The annual Olympia Comics Festival will take place this Saturday, May 21st. The festival is not the traditional “comic-con” geared for superhero fans and collectors, but instead celebrates the art and creativity of comics and graphic novels. The festival is family and “newbie” friendly and will offer lots of entertainment and excitement for anyone interested in the arts.
The festival will begin with a stage show at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE), continue with an expo and various panels at the Olympia Center (222 Columbia St NW), and conclude with the Guests of Honor signing and sketching at Danger Room Comics (201 W 4th Ave).
The stage show will begin at 11:00 AM (doors open at 10:30) and run until 1:00 PM. The show will include short interviews with the Guests of Honor, a slideshow (with Dramatic Interpretation!) featuring some of the silliest moments in comics history, and at least one ridiculous contest. In short, it is somewhat like a late night talk show if that show was devoted to comics. The stage show is $5 at the door.
The expo at the Olympia Center will kick off at 1:30 PM and conclude at 6:00 PM. This event is free to the general public. Cartoonists from around the Pacific Northwest will be here displaying and discussing their comics. This is a great opportunity to see the huge variety possible with the comics medium and do a little shopping as well. For the complete list of exhibiting cartoonists, see the list here.
The expo will host various panels throughout the day. Cartoonists Megan Kelso and Andrice Arp will take part in the “Third Wave Feminism In the Comics” panel exploring how modern feminism has affected comics. Cartoonists Larry Gonick and Paul Chadwick will be on the “Using Comics For Education” panel discussing what is and isn’t effective. Workshops will also be held for kids and adults who are interested in making their own comics.
Our Guests of Honor this year are Megan Kelso, Paul Chadwick, and Larry Gonick.
Kelso is the author of Queen of the Black Black, the Squirrel Mother, Artichoke Tales, and editor of the all-women anthology Scherherazade. She is a graduate of the Evergreen State College and has won both the Xeric and the Ignatz Award.
Paul Chadwick is best known for creating the character Concrete in a series of graphic novels. Concrete may be the ultimate fusion of genre as it includes a half cup of science fiction, two tablespoons of the superhero and thriller genres, a big dollop of politics and three teaspoons of social commentary all tied together in a literary context. Chadwick has also worked on several commercial properties in both film and comics. Chadwick has won both the Harvey and the Eisner Awards for Best Artist and Writer.
Larry Gonick is the author of the famous Cartoon History of the Universe books. In addition to history, Gonick has written and drawn several other books on such subjects as the environment, chemistry, and even sex. He is the king of nonfiction comics! Gonick’s work balances humor and fact to create intriguing, hard to put down books. He has won both a Harvey and an Inkpot Award.
At 5:30 PM the Guests of Honor will be at Danger Room Comics for autographs and sketches. Anyone wishing some one-on-one time with the cartoonists should take this opportunity to meet them.
Afterward, there will be a comics-themed art show opening held at The Northern (321 4th Ave NE) from 7-9 pm with contributions by several local cartoonists.
For more info, head over to www.OlympiaComicsFestival.org
