at chuparosafilms.com.
R. Sikoryak is the virtuosic cartoonist behind Masterpiece Comics and Terms and Conditions. Read more about him at drawnandquarterly.com.
Jeremy Sorese is the writer of the Steven Universe comics and the writer and artist of Curveball.
Kriota Willberg is a cartoonist, dancer, choreographer, and massage therapist, among other things! Read more about Kriota at kriotawelt.blogspot.com

2016 Guests

knight-smallKeith Knight is the award-winning cartoonist behind (th)ink and The K Chronicles. Learn more about Keith at kchronicles.com
knisley-photoEric Knisley is a cartoonist, illustrator and animator, and was a co-organizer of the Durham Indie Comics Expo as well as being a frequent contributor to the Durham Comics Fest.
oconnorGeorge O’Connor  is the writer and artist of the acclaimed Olympians series, retellings of classical Greek myths and the illustrator of the Captain Awesome children’s book series. Learn more about George at olympiansrule.com and geooco.blogspot.com.

2015 Guests

Nick Bertozzi is the writer and artist of Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey and Lewis & Clark, and the artist of Houdini: Handcuff King with Durham Comics Fest alum Jason Lutes. Read more about Nick at nickbertozzi.com.
goffMalcolm Goff is a local artist and cartoonist, and a contributor to Running for Hope: A Novel by the John Hope Franklin Young Scholars. Read more about Malcolm at malcolmgoff.carbonmade.com.
gownleyJimmy Gownley is the writer and artist of the Amelia Rules! series. Read more about Jimmy at jimmygownley.wix.com.
ottavianiJim Ottaviani is the writer of Feynman, Primates, and Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards. Read more about Jim at gt-labs.com.

2014 Guests

Jadzia Axelrod is an author, illustrator, costume designer and more. She is the writer of The Battle of Blood and Ink: A Fable of the Flying City, illustrated by Steve Walker.
aydin-photo Andrew Aydin is Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Congressman John Lewis in Washington, D.C., and he is the co-author with Lewis and Nate Powell of March: Book One, this year’s Durham Reads Together title. Read more about Aydin at andrewaydin.com. Andrew Aydin’s appearance was made possible by Durham Reads Together.
gayles-photoDr. Jonathan Gayles is Associate Professor of African-American Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the writer, director and producer of the documentary film White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in American Comic Books. Read more about Dr. Gayles and the film at blacksuperherodoc.com. Dr. Jonathan Gayles’ appearance was made possibly by Durham Reads Together.
knisley-photoEric Knisley is a cartoonist, illustrator and animator, and was a co-organizer of the Durham Indie Comics Expo as well as being a frequent contributor to the Durham Comics Fest.
oconnorGeorge O’Connor  is the writer and artist of the acclaimed Olympians series, retellings of classical Greek myths and the illustrator of the Captain Awesome children’s book series. Learn more about George at olympiansrule.com and www.georgeoconnorbooks.com.
shearerBrian Shearer is the creator of the ongoing webcomic William the Last, and has contributed art to IDW’s Doctor Who, G.I. Joe and Transformers comics. Read more about Brian at brian-shearer.com.
whitleyJeremy Whitley is the writer of the Eisner-nominated Princeless, with artist M. Goodwin, and IDW’s My Little Pony: Friends Forever comics. Read more about Jeremy and Princeless at womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2013/01/11/interview-with-jeremy-whitley-of-princeless/.
Williams-Gail-photoGail Williams is a career counselor specializing in media and the arts, a working artist, and has been an art teacher and administrator from preschool through college levels. She has published numerous articles and has exhibited her art widely throughout the state. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Art at NC Central University and a Road Scholar with the NC Humanities Council. Gail Williams’ appearance was made possibly by Durham Reads Together.

2013 Guests

burger-photo Jan Burger is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies, and the creator of such comics as Uitke and the Lucky Penny.
hampton-photoScott Hampton is a veteran comic book artist whose work includes Batman: Gotham County Line, as well as chapters of The Books of Magic (written by Neil Gaiman), Hellboy (written by Mike Mignola), and the Immortals graphic novel
telgemeier-photoRaina Telgemeier is the award-winning cartoonist behind Smile, Drama and the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. Her latest book, due out August 2014, is Sisters. Read more about Raina at goraina.com.
towle-photoBen Towle is the artist behind the folktale collection Farewell, Georgia and the biography Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean. See more of Ben’s work at benzilla.com.
vernon-photoUrsula Vernon is the writer and artist of the Hugo Award-winning Digger series for adults and the Dragonbreath series for children.

2012 Guests

crilley-photoMark Crilley is the author and illustrator of the Akiko books series for children, the Miki Falls graphic novel series for teens, and the new Brody’s Ghost graphic novel series for adults, as well as the Mastering Manga cartooning guides.
dawson-photoWillow Dawson is the writer and artist of Lila & Ecco’s Do-It-Yourself Comics Club, an excellent introduction to making your own comics for kids and parents. Visit Willow’s online portfolio at www.willowdawson.com.
jarrett-photoJarrett Krosoczka is the author of the popular Lunch Lady graphic novel series, as well as many more books for children. Read more about Jarrett at studiojjk.com

2011 Guests

appel-photoSara Appel is a Visiting Research Scholar in the Program in Literature at Duke University. Along with many other subjects, Sara has studied gender representation in comics as well as the class-related implications of the medium.
bolling-photoBen Bolling is a writer, artist, and designer in Durham, NC. While earning his PhD in English and Comparative Literature at UNC, he studied and taught comics in a number of capacities, including serial narratives and the sociology of comic book conventions.
clough-photoRob Clough is a Durham-based comics critic who writes for the print and online editions of The Comics Journal and at highlowcomics.blogspot.com.
hansen-photoWill Hansen is Curator of Americana at The Newberry in Chicago, IL, and previously oversaw the Edwin and Terry Murray Comic Book Collection in Duke’s Rubenstein Library.
lutes-photoJason Lutes is the writer and artist of the acclaimed Berlin series and Jar of Fools, and the writer, with artist Nick Bertozzi, of Houdini: The Handcuff King. Jason teaches at The Center for Cartoon Studies.
powell-photoNate Powell is the writer and artist of Swallow Me Whole, Any Empire and The Silence of Our Friends (written by Mark Long and Jim Demonakos). His latest work is March, is Georgia Congressman John Lewis’ graphic autobiography, written with Lewis staff aid Andrew Aydin. Read more about Nate at seemybrotherdance.org.
tolpygo-photoKirill Tolpygo is Slavic & East European Studies Librarian at UNC Chapel Hill and maintains a collection of East European and Slavic-language books and comics at UNC.