Frank Miller was one of the honored guests at the 2026 National Book Festival which is put on by the Library of Congress. He was there to discuss his new memoir Push the Wall.
If you didn’t catch the discussion live, you can watch the recorded version by the Library of Congress.
Each year, the Library of Congress holds the National Book Festival, bringing together authors and creators from across genres. This year’s event takes place Saturday, August 22 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Part of the Library’s celebration of America 250: It’s Your Story, this year’s festival is an invitation to further appreciate the country’s history.
Over 80 authors from various literary genres are taking part and that includes many connected to the comic industry. They’ll join headliners such as Cynthia Erivo, Martin Scorsese, and Kate McKinnon.
One of those headliners is comic legend Frank Miller who will be there to discuss his new memoir Push the Wall.
Max Brooks will also be in attendance discussing his graphic novel The Harlem Hellfighters and the value of firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans.
For those unable to join the festival in person, events on the Main Stage will be livestreamed on loc.gov/bookfest. Videos of presentations will be made available at loc.gov and on the Library’s YouTube channel shortly after the festival.
Graphic novel/comic highlights include:
The Library of Congress will host Dav Pilkey, the No. 1 worldwide bestselling author and acclaimed illustrator of the global phenomenon “Dog Man” on Wednesday, Jan. 29 starting at 5:30 p.m. During this event, Pilkey will discuss his newest book, Dog Man: Big Jim Begins and talk about how books bring people together and help kids develop empathy and compassion.
Following the author talk will be a sneak peek clip from DreamWorks Animation’s feature film, Dog Man, coming to theaters Jan. 31. Families can also enjoy a range of interactive experiences, including a meet-and-greet with Pilkey, photo opportunities with the Dog Man costume character, a create-your-own comics station, and a variety of fun activities for kids and families to enjoy in the Great Hall.
This event kicks off Pilkey’s global tour, “Celebrating Heroes Around the World.”
Ticketing Information
Free tickets to the event can be obtained at loc.gov/events. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for all activities. Each ticket holder will have access to Dog Man activities, custom Dog Man cookies, and a meet-and-greet with Pilkey. A limited number of add-on tickets are available to see the 6:30 p.m. program with Pilkey in the Coolidge Auditorium on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once those tickets are all reserved, the Library will indicate that they are sold out on the event page on loc.gov/events. A limited waitlist to see the program will be available on the day of the event.
Meet and Greet Information
All ticket holders will be eligible to meet Pilkey during a meet and greet starting at 7:15 p.m. Please note that participants will be allowed to line up starting at 7 p.m. Each ticket holder will receive a free copy of “Dog Man: Big Jim Begins.” Additional books will be available for purchase near the Coolidge Auditorium starting at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the event. To ensure that all attendees can be accommodated, no books from home can be signed.
Dav Pilkey and the Library of Congress
During the pandemic lockdown, Pilkey, in collaboration with the Library of Congress and Scholastic, launched “Dav Pilkey at Home,” a weekly series of free videos created by Pilkey and posted online to encourage kids to be creative and to keep reading at home. The playlist of Pilkey’s “how to draw” and “read aloud” videos are archived on the Library of Congress’s website at loc.gov/engage.
For nearly four decades, Pilkey’s books have been inspiring and igniting kids’ passion for reading. Published by Scholastic, the Dog Man series follows the hilarious adventures of the “Supa Buddies” — Dog Man, a lovable canine superhero, and his friends Li’l Petey, a curious kitten who embodies love, optimism and hope, and 80-HD, a robot who expresses himself best through his art. With Pilkey’s trademark humor and heart, the Dog Man series celebrates creativity and imagination and explores universally positive messages including the importance of doing good and striving to become a better version of one’s self, while it also tackles more complex themes including loss, redemption and forgiveness. Since it launched to critical acclaim in 2016, the Dog Man series has more than 60 million books in print, has been translated into 47 languages, and earned a place among the bestselling graphic novel series of all time.
It’s a new week and we have a lot coming at you! We’re kicking it off with some comic news and reviews you might have missed from the weekend from around the web.
The Beat – French Critics Association ACBD give Prix Comics 2023 to Williams & Blackman’s ECHOLANDS – Congrats!
DCist – ‘I Really Am An Evil Witch:’ Scenes From The Library Of Congress’s First Literary Costume Ball – Awe. We’d have gone…
Kotaku – Nexus Mods Fine With Bigots Leaving Over Removed Starfield ‘Pronoun’ Mod – Bravo.
Kotaku – Spider-Man 2 Will Have Ray Tracing Across All Visual Modes – Ok.
Reviews
CBR – Alligator Loki #1
CBR – Daredevil #1
The Beat – Funny Things
CBR – Negaduck #1
CBR – Werewolf by Night #1
Announced at the end of June, Congressman Robert Garcia headed to San Diego Comic-Con 2023 to officially launch the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus. A caucus is a group of members of Congress that meet around a certain topic, interest, party, and more. Rules govern them including their name, statement of purpose, officers, the employee designated to work on the issue, and more.
Garcia is a fan of comics and was sworn in on a copy of Superman #1. At San Diego Comic-Con, the Congressman was featured on a panel that included Megan Halsband of the Library of Congress comics collection, writer and creator Josh Trujillo, and Jeff Trexler of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The Library of Congress holds a massive collection of comics and regularly holds event tied into the local convention Small Press Expo.
