1:30 JACK DAVIS Q+A

Legendary cartoonist Jack Davis made his mark producing horror and war stories for EC Comics, before finding his métier in satire as one of the original (and longest running) artists for MAD Magazine. As a prolific illustrator, Davis defined the caricatural style of the 1960s and 1970s—and beyond. In this rare public appearance, Davis will discuss his career with Fantagraphics co-publisher Gary Groth and illustrator Drew Friedman.

2:30 GESTURAL AESTHETICS

As comics have evolved beyond their commercial roots toward more individualistic modes of expression, they have been infused with new influences from other fields of art including printmaking, collage and painting. Additionally, new printing technologies have permitted the reproduction of artwork that more closely shows the work of an artist’s hand. Austin English, Dunja Jankovic and Frank Santoro will discuss new aesthetics in comics with moderator Bill Kartalopoulos.

3:30 CHIP KIDD AND DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI: COMICS BY DESIGN

Join book designer, comics editor and author Chip Kidd and acclaimed cartoonist David Mazzucchelli for a discussion about the relationship between comics and design. The pair will consider the iconicity of comics characters, visual montage, page layout, and the material properties of the book in this conversation moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos.

4:30 – 5:00: BREAK

5:00 PHOEBE GLOECKNER: A LIFE AND OTHER STORIES

Phoebe Gloeckner has combined breathtaking drawing with sensitive attention to the ecstacies and tribulations of adolescent girlhood in books including A Child’s Life and Other Stories and The Diary of a Teenage Girl. Her brave and moving body of work has made her one of the most admired cartoonists of her generation. Gloeckner will discuss her work and her current long-term project, about the murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, with Paris Review managing editor Nicole Rudick.

6:00 THE LANGUAGE IN COMICS

The recent embrace of graphic novels by the publishing industry has led to misguided attempts to evaluate comics according to the standards and conventions of literary fiction. The writing in comics occupies a more peculiar place, with its own constraints and opportunities. John Porcellino, Gabrielle Bell, and David Sandlin will discuss the particular demands of writing within a visually-driven form in this conversation moderated by novelist Myla Goldberg.

7:00 C.F. and BRIAN RALPH IN CONVERSATION

C.F. and Brian Ralph both emerged from the revolutionary art and comics scene that flourished in New England throughout the 1990s, radiating outward from the Fort Thunder artists’ space in Providence, RI and incorporating a network of friendships, influences, and collaborations. Both artists are now producing the strongest work of their careers, engaging fantasy and adventure as modes for personal expression. The two will discuss their work with moderator Tom Spurgeon.