ALL AGES READS: KIDS COMIC CON'S ALEX SIMMONS

[MattBrady]

by Tracy, Sarah, and Shelby Edmunds

Welcome to All Ages Reads. Our review crew consists of Tracy (mom, teacher, and avid comic reader), Sarah (third-grader, age 8) and Shelby (fifth-grader, age 11). Our mission is to seek out comics and graphic novels that both kids and adults can enjoy and tell you all about them so you can enjoy them, too.

Kids Comic Con is coming up on April 28. We wanted to find out more about this FREE event at Bronx Community College, so we went straight to the source – Alex Simmons, Educational Outreach Director for the Museum for Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA).

All Ages Reads: Newsarama readers will probably know you best as a comic creator (Blackjack and Batman: Orpheus Rising), but you're quite the creative Renaissance man. You’re a writer (juvenile mysteries, biographies, movie novelizations, theater and radio plays), actor, voiceover artist, public speaker, teacher, and the Educational Outreach Director for MoCCA. Do you ever sleep?

Alex Simmons: And miss all the fun?

AAR:: Where did the idea for Kids Comic Con come from?

AS: Observations on a need. Again, going back to my own youth .... Comics served a purpose back then that eluded most adults until recently. It got us (boys in particular) reading! Even the kids who struggled with it could get through an Archie, or Batman, or Spiderman story. And what they didn't get, they'd hear about when they discussed it with friends. That's right, a discussion group! We'd debate skill levels or strategies of heroes and villains. We'd compare artists and artwork. Those interactions generated such enthusiasm that you couldn't wait to get your hands on the next issue to see what happened and to talk about it with the gang.

More than 15 years ago, the industry, as a whole, forgot about the kids. A couple of companies maintained their ties with the fingers that fed them, but many went towards the more "mature" storylines and closed the door on the grander population of readers. I know it’s not PC to say this, but it’s constantly spoken about in the back alleys and locker rooms of the comic book world ... metaphorically speaking. Back in the nineties, publishers of mainstream children's books lamented that video games and such had seduced the children away from reading and thus the book market was doomed. I remember many of us writers trying to convince them otherwise, but they thought, hey what did we know. Then along came Harry Potter. Suddenly, kids and adults are waiting in line at midnight to buy a book. And many of the books were over 500 pages. No buttons to push there.

Each new generation of children will discover their own fad or craze or style, but first and foremost they will be children. They will have all the wide-eyed wonder and energy we had, as did the scores of generations before us. They need to be entertained and educated just like we did, and that needs to be recognized in every medium. Ours is the medium of comics, and it has the power to entertain and inspire. It also can help reluctant readers, people with ESL challenges, A.D.D. and beyond. So I felt we needed a convention that focused on children. We needed an event that young people could come to and ask all the wild questions they wanted, learn how the "magic" works and go home to "try it out on their friends." We needed a place where parents and older siblings did not have to cover kids' eyes from less age appropriate material. We needed a market place where all the books that have been created for young people could be seen clearly. We needed a Kids' Comic Con, and so here it is.

AAR: Unlike the usual comic conventions, admission to Kids Comic Con is free. How did you manage that?

AS: In this particular case, the fact that one of our sponsors, Bronx Community College, is allowing me to use their facilities enabled me to offer free admission. Producing a comic con, whether in a hotel banquet hall or a convention center, has a great many overhead costs. Space rental is usually one of the biggest. Also, I'd assumed this was going to be a smaller event, and so I did not plan to fly in guests and celebrities. That would have added on travel, plus room and board expenses. Little did I know that some great people outside the New York area would determine that this was something they wanted to be part of, and thus take on their own expenses to be here. So, I guess the best way answer to your question is that people wanted this to work for the kids, and were willing to make sacrifices to make it so.

AAR: The list of creators and industry professionals who will be at Kid Con is impressive. How much work did you have to do to get all these folks on board?

AS: It started with phone calls to a few friends in the business. Once the word got out, it was like a brush fire in dry woods. I'm still amazed at how many people not only wanted to be part of the event, but were so enthusiastic about it that they reached out to others, or volunteered to help me in other ways. Someone said to me, "...it's an idea that came at the right time." I guess they knew what they were talking about.

AAR: In addition to events like Kids Comic Con, what do you think we can do to get more kids reading comics?

