The 2023 Schomburg Center Black Comic Book Festival marks a 11 years of bringing together animators, Blerds, bloggers, cosplay lovers, fans, families, illustrators, independent publishers, and writers to celebrate Black comic books and graphic novels and provides a platform to get the works directly to readers. This annual event features panel discussions, workshops, cosplay showcases, and highlights the work of creators from across the country.

Schedule:

Friday, April 14, 2023

10:30am: Black Comic Futures (Curated by Black Comics Collective)

Little Apple Universe Screenings
An interactive discussion and look inside the TV shows and school curriculum activities of Little Apple Universe.

Featuring
Riley Wilson, Little Apple Universe Young Actors

Black Comic Future Panel
Youth comic book artists discuss their original comic and creative process.

Featuring
AK Lovelace, Harlem School of the Arts

1:00pm: Banned Books and Diversity in Comics

Book bans across the U.S. are targeting graphic novels and comic books, especially those that take up issues of race, gender, and sexuality. This will be a conversation about how to advocate for stories that represent the full range of experiences for youth and adults.

Featuring
Joe Illidge, Dr. Monique Couvson, Mike Haynes-Pitts, Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, Kadia Tubman

3:00pm: The Creator Symposium

Hosted by Women in Comics Collective International, this conversation will explore the ways in which multimedia and comic book professionals working in comics can continue to grow and thrive in an ever-changing industry.

Featuring
Regine Sawyer, Janicia Francis, Shauna Grant, Javier Cruz Winnik, Barbara Brandon-Croft, Ben Ha Meen

5:00pm: The Business of Comics and Sequential Narrative

A conversation on the business of comics and moving in the industry beyond just publishing.

Featuring
TJ  Sterling, Alitha Martinez, Shawn Martinbrough, Gamal Hennesy,Dedren Snead

6:45pm: Access Guide's Black Comics Trivia Challenge!

Access Guide to the Black Comic Book Community the first SchomCom Trivia Night. This “Jeopardy” style event features the panelists and audience members in a nerd-off of Black characters and events from comics, tv, movies, and the culture, for ultimate bragging rights. Attendees will be able to play along on their phones or tablets to see if they are as knowledgeable as our panelists.

Featuring
Tatiana King, Karama Horne, John Jennings, Regine Sawyer

Saturday, April 15, 2023

11:00am: How to Draw Black Superheroes & Comics

Join Tim Fielder (Infinitum, DieselFunk Studios) for a master class on drawing comics. This program is open to all ages, but it is especially geared towards young people ages 5 and up.

Featuring
Tim Fielder

1:00pm: Speaking for Ourselves: Black Women & Marginalized Voices in Comics

A conversation hosted by the Nerds, Erbs and Words podcast featuring industry experts about the nuances of Black women, LGBTQ, and other marginalized voices in comics and storytelling -- voices that mainstream media often misses.

Featuring
Erika Hardison & Keisha Parks (Nerds, Erbs and Words), Shauna Grant, Karama Horne, Elizabeth Colomba, Barbara Brandon-Croft

3:30pm: Black in the Future: Afrofuturism in Comics & Graphic Novels

A conversation highlighting the powerful relationship between Afrofuturism, comics, and graphic novels.

Featuring
John Jennings, Ytasha Womack, Tim Fielder, Ayize Jama-Everett

5:30pm: Cosplay Showcase

The SchomCom Cosplay Showcase is open to attendees of all ages and skill levels. The showcase will take place on Saturday, April 15 at 6:00pm. If you want to participate, you can sign up at the Schomburg Center on Friday, April 14 from 10 AM - 8:00pm, or Saturday, April 15 from 10 AM- 3:00pm. The last registration for the cosplay showcase is at check-in on Saturday, April 15.

Featuring
ChibiT Cosplay, Sir Julius Cosplay, DJ Gregory Wilson

Pre-Recoreded!

The Multimedia Age - Comics to Film
An honest and exciting conversation on making comics into film with panelists that can speak about this process, the industry, challenges and successes.

Featuring
David Crownson, Anthony Piper, Riley Wilson, Rodney Barnes, T.J. Sterling

Black in Anime-tion
A conversation on the Anime space with panelists that can speak on Fashion, Cosplay, Art and the representation of race in Anime.

Featuring
Phillip Boutte Jr., Godswill Ugwa Jr., Carl Jones, Arthel Isom, Chase Conley, T.J. Sterling

Date: Friday, April 14, 2023 - Saturday, April 15, 2023

Location: Schomburg Center -  515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10037

Click here To Register

Click here for More Information