We’re doing things a little differently this year for Comics Fest activities at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.

Instead of having one large event at our Central (downtown) location, we’re switching things up!

There will be a Comics Fest event at our Orchard Park location on Saturday, August 10 from 12 pm until 4 pm. The library is located at 4570 S. Buffalo Street in Orchard Park, three blocks south of the 20A/277 intersection.

Another Comics Fest event will be held at the Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. library on Saturday, October 5. The time of this event is TBA, so stay tuned for more information. Merriweather is located at 1324 Jefferson Avenue, at the corner of Jefferson and Utica.

An event is also being planned for the Central Library. Stay tuned for more information, as well as more details about the other events, including guest speakers, workshops and more!

 It’s May and that means FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!!!

Many local dealers are participating. Click here to find out where you can get your free comics.

Our friends at Queen City Book store are part of the celebration and here’s what you could get for free.

Chicago public school administrators have decided to ban Persepolis in all 7th-10th grade curriculum. Written by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel that explores the authors childhood in Iran during the turbulent years surrounding the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which saw the government overthrown, theocracy introduced, and war with neighboring Iraq. Persepolis has earned critical acclaim for its art and story and has been used by educators to introduce students to a culture and country often misunderstood and stereotyped.  The National Coalition Against Censorship, The Kids’ Right to Read Project and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund are launching petitions and protests against the Chicago Schools decision.
You can read more here.

Persepolis Banned In Chicago CBLDF
Persepolis battle in Chicago schools provokes outcry - The Guardian

Thank you Carol Tilley, University of Illinois professor of Library Science who shows us what we all knew in our hearts, comics are not bad. Unfortunately,  Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent met with great success when it was published in 1954 and led to the institution of the Comics Code Authority. This code marginalized the potential of so many writers for decades and it is only recently comics are getting the respect they deserve.

 Here’s the full story at CBLDF

The Young Adult Library Association recently revealed the latest edition of its Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, which contains 55 fiction and non-fiction graphic novel titles recommended for readers ages 12-18.

Find the full list here, or the top ten listed below.

(Clicking the title will take you to the item’s listing in the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s catalog for that title, if available. Links will open in a new window.)

• My Friend Dahmer - Derk Backderf
• Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb - Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
• Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller - Joseph Lambert
• Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, Vol. 1 - Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli
• Friends with Boys - Faith Erin Hicks
• A Flight of Angels - Alisa Kwitney
• The Silence of Our Friends - Mark Long, Nate Powell & others
• Stargazing Dog - Takashi Murakami
• Drama - Raina Telgemeier
• Daredevil, Vol. 1 - Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin