MICE 2024

How does the form of a comic inform a readers' experience? How can the shapes, the layouts, the way it's folded, and very material a comic book is made from change the way we feel about a story? How can it change the meaning? Where is the line between comic book and art book? Come and meet artists pushing limits in the comics medium and get the inside scoop on how they craft these totally unique books.

Character-based, non-genre fictional comics for adults: a very specific category that doesn't get enough love in the marketplace and the publishing world. MICE highlights four creators whose complex, mature and entertaining work points to new directions for the comics medium. Join them as they discuss their work, process and careers.

It's not just lines on paper: color is a powerful tool for storytelling and communicating emotions, with infinite approaches to the media, color pallettes and aesthetic approaches available. Join us as four cartoonists discuss their diverse and contrasting color styles.

Bugs: creepy, crawly, slimy, with far too many legs. But somehow they have garnered love across different mediums. Come meet some comic artists tonight who have created fantastic bug-centric worlds for their readers.

Comics and cartoon art have long been effective tools in political messaging, often powerfully illustrating the plight of the oppressed, invoking activism. How are today's cartoonists incorporating and affecting the heated and complex issues of our times? Moderator Brigid Alverson and a panel of cartoonists discuss the power of comics in the realm of politics and activism.