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This Barbie is a Comics Librarian: My 2023 Comic-Con International Recap

Although we did NOT pull up in a pink convertible, Russell and I DID arrive in sunny San Diego mid-morning on Wednesday, Preview Night. After leaving the airport, we quickly dropped off our bags at the hotel and took the ferry over to Coronado Island for lunch and a cycling adventure. Since my fellow panelist—Jana Tropper—and I had coordinated Barbie lewks for a grand first time in-person meeting, Russell and I entertained the locals looking like real life Barbie and Ken on our day of leisure before launching into the heart of the fandom.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to connect with Jana until the following day.

The next two days were a whirlwind of learning from and networking with my fellow comics educators and information professionals at the lovely San Diego Central Library. Thursday was full of library panels that ran the gamut from discussing libraries and the challenges they currently face to comics pedagogy; whereas, Friday was a parade of publisher panels showcasing a pleasant melange of debut authors and kidlit royalty.

My personal highlights from those days were:
  • Being in conversation with Betsy Gomez and Jana Tropper about how comics support various aspects of our communities for our panel titled CONNECTING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY THROUGH COMICS
  • Guiding a discussion between Samuel Sattin, SarahSax, and Steenz (swoon) about how their works offer stories to connect and inspire in a panel titled ALL TOGETHER NOW
  • Finally meeting Moni Barrette in person.
  • Re-connecting with manga librarians Jillian Rudes and Sara Smith at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund welcome party.
    • Attending the Eisner Award ceremony where I cheered for fellow educator Tim Smyth as well as our friends Matt and Shannon Live, the proprietors of Bat City Comic Professionals, who were finalists for the "Best Academic/Scholarly Work" and the "Spirit Award" respectively.




Finally, Saturday was our playday. We wandered the convention center enjoying whichever sessions struck our fancy, ate lunch in the Gaslamp Quarter, explored the Exhibit Hall, and finished out the day in the company of old and new friends.

My personal highlights for this day were:
  • Purchasing an Elhoffer Design mystery box to enhance my casual cosplays.
  • Meeting Andrew Aydin and several other creators at the Creators Assemble networking event.
  • Being invited to the Kidlit meetup by Raina Telgemeier and closing out the festivities with Betsy Gomez, Jana Tropper, Jillian Rudes, David Bowles, Tim Smyth, Moni Barrette, and so many new friends that I had the pleasure of connecting with that night.Librarianship, as I practice it, frequently requires me to find the delicate balance between my introversion and my need to seek out opportunities and broker human connections. True to form, the magnitude of attending San Diego Comic Con International for the first time was no exception. But connecting with the comics kidlit community in this space definitely felt like coming home to my dream house.


I'm a blerd girl, in the comics world! Life is graphic, it’s fantastic....





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