AS: Produce more material that grabs their attention. Treat this like something that is constant and not a flavor of the month. Structure and support real promotion and events for kids that keep books and comics in the spotlight. In the old days (yes, even before I was born) there were kids' shows, and cartoons and comics just for kids. There was even a time period from 3 until 7 p.m. when TV shows were aimed at children. Now it's mainly reruns and not necessarily age appropriate, depending on the household. So, I'd say let's not let mainstream media forget kids again. We are the comic book industry, and our goal should be to reach our entire marketplace. Just like mainstream publishing, there should be middle grade (ages 8 to 12), young adult (YA = 13 to 18) and adult comic book material. The do it in Asia and in Europe, why not here?

Alex Simmons can be reached via his website, www.simmonshereandnow.com
Check out the Kids Comic Con Program Guide!

Email the authors: allagescomics@hotmail.com
The Big All Ages List at www.ComicsintheClassroom.net
All Ages Reads archive

[ssava]

Again...this looks great!
I hope to be there next year!

[vbartilucci]

Another great attempt to get kids interested in reading more (comics, preferably).

I do believe we'll be there. I'm quite curious to see what Dan Mishkin thinks of what's been going on with Blue Devil of late.

[John Gallagher]

A while back, someone stated that too many all-ages efforts are preaching to the choir of existing comics fans-- Mr. Simmons has helped to spear that notion with this very ambitious, and welcome event.

BTW, several Kids Love Comics publishers will be there, including
- FirstSecond (Sardine)
- Scholastic (Baby Mouse
- Renaissance Press (Amelia Rules), w/ creator Jimmy Gownley
- Wilson Place (WJHC) w/ creator Jane Fisher
- Kyle Baker Publishing (The Bakers) w/ creator Kyle Baker

I hope to be there myself!

[Mike Bullock]

Of all the conventions I'm going to miss this year, this is the one that hurts. I pray this is the start of something utterly awesome.

[vbartilucci]

Originally Posted by John Gallagher

A while back, someone stated that too many all-ages efforts are preaching to the choir of existing comics fans

That would be me, John - and I agree, this is an outreach done right.

I'm hoping there's a slow news day next thursday/friday and he can get some publicity BEFORE the event, when it's needed.

[JimmyKitty]

This, without doubt, is a brilliant idea.

Like Mike Bullock, this is an event I would LOVE to make. I haven't created all-ages in a while, but I have a project on my table NOW that I hope to launch very soon. I can only hope this Kid Con is the start of a yearly series that catches on - so I can scramble out there. To be honst, this is the first I've heard of such an event.

And I have to admit this... and I'm sorry if it hurts, but only 5 responses in this thread? Not that this thread is a barometer of interest, but it is pointed. I'm just at a loss for the utter LACK of support within the comics industry among readers and fans. If this particular convention catches on it will NOT be driven by the industry, but from outside it. Much like manga took off in book stores and not comic shops. It makes me sad and mad.

Forgive me if I'm ranting.

[Mike Bullock]

Originally Posted by JimmyKitty

I'm just at a loss for the utter LACK of support within the comics industry among readers and fans.

I'm just quoting that because I wholeheartedly agree with the Kitty.

Tracy> Is there a way for those of us who can't attend to help out? I'd be more than happy to donate a few LTB trades as prizes or something... Let me know.

[JimmyKitty]

Ditto. Please Tracy, let us know. I'll contact Simmons, too.
What seems like a no-brainer appears to need quite a boost.

Granted my current work is the polar OPPOSITE of all-ages... so I can't help with that at the moment, but I'm also thinking of the future, and about the medium in general. A healthy industry should support all forms and at all levels of readership.

That said, let me give kudos to Newsarama for ALL AGES READS. Please, continue this series of articles. It's one of the few I'm always looking out for. The entire team does quality work.

But more awareness and more product is needed. Mike Bullock is one of the good guys, this industry needs to clone him.

[Comic Mom]

Thanks for the kind words, Jimmy! We do this because we love it.

As for helping out with Kids Con -- contact Alex through his website, linked at the end of the above article. I'm sure he will welcome any and all support!

[JimmyKitty]

Tracy, I've done just that.
I hope Simmons will reply with suggestions and needs that people like me can help his efforts.

[Mike Bullock]

Originally Posted by Comic Mom

As for helping out with Kids Con -- contact Alex through his website, linked at the end of the above article. I'm sure he will welcome any and all support!

Email is away!

[vbartilucci]

*bump* so that people will remember it's this weekend