Boston Kids Comics Fest will feature both pros and young creators

Arts

National headliners and young artists share the spotlight at the city’s fastest growing comics con for kids.

At the fourth Boston Kids Comics Fest this June 8, you’ll find the usual sizable array of comics creators promoting their work. But it’s worth noting, a good number of them won’t be old enough to vote.

That’s because, alongside the more than 40 pros at the free festival, close to 30 children ages 7 through their teenage years will be manning their own section, selling comics they created and printed themselves.

“I am in awe of their courage,” says Liza Halley, a library teacher at the Thomas R. Plympton Elementary School in Waltham who helps coordinate the fest’s Young Artists Tables, sponsored this year by the Lindsey family of West Roxbury. “I love seeing the friendships formed as young artists sit together, talking about their comics, drawing, and selling their comics. It’s amazing.”

Kids from all over New England will travel to Northeastern’s Curry Student Center to sell their wares at the event; from Massachusetts they’ll be representing the towns of Greenfield, Fall River, Waltham, Somerville, Chestnut Hill, Boston, Newton, Dedham, Milton, and Attleboro.

And the inclusion of more teens among the young artists, along with “more curated content for teen readers,” is new to the fest, says co-founder Jonathan Todd, author/illustrator of the Scholastic graphic novel “Timid.” It’s a move that is likely to continue the expansion of an event that has grown exponentially since its inception in 2018 at the Bethel Youth Center in Jamaica Plain. After a pandemic hiatus, it moved to Northeastern last year and hasn’t looked back.

“The biggest change we’ve seen in the fest has been its growth,” Todd says. “The first fest exceeded my expectations with more than 300 people coming through the book fair, workshops, and panels, but now we expect about 1,000 people to come on June 8.”

And as for those aforementioned comics professionals, they include these special guests:

• Nick Bruel, the author/illustrator of the “Bad Kitty” picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels
• Liniers, a cartoonist from Argentina, whose work includes the daily comic strip “Macanudo”
• Colleen AF Venable, the author of the National Book Award long-listed “Kiss Number 8,” a graphic novel co-created with Ellen T. Crenshaw
• Maris Wicks, a writer and illustrator of science comics and graphic novels, including “Primates,” written by Jim Ottaviani

It’s all part of a mix that Todd hopes makes the event something unique for families in Boston.

“The central aspect that separates the Boston Kids Comics Fest from other comics festivals is our exclusive focus on comics and graphic novels designed for children (and now teens),” he says, noting that caregivers don’t have to fear that any of the content might be inappropriate for children. “I envisioned the festival as a safe space where kids could have free reign over anything they saw.”

The Boston Kids Comics Fest takes place Saturday, June 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Northeastern University’s Curry Student Center, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston. The center is accessible from both the Northeastern stop on the Green Line and the Ruggles stop on the Orange Line and Commuter Rail. Admission is free, but tickets can be reserved. For more information, visit bostonkidscomicsfest.org.