The goal of the caucus is to focus on everything from piracy to AI and what the government can do to champion the rights of creators and workers.
What’s more interesting is that Garcia stated that Free Comic Book Day would be held at the Capitol. The goal would go beyond getting comics into the hands of kids but into the hands of policy makers. Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May and will occur May 4, 2024. Congress is generally out of session on weekends. Members of Congress are bombarded with piles of magazines and books that are sent to their office. Comics would not be a stretch. During the convention Cong. Garcia also met with DC President/CCO Jim Lee and Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski.
The Library of Congress has announced the latest round of films to enter the National Film Registry and Marvel Studios‘ Iron Man is one of them. Iron Man officially launched Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe spawning a box office juggernaut.
25 total films were announced including The Little Mermaid, Hairspray, When Harry Met Sally, Carrie, House Party, and Cyrano de Bergerac.
The public submitted 6,865 titles for consideration this year. The public can submit nominations throughout the year on the Library’s web site Nominations for next year will be accepted until Aug. 15, 2023.
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names to the National Film Registry 25 motion pictures that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. The films must be at least 10 years old.
Films Selected for the 2022 National Film Registry
(chronological order)
A new exhibition at the Library of Congress explores how comic books have permeated popular entertainment and influenced U.S. culture, highlighting selections from the Stephen A. Geppi Collection that was generously donated to the national library in 2018.
“Geppi Gems” is now open in the Library’s Graphic Arts Gallery through mid-March 2022. A second rotation with items is planned planned for spring 2022. The exhibition now features 33 items from the collection of more than 3,000 cartoons, comic books and related items in the Geppi Collection.
The wide range of rare comics on view span genres including Walt Disney’s iconic characters, westerns, superheroes, science fiction, horror, sports, music and entertainment.
The exhibition explores the role of early newspapers in the development of comic books and characters. As a nod to the collection’s founder, the exhibition also represents the major themes of the former Geppi Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, which operated between 2006 and 2018.
Highlights of the exhibition include:
Free timed entry tickets are available for visitors to the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. To plan a visit and reserve tickets, go to loc.gov/visit. Tickets will be released on a rolling 30-day basis. For online versions of the Library’s exhibitions, visit loc.gov/exhibits.
The National Book Festival is always an event to look forward to each year. It features an amazing mix of authors and usually a solid focus on comics. Taking place September 17 to 26 this year, the 2021 festival features live author conversations ever day. On September 17, 35 video-on-demand programs will become available to watch anytime.
This year’s festival features two panels comic fans will want to check out.
With Great Responsibility: The Spider-Man Origin Story in Art and Comic Books
Thursday September 23, 2021
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EDT
Let’s share a virtual moment with the Spider-Man origin story — which includes Stan Lee’s story and Steve Ditko’s art — from “Amazing Fantasy” #15 (1962). Look at selected images from the drawings and hear experts’ insights into the collaboration that led to the development of the teen superhero.More information at zoomgov.com External.
Genre: Your Library of Congress
Saturday September 25, 2021
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm EDT
Trung Le Nguyen, author of “The Magic Fish” (Random House), answers your questions. Don’t forget to check out Trung Le Nguyen’s video where he discusses his book.
Genre: Teens
Small Press Expo (SPX) has announced it is again a sponsor of the Library of Congress National Book Festival. As a part of this sponsorship, SPX is supporting both Ngozi Ukazu and Jim Ottaviani in their appearances at the Library of Congress National Book Festival.
Long-time SPX creator Raina Telgemeier will present on the prestigious Main Stage, where she will be introduced by SPX Executive Director Warren Bernard.
Raina will also be a Special Guest at SPX 2019, to be held September 14 & 15 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
The National Book Festival, the largest book festival in the United States, takes place Saturday, August 31, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
There will be 145 authors across all genres giving talks and signing their books at the festival.
Raina Telgemeier
1:30-2:30PM – Book Signing
6:00-7:30PM – Poetry Slam
4:00-5:00 PM – Main Stage Presentation – “Share Your Smile: Raina’s Guide to Telling Your Own Story” (Graphix/Scholastic)
Ngozi Ukazu
2:15-2:50PM – Presentation – “Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey” (First Second)
3:30-4:30PM – Book signing
Jim Ottaviani
11:00AM-11:45AM – Presentation – “Hawking” (First Second)
12:30-1:30PM – Book Signing
“Anime for All,” a celebration of East Asian culture, mythology, pop culture and inspiration, will be held Thursday, July 25 through Friday, July 26, in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. The film screening — along with a collection display of rare Japanese graphic art, a panel discussion on the emergence of Japanese hip-hop and a live Studio Ghibli performance — will showcase the evolution of Japanese storytelling traditions that have been transformed into modern forms of expressions and overall pop-culture fandom.
The events are free and open to the public. Tickets are available for some of the “Anime for All” activities, but are not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.
Fans of anime, manga and Japanese pop culture have much to explore in the Library’s collections. The Prints and Photographs Division contains over 2,500 Japanese woodblock prints from the Edo Period through the 21st century. The Asian Division’s collection is the largest repository of Japanese-language materials outside of Japan, totaling 1.2 million monograph volumes with a rare book collection exceeding 5,900 items dating as far back as the 8th century. The Serials and Government Publications Division houses over 140,000 comic books, including treasures such as the rare early English-language editions of “Astro Boy,” “Macross” and “Ultraman.”
