An ICv2 Release.  The ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference will be held in room 1E02 at the Javits Center in New York City on February 22nd, in association with the New York Comic Con, which begins the next day.  These are the panelists currently booked for the event.  More are being added regularly, and this page will be updated when they are.  For more information on the Conference, see 'ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference -- 2007.'

 

1:00 p.m. 

ICv2 White Paper -- Graphic Novel Growth and Change

ICv2 will present the results of its annual graphic novel industry survey, along with special conference-only info that will not be published in its magazines or on the Web.

 

Presented by Milton Griepp, President, ICv2

 

Milton Griepp is the founder and President of ICv2, since 2001 the undisputed industry authority on the graphic novel business.  He is a 30-year veteran of the pop culture business, and has managed companies that have sold over $1 billion in retail value of pop culture products as CEO of Capital City Distribution and Next Planet Over.

 

 

1:45 p.m.  

Non-fiction -- The Real World of Graphic Storytelling 

The memoir, historical storytelling, and education are among the fastest growing areas of the graphic novel (and we use the term loosely) category in North America.  Is the N.A. market going to look more like Japan's, where manga is a favored form for non-fiction as well as fiction?

 

Moderator -- Calvin Reid, Publishers Weekly

 

Calvin Reid is a senior news editor at Publishers Weeky with responsibility for comics and graphic novel coverage.  He is also co-editor, along with Heidi MacDonald, of PW Comics Week, the magazine's weekly email comics newsletter. 

 

 

 

 

Marisa Acocella Marchetto -- Graphic Novelist

 

Marisa Acocella Marchetto lives in New York City and is a cartoonist for The New Yorker and Glamour. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and Modern Bride, among other publications. She is also the author of Just Who the Hell Is She, Anyway? and Cancer Vixen: A True Story.

 

 

 

Larry Gonick -- Graphic Novelist

 

 

Gonick has been creating comics that explain history, science, and other big subjects for over thirty years--he wrote his first guide in 1971: Blood From a Stone: A Cartoon Guide to Tax Reform. His best-selling Cartoon Guides have sold more than 750,000 copies and been translated into more an a dozen languages.  He has been a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT and is currently staff cartoonist for Muse magazine. The Cartoon History of the Universe, Book III, won the Harvey Award for best original graphic album of 2002.

 

Glenn Kardy -- President and CEO of Japanime Co.

 

Kardy is president and CEO of Japanime Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based publishing company and creative agency that has published several educational titles under its Manga University imprint, including the Japanese-language learning series Kanji de Manga, which has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide.  Japanime plans several nonfiction releases in 2007, including The Manga Cookbook, 50 Things We Love About Japan and Kana de Manga Special Edition: Japanese Sound FX.

 

Thomas LeBien-- Publisher of Hill & Wang

 

Publisher of Hill & Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Thomas LeBien publishes exclusively nonfiction, most recently Elie Wiesel's new translation of Night and John Hope Franklin's autobiography, Mirror to America.  His graphic nonfiction includes Sid Jacobson's and Ernie Colon's The 9/11 Report, A Graphic Adaptation, Andy Helfer's and Randy DuBurke's Malcolm X and Paul Buhle's, Harvey Pekar's, and Gary Dumm's forthcoming SDS.

 

Ted Rall--Graphic Novelist, To Afghanistan and Back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3:00 p.m.  

Manga Ratings, Redactions, and Freedom of Speech

Japanese culture is very different than American when it comes to controlling access to adult content, and publishers have taken a wide range of approaches when deciding how to deal with those cultural differences in their American editions.  Retailers, libraries, and publishers all have their concerns.

 

Moderator--Milton Griepp, President, ICv2

 

Liza Coppola -- Sr. Vice President, VIZ Media

 

 

Liza Coppola joined VIZ in 2002 and now has responsibility for all marketing of book and home video products.  Prior to VIZ, Coppola spent six years in managerial roles at the Walt Disney Company, overseeing marketing for Disney animation properties.  As VP Marketing at GS Entertainment Group, she managed marketing for various media properties.  She is a 20 year veteran of the publishing and entertainment industry, with stints at UC Press, Random House, and HarperCollins.

 

Michele Gorman -- MLS, Young Adult Librarian, Author, Consultant

 

Michele Gorman is the Teen Services Manager of ImaginOn with the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (Charlotte, NC). Michele's books include Getting Graphic! Using Graphic Novels to Promote Literacy with Preteens and Teens and the 3rd edition of Connecting Young Adults and Libraries. She is also the graphic novels columnist for Teacher Librarian and a 'Teenage Riot' columnist for School Library Journal.

 

Kurt Hassler -- Co-Publisher, Yen Press, former buyer Borders Group

As the former buyer for Borders Books & Music, Kurt Hassler helped to revolutionize the way graphic novels are sold in the United States and was named the most powerful person in the North American manga market by ICv2.  Hassler is currently Co-Publishing Director of Hachette Book Group's Yen Press.

