The MSU Comics Forum will celebrate its 10th anniversary February 24-25 with two keynote speakers, the work of about three dozen artists, and several panel discussions.
Director of the MSU Comics Forum Ryan Claytor, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, has been hard at work making sure the event is larger than it has ever been before.
“It is our 10th anniversary, so I wanted to make this event stand out more than any of the other events we’ve had over the years,” Claytor said.
Plans include a private tour of MSU’s Special Collections Library, which is home to more than 250,000 comics; a gallery exhibition that features special work from this collection; and two keynote speeches given by James Sturm and Charles Hatfield.
Sturm, an award winning comic book creator and co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, will discuss his experiences working with comics. Hatfield, a scholar of comics and winner of the Eisner award, will discuss comic scholarship.
“I feel very lucky to have both of these speakers at our forum,” Claytor said. “Hatfield is one of the smartest, yet most accessible scholars I’ve read on comic studies, so I feel very confident that the audience will be hearing a great speech.”
The event, created for scholars, creators, and fans of graphic novels, gives these groups a chance to mingle and discuss the medium of comics.
“This event is going to be a very rare opportunity to interact with some of the highest names in the industry.”
Ryan Claytor
“We are shooting for a very wide audience, so we tried to curate a show where there is a large diversity of content,” Claytor said. “We will be featuring comics in the genres of fantasy, fiction, nonfiction, horror and many more, so any topic that someone is interested in is probably going to be represented at the forum.”
The event will be of particular interest to the students of the newly created Comic Art and Graphic Novel minor. Claytor invited many of his former students to the forum, where they can discuss and sell their work to other attendees.
“It gives past and present students an opportunity to network within the industry, meet and become acquainted with other creators, and get tips on their work,” Claytor said. “This event is going to be a very rare opportunity to interact with some of the highest names in the industry.”
With all the exciting opportunities available at the forum, Claytor made it his mission to create an event that was still laid-back and low-pressure.
“It’s still a reasonably modest event, which I really like as an attendee. It’s a very low-key, relaxed environment,” Claytor said. “It’s the kind of event I want to run: high caliber creators, a high focus on comics, and not overblown.”
The 10th Annual Comics Forum will take place in MSU’s Snyder Phillips Hall and is free to all who would like to attend. Registration is not required.
Download the full schedule for the Comics Forum.
Livestream is also available at go.cal.msu.edu/msucomicsforum.
Written by Alexandria Drzazgowski, Professional Writing Major
