Bringing comics to life

The seasoned creatives found comfort that the next wave of artists will carry the literary tradition and creative practice despite the challenges with digital culture. For San Francisco-based cartoonist Julia Wertz, events like the comics arts fest is an opportunity for the children to instill their engagement with reading. According to her, the younger generation have shorter attention spans and non-illustrated volumes may not be inviting for them.

“As a kid, I went from picture books right to textbooks, and I feel like there was something missing there,” Wertz said. “So, [comics and cartoons] can be that intermediate step and also get kids who don’t really like to read into reading.”

Wertz is the author of “Tenements, Towers & Trash,” an illustrated book that uncover the untold stories of New York City’s underbellies from the 1920s and splices of Manhattan folklore and culture she gathered after living in the East Coast for 10 years. As an autobiographical work, she believes that the added layer of personal narratives creates the allure which technologies like generative AI cannot replace.

“With this kind of work specifically, I think we’re safe from AI,” Wertz said. “People want to know there’s a real human behind it.” K-8 students from San Mateo County approached cartoonists and comic artists from the event, and their interactions inspired them that they too can make art. Among the creative veterans, the young artists sought guidance from San Francisco’s veteran cartoonist Judd Winick, who worked for DC Comics and created the children’s sci-fi graphic novel series “Hilo.”

Winick was among the key speakers invited to impart his experience in the industry alongside Wertz. When he finished his discussion, parents and children lined up at his table for book signing and he chatted with attendees who had questions about the craft and working in the creative field.

Winick feared the dwindling number of comic strips in newspapers caused disengagement among young readers. However, he finds joy in learning that comics have resonated with more young people compared to when he started reading comics during his childhood.

“It’s fun that [comics] crept so far into the mainstream, which is a blast,” Winick said. “For so long, a lot of it was kind of a subculture.”

Indigo Daum, a 10 year-old-student from Pacifica, attended the event. Daum joined his school’s comic club because he dreams of working as a comic author when he grows up. When his school librarian told him about this free event, he asked his mom to drive him and his best friend to learn more about comics.

“The guy who made Hilo said a lot about making comics and stuff like stealing ideas and borrowing them,” Daum said. “He was pretty funny about everything.”

Apart from giving advice on the art, Winick also said parents should support their child if they want to become an artist.

“I’m a cartoonist because my mom and dad never told me that I couldn’t be,” Winick said. “They never said that’s not a real job.”

More than 100 Bay Area residents attended, with some from Southern California. The event also caught the attention of international students from countries like India and Malaysia.

The San Mateo County Libraries and the Peninsula Library System collaborated for this event and organized month-long cartooning and comic workshops across public libraries around San Mateo County.