 

Mike Kiley -- Publisher, Tokyopop

Mike Kiley joined Tokyopop in 1998 to help found its Internet business.  Success in evolving and growing that business, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of Tokyopop's products ultimately led to his current role as Publisher. Under Kiley's guidance, Tokyopop now creates more than 50 full-length manga graphic novels per year.  Prior to joining Tokyopop, Kiley ran an eight-location bookselling enterprise for UC-Irvine; launched the first academic bookstore in cyberspace in 1992; and created an online store selling products related to anime, pop music and videogames for UCI.


Dallas Middaugh -- Associate Publisher, Del Rey Manga
Dallas Middaugh is the associate publisher for Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Random House. He joined the company in 2003 and helped to orchestrate the launch of the Del Rey Manga line. Middaugh has been in the entertainment publishing industry for twelve years, having worked for Viz Media and Prima Games. He was recently selected as the fourth most powerful person in the American manga industry by ICV2.
 
Tomoko Suga -- Senior Manager, Foreign Rights Department, Kodansha
Suga currently oversees a team of licensing managers that handle manga publishing rights at Kodansha. She started working on manga licensing toward Europe and the US in 2001. Prior to that, Suga spent time on the editorial side at Kodansha, working mainly on acquisitions of books from outside Japan.

 

Buyers Panel -- Graphic Novels, the Next Three Years

A panel of key graphic novel buyers from multiple channels will discuss what's selling and why, how the market's changing, and what kinds of products will grow the market in the next three years.

 

Moderator -- Milton Griepp, President, ICv2

 

Christopher Butcher -- Manager, The Beguiling

A professional colorist, letterer, designer, writer, and retailer of comics, Butcher has put his unique perspective on the industry to work as the Manager and main purchasing agent for The Beguiling in Toronto, one of Canada's premiere comic book stores. At his blog Christopher can be found giving informal insight into--and opinions on-- the comics industry on a more-or-less daily basis.

 

Regina Kanicki--Graphic Novel Buyer, Baker & Taylor

Regina Kanicki (nee Deppen) has been the graphic novel and manga buyer for Baker and Taylor since August 2005. Previous to working in Bridgewater, NJ, she was with Koen Book Distributors for five years also in the capacity of a graphic novel/manga buyer. Her start in the book industry began with a stint at Barnes & Noble on the retail level, where she was a lead bookseller in charge of the graphic novel section, among others.

 

James Killen -- Graphic Novel Buyer, Barnes and Noble

James Killen started with Barnes and Noble in 1979 while still a freshman student at The School of Visual Arts, moving on to manage several stores for the company.  He became a buyer in 1987 and he's managed the businesses of Graphic Novels and Science Fiction nationally for the last eight years.

 

Ed Masessa--Category Manager, Scholastic Book Fairs

Masessa is Category Manager for Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mystery, Adventure, Family/Friendship, Humor and Sports for Scholastic Book Fairs. Prior to entering the world of children's books, he was a purchasing manager for Mack Trucks and Alfa Romeo, but his first job was buying comic books for his dad's barber shop.  In his eleven years at Scholastic, he has held positions as Field Rep, Operations Manager, and Category Manager.  Masessa is a graduate of Rutgers University (BA '76, MBA '83).

 

Chris Powell--General Manager Lone Star Comics

Chris Powell is the General Manager/COO for Lone Star Comics, an eight-store chain in North Texas and their mail order business. Chris has been with Lone Star since 1989, working in single stores until moving into the corporate offices in 1999 and is also a member of the Board of Directors of ComicsPRO, the comics retailer trade organization.

 

Bill Schanes--Vice President of Purchasing, Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc.

Bill Schanes has over 30 years' experience in comics retailing, distribution, and publishing.  In 1971, he co-founded the legendary independent Pacific Comics (which published comics by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Dave Stevens, among others), then joined Diamond in 1985.  He is a member of Diamond's management team, and is very interested in Diamond's ongoing efforts to expand the marketplace for both our retailers and suppliers.

 

5:00 p.m. 

Stay for the cocktail party, sponsored by Transcontinental Printing.

 

 

REGISTER TODAY! 

Click here for the New York Comic Con Website

 

Click here to be taken directly to the registration page.

 

Dallas Middaugh -- Associate Publisher, Del Rey Manga
Dallas Middaugh is the associate publisher for Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Random House. He joined the company in 2003 and helped to orchestrate the launch of the Del Rey Manga line. Middaugh has been in the entertainment publishing industry for twelve years, having worked for Viz Media and Prima Games. He was recently selected as the fourth most powerful person in the American manga industry by ICV2.


Tomoko Suga -- Senior Manager, Foreign Rights Department, Kodansha

Suga currently oversees a team of licensing managers that handle manga publishing rights at Kodansha.  She started working on manga licensing toward Europe and the US in 2001.  Prior to that, Suga spent time on the editorial side at Kodansha, working mainly on acquisitions of books from outside Japan.

 

4:00 p.m.