July 7, 2022 • By Christine Pasalo Norland
Hello Barkada at Comic-Con International 2022
Hello Barkada hosted panels at Comic-Con International 2022 featuring comics professionals Jamila Rowser, Regine Sawyer, Amy Chu, Amber Padilla, Dr. Shamika A. Mitchell, Deb Aoki, Jessica Tseang, and Laura Neuzeth. The panel discussions made space to consider where comics storytelling can expand and how the industry behind comics creation must change.
In addition to bringing two panels to the comics and pop culture gathering hosted annually in San Diego, California, Hello Barkada founder Christine Pasalo Norland appeared on panels brought to Comic-Con International by DiverseToons and Women in Comics Collective International (WinC).
Hello Barkada is proud to have collaborated and appeared with such an esteemed group of creators, thinkers, educators, and community organizers. We'd also like to extend a heartfelt "Thanks!" to those in SDCC's Programming Department who advocated for these panels.
Comic-Con International 2022 returned in-person and mask-mandatory at the San Diego Convention Center from Thursday, July 21, through Sunday, July 24, with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 20. Proof of COVID vaccination or negative PCR-test taken within 72-hours of attending was required. If attending, please bookmark this page as we update it with more details and follow @HelloBarkada and the hashtags #HelloBarkada #WinCatSDCC on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and/or Twitter for announcements.
PANELS BY HELLO BARKADA
JOSEI, NOT YA
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2022 • 12:00 P.M. PT • ROOM 32AB
Deb Aoki, Jamila Rowser, Dr. Shamika A. Mitchell, Jessica Tseang, and Laura Neuzeth discuss the appeal and impact of josei manga, and the creators they're following from and beyond Japan for comics from the lens of, and for, women and femmes. Panel idea developed with Jamila Rowser. Moderated by Christine Pasalo Norland.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Deb Aoki (she/her) is a seasoned storyteller, teacher, and design thinker who co-created the podcast Mangasplaining with David Brothers, Christopher Butcher, and Chip Zdarsky/Steven Murray. As a comics and pop culture journalist, her work has appeared in such outlets as Publishers Weekly and Anime News Network. In addition to appearing on our panel, Deb moderated the Manga Publishing Industry Roundtable on Thursday, July 21, at 5:00 p.m., participated in the panel Best and Worst Manga 2022 on Friday, July 22, at 6:00 p.m., and led the spotlight panel of Comic-Con 2022 Special Guest Miriam Libicki on Sunday, July 24, at 1:00 p.m. Find Deb on Instagram and Twitter at @debaoki.
Jamila Rowser (she/her) is the founder of Black Josei Press and an award-winning writer who has been creating content in the geek community for over a decade. Prior to founding her press, she co-founded the international meetup group Geek Girl Brunch as well as the hip hop x geek culture project Straight Outta Gotham. Her writing has also been featured in such publications as Essence, Ebony, CBR, For Harriet, Complex, and Broken Frontier. Also on Friday, July 22, Jamila participated in the panel Drawn from Life: Graphic Novels and The World Outside Your Window at 2:00 p.m. and hosted a signing in the Autograph Area (A11) at 4:00 p.m. Find Jamila on Instagram and Twitter at @jamilarowser.
Dr. Shamika A. Mitchell (she/her) is a writer, philosopher, editor, scholar, and educator who teaches at The State University of New York. Her writing appears in a variety of texts including the Encyclopedia of Black Comics and NbA Muslims—Black Muslim Reads. She is also the editor-in-chief of WinC's seasonal magazine WinC Magazine, and the creator of #SalaamFandom, an initiative to celebrate and uplift Muslims in all aspects of fandom. In addition to appearing on our panel, Dr. Mitchell moderated Meet Muslim Comics Creators, Gamers, Cosplayers, and Superfans on Thursday, July 21, at 3:00 p.m. and participated in the WinC panel Race, Gender, and the Comic Book Medium on Saturday, July 23, at 4:30 p.m. Find Dr. Mitchell on Instagram and Twitter at @mutantxfactor.
Jessica Tseang (she/her) is an international comics historian who has moderated over 300+ panels collectively at pop culture conventions around the world including Comic-Con International, and a judge for the 2022 Eisner Awards. She is also the co-host of The Kaiju Kingdom Podcast. In addition to appearing on our panel, Jessica moderated The Forgotten Trio: Letterers, Colorists, and Inkers on Thursday, July 21, at 11:00 a.m.; the Kaiju Kingdom Podcast panel on Friday, July 22, at 1:00 p.m.; the panels A Lasting Legacy in Hollywood and A Look Back at the Incredible Work of Chris Sanders on Saturday, July 23; and the panels Food and Fandom Carried Us Through and Bringing Marvel's Superhero Team to Life onto the Big Screen on Sunday, July 24. Find Jessica on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jessica.the.comic.book.girl.
Laura Neuzeth (she/her) is a Mexican digital content creator based in San Diego whose videos center josei and shoujo manga, anime, mobile games, and Sailor Moon. In addition to appearing on Josei, Not YA, she participated in the panel Best and Worst Manga 2022 on Friday, July 22, at 6:00 p.m. Find Laura on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube at @lauraneuzeth.
