Description:
"Carey Pietsch is a cartoonist based out of Brooklyn, NY. Her work includes drawing two arcs of Lumberjanes and the artwork for the Mages of Mystralia webcomic. Carey also makes Keepsakes and other original comics about magic and empathy. Along with brightening her workdays, The Adventure Zone got her to join a D&D campaign, where she’s currently playing a dragonborn sorcerer who cares too much about romance novels.
Benjamin A. Wilgus is an Ignatz award-winning comics creator, an editor of New York Times bestselling graphic novels, and a passionate advocate for comics as a medium. His most recent work is Grace Needs Space! with artist Rii Abrego, and his previous books include The Mars Challenge, illustrated by Wyeth Yates, and Chronin, a solo graphic novel duology. As an editor, Ben has worked for First Second Books, Penguin Random House, and Chooseco, the publisher of Choose Your Own Adventure.
Calista Brill is a writer and editor in children’s publishing. She is Editorial Director of First Second Books, where she has worked since 2008, and where she has edited creators including Cory Doctorow, Zach Weinersmith, and Rainbow Rowell. Brill is also an author of children’s books and comics, notably the middle-grade graphic novel Creaky Acres, with Nilah Magruder. A graduate of Columbia University, she is known for her long involvement in the growth of graphic novels for young readers and also for how screechy she gets about Pacific Rim.
Phil Jimenez is an Eisner, Inkpot, Diamond, and Wizard award-winning writer and artist who has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and a host of other comic book companies for 35 years. A former student and later instructor at NYC’s School of Visual Arts, Jimenez is best known for his work on Tempest, The Invisibles, JLA/Titans, New-X-Men, Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis, Amazing Spider-Man, Otherworld, and WonderWoman: Historia with author Kelly Sue DeConnick. Jimenez has also worked in film, television, animation, traditional print media, and packaging design; has created large-scale artworks for public spaces, schools, and museums in New York and Chicago; lectured at universities, museums, and the Library of Congress on identity and diversity in entertainment; mentored young designers at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. An Out 100 alum, Jimenez is considered the first out gay artist in mainstream super-hero comics and remains one of the industry’s most prominent queer creators"
Benjamin A. Wilgus is an Ignatz award-winning comics creator, an editor of New York Times bestselling graphic novels, and a passionate advocate for comics as a medium. His most recent work is Grace Needs Space! with artist Rii Abrego, and his previous books include The Mars Challenge, illustrated by Wyeth Yates, and Chronin, a solo graphic novel duology. As an editor, Ben has worked for First Second Books, Penguin Random House, and Chooseco, the publisher of Choose Your Own Adventure.
Calista Brill is a writer and editor in children’s publishing. She is Editorial Director of First Second Books, where she has worked since 2008, and where she has edited creators including Cory Doctorow, Zach Weinersmith, and Rainbow Rowell. Brill is also an author of children’s books and comics, notably the middle-grade graphic novel Creaky Acres, with Nilah Magruder. A graduate of Columbia University, she is known for her long involvement in the growth of graphic novels for young readers and also for how screechy she gets about Pacific Rim.
Phil Jimenez is an Eisner, Inkpot, Diamond, and Wizard award-winning writer and artist who has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and a host of other comic book companies for 35 years. A former student and later instructor at NYC’s School of Visual Arts, Jimenez is best known for his work on Tempest, The Invisibles, JLA/Titans, New-X-Men, Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis, Amazing Spider-Man, Otherworld, and WonderWoman: Historia with author Kelly Sue DeConnick. Jimenez has also worked in film, television, animation, traditional print media, and packaging design; has created large-scale artworks for public spaces, schools, and museums in New York and Chicago; lectured at universities, museums, and the Library of Congress on identity and diversity in entertainment; mentored young designers at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. An Out 100 alum, Jimenez is considered the first out gay artist in mainstream super-hero comics and remains one of the industry’s most prominent queer creators"
Panelists:
Carey Pietsch
she/her
Benjamin Wilgus
he/him
Calista Brill
she/her
Phil Jimenez
