Tag: Picture + Panel

Picture + Panel | Tana Ford + Colleen AF Venable ‘paws and reflect’ on cats

The two creators chat about cats in advance of their live discussion in Boston.

Today we continue our interview series with creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic. Tomorrow, Tana Ford and Colleen AF Venable will talk all things feline, as cats take center stage, and we’re happy to present a preview of their conversation.

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series that brings graphic novel creators to the Boston area. Each conversation explores a specific topic, ranging from the fun and exciting to the strange or serious — like demon possession or monsters. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

Tana Ford is a Hugo and Eisner award–winning artist. She has illustrated comics for Marvel, Dark Horse, Vertigo and IDW. You can find her work on LaGuardia, Silk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Warriors, Jem and the Holograms, Star Trek and Black Panther: Long Live the King. Tana is a recipient of the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. She lives in a seaside cottage in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she is presently obsessed with birds.

Colleen AF Venable is the author of the National Book Award-longlisted Kiss Number 8, a graphic novel co-created with Ellen T. Crenshaw. Her other books include the Katie the Catsitter series with Stephanie Yue, Mervin the Sloth is About to Do the Best Thing in The World with Ruth Chan, The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom with Lian Cho, and the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series, also with Stephanie Yue and nominated for the Best Publication for Kids Eisner. Previously Colleen was the sole designer for hundreds of First Second Books, worked as a Creative Director for Workman and Macmillan, and the Director for Epic! Kids. Now she writes full-time and splits her time between North Adams, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, New York.

And now, let’s hear what they have to say about cats …

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Picture + Panel | Štěpánka Jislová + Sofia Szamosi on ‘the lies the TV told me’

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

We continue our interview series on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — for September, Štěpánka Jislová and Sofia Szamosi will discuss “the lies that TV told me” about body image, women and relationships.

Next Monday, you can join the creators and moderator Rebecca Hains, Ph.D. for the discussion at the Boston Figurative Arts Center. You can find more details on it here.

Štěpánka Jislová is an award-winning comics artist based in Prague and the cofounder of the Czech branch of Laydeez do Comics, an international organization that promotes female comic artists and their work. Jislová collaborated with Czech writer Tereza Čechová on the 2021 Muriel prize–winning Bez vlasů, later published by Graphic Mundi in English as Bald. Srdcovka (the original Czech edition of Heartcore) received the Muriel Award in three categories in 2024, including the main prize.

Sofia Szamosi is an artist and author originally from New York City. In addition to making books, she enjoys painting and creating art in analog photobooths. Along with her debut graphic novel, Unretouchable (Lerner/Graphic Universe), she is the author of BAD KID: My Life as a Troubled Teen (Little, Brown Ink, forthcoming Spring 2026), a graphic memoir exploring her adolescence in and out of the troubled teen industry. A third graphic memoir is currently in development with Street Noise, focusing on healing from eating disorders and the journey of recovering fertility. Szamosi now lives in a small town in Massachusetts—just the right distance from New York City—with her husband, two daughters, and their elderly Pomeranian, Breakfast.

Check out the interview below, and big thanks as always to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

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Picture + Panel | Mattie Lubchansky + Denali Sai Nalamalapu on resistance and resilience

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

We continue our interview series on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about resistance and resilience.

On Aug. 4, Mattie Lubchansky and Denali Sai Nalamalapu will discuss how their work captures “the spirit of defiance and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds” in an event hosted by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center.

Denali Sai Nalamalapu is a climate organizer from Southern Maine and Southern India. Denali lives in Southwest Virginia. They have written for Truthout, Prism and Mergoat Magazine, and their climate activism has been covered in Shondaland, Vogue India, Self, The Independent and elsewhere. They studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia. You can find them at @DenaliSai on Instagram.

Mattie Lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator. She is also an Ignatz winner, a Herblock Prize finalist, and the author of Boys Weekend and The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook. She lives in beautiful Queens, New York, with her spouse.

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Picture + Panel | Mike Curato + K. Wroten on queer communities

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we continue our spotlight feature on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about queer communities.

