The San Francisco Public Library, in collaboration with the grand reopening of the Cartoon Art Museum, joined forces to curate a visual feast of original artwork by talented San Francisco Bay Area creators whose works have been published by First Second Books. The exhibit was hosted at the SF Public Library Main Branch between November 2017 and March 2018. The Cartoon Art Museum aims to “ignite imaginations and foster the next generation of visual storytellers by celebrating the history of cartoon art, its role in society, and its universal appeal.” First Second Books, an independent publisher of graphic novels, tackles a diverse range of themes across multiple genres that appeals to a readership spanning all ages.
On November 19, 2017, Mark Siegel, editorial and creative director as well as the founder of First Second Books, unveiled the secret origins of this phenomenal publisher of independent graphic novels, many of which are written and illustrated by Asian Americans. From children’s books and teenage novels featuring adolescents searching for their identity and grappling with the angst of transitioning into adulthood to graphic memoirs and speculative fiction that intrigue adult readers, First Second Books serves a wide palette of stories for readers from ages 8 to 80. In his talk, Siegel shared a five-point recipe that transformed First Second Books into a stellar success which included hiring a diverse pool of creative storytellers and respecting their unique visions in the editorial process. (Can you guess point #5? Check the URL above to watch the video presentation.)
From the outset, two-time National Book Award finalist Gene Luen Yang of American Born Chinese fame, the former National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature, played a game changing role that catalyzed a string of creative talents culminating in the birth of First Second Books. More recently, a creative lineup of graphic novelists and illustrators serve an eclectic spectrum of stories infused with heartfelt sentiment under this imprint–a young girl straddles between the boundaries of two cultural worlds by way of a magic shawl in Nidhi Chanani’s Pashmina; Julian Tamaki’s This One Summer, the most banned graphic novel of 2017, spotlights the joys and struggles of adolescence of two sisters in a dysfunctional family during one fateful summer vacation; Thien Pham narrates a poetic tale of a high school student who abandons football and instead, aspires to become a professional Sumo wrestler in Sumo; and Jason Shiga, a recent Eisner Award recipient of the four-volume graphic novel Demon, conjures up a tantalizing mystery peppered with dark humor, tracing the mind-boggling quest of a mathematical genius who uncannily defies death at every turn. Universal quests for identity and truth, heartfelt autobiographies, tales of magical realism, and a panoply of experiences across the emotional landscape of the human heart populate the stories of First Second Books.
On February 6, Cartoon Art Museum curator Andrew Farago hosted a panel discussion with several creators including Nidhi Chanani (Pashmina), Thien Pham (Sumo), Jason Shiga (Demon), and Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer). Join the lively conversation as cartoonists, writers, illustrators, and curators indulge in the intricacies of the enchanting world of graphic storytelling, the backstage magic of First Second Books, and the creative process that unifies them all, resulting in a phenomenal graphic revolution in the comics publishing industry.
Submitted by Jerry Dear. Editing assistance provided by Molly Higgins.