Christine Pasalo Norland (she/her) is the founder and president of Hello Barkada, as well as a contributing writer to Popverse and San Diego Magazine. Find Hello Barkada on Instagram and Twitter at @hellobarkada.
FROM BURNOUT TO BRAINSTORM
SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 • 1:00 P.M. PT • ROOM 29AB
The pace and pay structure of publishing has it so that writers and cartoonists take on multiple comics and book projects with other work to earn a living wage. Writer Jamila Rowser, cartoonist Amber Padilla, writer Regine Sawyer, and writer Amy Chu discuss the mental, physical, and financial impact of these practices, and raise ideas for enabling storytellers to have a long career doing what they love and what fans love reading. Moderated by Christine Pasalo Norland.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Jamila Rowser (she/her) is the founder of Black Josei Press and an award-winning writer. Her comics credits include Ode to Keisha co-created with artist Trinidad Escobar, Wash Day co-created with artist Robyn Smith, and hers and Smith's debut graphic novel Wash Day Diaries published by Chronicle Books. Find Jamila on Instagram and Twitter at @jamilarowser.
Amber Padilla (she/her) is a cartoonist and illustrator, and a staff artist at the Schultz Studio. Her debut graphic novel The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Graphic Retelling of The Secret Garden is co-created with writer Ivy Noelle Weir and published by Little, Brown and Company. Her forthcoming YA graphic novel Sugar Coated is set to release by Scholastic Graphix in 2024. In addition to appearing on our panel, Amber participated on Forging New Pathways for Comics in Academia on Thursday, July 21, at 2:00 p.m. at the Helen Price Reading Room in the San Diego Central Library. Find Amber on Instagram and Twitter at @candymistakes.
Regine Sawyer (she/her) is a comics writer, editor, publisher, and founder of Women in Comics Collective International (WinC), an artistic and informative initiative since 2012 that serves to highlight the merit and craftwork of marginalized voices, especially that of women and Queer folx of color, who work in various industries, such as comics, publishing, gaming, media, education, and multimedia. In addition to participating on From Burnout to Brainstorm, Regine moderated The Creator Symposium on Thursday, July 21, at 10:00 a.m. and Race, Gender, and the Comic Book Medium on Saturday, July 23, at 4:30 p.m. Find Regine on Instagram at @rslockettdown and on Twitter at @LockettDown.
Amy Chu (she/her) is a writer for comics and TV and is a member of the faculty at the Kubert School and the School of Visual Arts, and a Comic-Con 2022 Special Guest. Her credits include the Netflix anime series DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, DC's Poison Ivy, Marvel's Red Sonja, and the graphic novel adaptation of Turning Red. In addition to appearing on our panel, Amy did signings from The Cat Café on Wednesday, July 20, and appeared on nine panels from Thursday, July 21, through Sunday, July 24. Find Amy on Instagram at @amy_chu and on Twitter at @AmyChu.
Christine Pasalo Norland (she/her) is the founder and president of Hello Barkada, as well as a contributing writer to Popverse and San Diego Magazine. Find Hello Barkada on Instagram and Twitter at @hellobarkada.
DIVERSETOONS: TAKING UP SPACE
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2022 • 6:00 P.M. PT • ROOM 23ABC
PRESENTED BY DIVERSETOONS
Jade Seaberry (co-founder of DiverseToons, publicist, and indie movie producer), Christine Pasalo Norland (writer and founder of Hello Barkada), Naseed Gifted (educator, engineer and writer for sci-fi comic book series P.B. Soldier, and founder of Khem Fest) discuss the importance of cultivating safe production teams and inclusive projects within the animation and film industries with people of color. Moderated by Deborah Anderson (founder of BlkWmnAnimator, 3D modeler, animation journalist).
Find DiverseToons on Instagram and Twitter at @DiverseToons.
RACE, GENDER, AND THE COMIC BOOK MEDIUM
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2022 • 4:30 P.M. PT • ROOM 24ABC
PRESENTED BY WOMEN IN COMICS COLLECTIVE (WINC)
Women in Comics Collective International (WinC for short, pronounced "wink") is an artistic and informative initiative that serves to highlight the merit and craftwork of marginalized voices, especially those of BIPOC/LGBTQ+ who work in the comics and multimedia industry. In celebration of WinC's 10-year anniversary, panelists will discuss how the industry has evolved since the organization's creation. Featuring Dr. Shamika A. Mitchell (EIC at WinC Magazine; historian at Lymari Media), Vanee Smith-Matsalia (EIC of Blerd Galaxy Magazine; founder of WinC-EDU), John Jennings (artist, graphic novel editor at Abrams Megascope), and Christine Pasalo Norland (writer, founder of Hello Barkada). Moderated by Regine L. Sawyer (writer, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Z2 Comics; coordinator and founder at WinC International).
Find Women in Comics Collective International (WinC) on Instagram and Twitter at @WinCNYC.
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UPDATED JULY 26, 2022 TO DISCUSS EVENTS IN THE PAST TENSE.
TAGS: ART NEWS, PROGRAMS & EVENTS
