On Saturday, March 17, the Houston Public Library will be hosting the Houston Comics Talent Panel, a gathering of four local comics creators with various connections to the comics industry. We'll have the following guests:
- a local illustrator who's worked for both Marvel and Image;
- a comics creator whose primary work is in self-publishing;
- a writer and founder of a rising comics publisher; and
- the creative editor for a local artistic and multimedia service firm.
This is an event I'll be moderating, and which I've put together with some help from my coworkers at the library. It's my first time organizing any kind of event, so I'm of course more than a little nervous that we'll get no one attending. I've already made quite a few mistakes and learned a few examples of what not to do, should I ever do this again, the most significant (so far) being a lot more single-minded about getting things planned ahead of time.
Several factors prompted me to organize this panel, the first stemming from my own interest in comics both as a reader and as an aspiring writer. Simply put, I'm interested in the various ways of being involved in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and related products and services. I've also heard the occasional lament about the lack of a local comics scene in Houston. While I think this has started to turn around in recent years with the formation of a major local comics convention in Comicpalooza, it is also my hope that a panel such as this will help get people talking and excited about comics made by Houston creators.
Some of the topics we'll be discussing Saturday will include the participants' interests in comics and how they got started in the industry; what Houston people and companies in addition to them are producing quality comic products and services; and what specializations are currently flourishing in comics creation. There will also be plenty of opportunities for audience members to ask questions and get feedback on various topics from the panelists.
The Houston Comics Talent Panel will be hosted at the Central Library, in the 4th Floor Program Place, from 2:00-3:30pm, Saturday, March 17. If you can't be there in person, hopefully you'll be there in spirit!
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