By Jeremy Fuscaldo
As an experienced comic artist and cartoonist trying to learn more about the industry, a publisher I became familiar with as a kid was the Scholastic Graphix imprint via Jeff Smith’s Bone. On Thursday, I attended the “Graphix: 20 Years of Comics for Kids” panel at New York Comic Con in something of a full circle moment.
The panel was moderated by Publishers Weekly editor Meg Lemke and featured creators Samuel Sattin (Unico: Awakening; Unico: Hunted), Laura Terry (Adorable Empire), Cassandra Calin (The New Girl), Christina Diaz Gonzalez (Invisible), and Morr Meroz (Snowlands).
The panelists talked about their creative processes and what inspired them, as well as their upcoming books. Gonzalez specifically talked about the importance of incorporating both English and Spanish into her comics to build bridges between readers of various cultural backgrounds.
As the panelists spoke, attendees got to see sequential pages of their comics on the projector screen. These included Gonzalez’s Invisible and Calin’s The New Girl and its upcoming sequel, The New Girl: First Crush, which is slated for release in May 2026. Terry’s Adorable Empire was also highlighted.
After the presentation, Lemke hosted a Q&A session with the audience. I asked the panelists, “What advice do you have for struggling creatives trying to break into the industry?”
Terry said that it is important that we make friends with our peers. Whether you know it or not, you can learn something from them if you reach out to them for advice and they can be the most important part of trying to make it in the industry.
Samuel’s answer touched upon the practicality of creativity—do not start out with a big project, but a small one. Eventually, you should work your way up by creating something short and simple, and then go bigger once you have the experience that is necessary for you to work on your big idea.
Morr said that when you start out, you are going to get a lot of rejections. However, luck can be a factor when you finally get a yes. Getting rejected may not be a bad reflection on you—it just means that the idea that you presented may not be something a publisher wants at that time. They key is to never stop trying.
Calin and Gonzalez both said that it’s important to believe in what you want to create, rather than follow a trend. Books are big commitments, but worth it if the belief is there.
Scholastic Graphix is hosting creator signings throughout the convention at Booth #3307. For the full schedule, click here.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from NYCC ’25.
English (US) · 