On July 7, Mike Curato and K. Wroten will join Scott Knox from Boston’s Equality Fund for a discussion on belonging, identity and connection, while exploring how both artists bring LGBTQ+ experiences to life through their distinctive visual voices. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

Mike Curato’s debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult and the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Middle Grade/Young Adult. It has gone on to be one of the most banned books in the United States these days. He’s also the author and illustrator of the children’s book series Little Elliot and illustrated What If… by Samantha Berger, All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, The Power of One by Trudy Ludwig, and If I Were a Fish by Corook and Olivia Barton. Publishers Weekly named Mike a “Fall 2014 Flying Start.” Gaysians is his adult debut.

K. Wroten is an award-winning comics author and illustrator. They are originally from the Midwest and currently live in Brooklyn, New York with their pet snake, Jules. They are the author of the acclaimed graphic novels Cannonball and Eden II; their latest book is Everyone Sux But You. 

Check out the interview below, and big thanks as always to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

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Picture + Panel | Peter Kuper + Allison Conway share the buzz on insects

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Whether you find bugs to be fascinating or just creepy, you’ll likely enjoy today’s Q&A with Peter Kuper and Allison Conway. We continue our new interview series in conjunction with the Boston Comic Arts Foundation as the creators of Insectopolis and A Pillbug Story talk about their big love for some of the world’s smallest creatures

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series that brings fantastic graphic novel creators to the Boston area. Each conversation explores a specific topic, ranging from the fun and exciting to the strange or serious — like demon possession or monsters. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

On June 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern, Kuper and Conway will be at the Boston Figurative Arts Center in Somerville, Massachusetts for a discussion on all things bug-related with Whit Farnum from the Farrell Lab at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. You can find more details on the event’s website.

Big thanks as always to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

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Picture + Panel | Anna Meyer + Michelle Fus discuss the draw of demonic possession

We continue our new interview series in advance of a question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we continue our new feature that brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about demonic possession.

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series that brings fantastic graphic novel creators to the Greater Boston area. Each conversation explores a specific topic, ranging from the fun and exciting to the strange or serious. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

We’re happy to bring some of that discussion online in advance of each session. On May 5, Anna Meyer and Michelle Fus will visit the Boston Figurative Arts Center in a Q&A moderated by Jordan Harris. You can find more details at the event’s website.

Anna Meyer was born in Northeast Ohio. She enjoys climbing, congregating in the kitchen, and coffee made by a loved one. Anna currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner, Bryan, and their two cats, sweet Ysif and not-so-sweet Oscar. Saint Catherine is her first graphic novel.

Michelle Fus graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2011 for Computer Art and Animation, interned at Pixar, worked at Dreamworks, changed careers, and has dedicated the past 13 years to working on the sci-fi/fantasy comic called Ava’s Demon. She is a fan of aliens, horror, magic and all the fantastic things in-between.

Big thanks to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

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Introducing Picture + Panel | Tina Lugo + Marjorie Liu reveal why their favorite things are monsters

We kick off a new interview series in advance of a question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we introduce a new feature here at Smash Pages featuring two comic creators talking about specific topics –like, in today’s feature, monsters.

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series that brings fantastic graphic novel creators to the Greater Boston area. Each conversation explores a specific topic, ranging from the fun and exciting to the strange or serious. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

We’re happy to bring some of that discussion online in advance of each session. Next Monday Tina Lugo and Marjorie Liu will visit the Boston Figurative Arts Center in a Q&A moderated by author Sara Farizan. You can find more details on the event here.

Tina Lugo is an international tattooer and illustrator living in Providence, Rhode Island with her dog, Lou. She is the creator of The Changeling graphic novel series, published by Silver Sprocket. Tina’s work is heavily influenced by 90s manga and anime with a focus on queerness and Taíno representation.

Marjorie Liu is an attorney and New York Times bestselling novelist and comic book writer. Her work at Marvel includes the series X-23, Black Widow, Han Solo, Dark Wolverine and Astonishing X-Men. She is also the co-creator of Monstress from Image Comics, which has won multiple Hugo Awards, British Fantasy Awards, Harvey Award and five Eisner Awards, making Liu the first-ever woman—and woman of color—to win an Eisner in the Best Writer category.

Big thanks to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

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