Graphic Novel Event: geeking the library

John Arcudi speaks at Falvey Memorial Library

FalveyLibrary “Things that change people change them. It’s not just a backpack.” –John Arcudi #falveyevents about 23 hours ago via TweetDeck

 

It happened!  It was awesome!  You can’t tell from the photo, but we had a ton of people show up!

Everything went off without a hitch.  Thanks to the writing center, we had scores of delicious snack foods.  John was a terrific speaker; he even threw in some stuff on Melville (how scholarly!).  Several students and professors asked insightful questions during the Q&A, and many people stuck around afterward to chat and have books signed.  Sadly, I had to run off to Shakespeare class to give a presentation on 2 Henry IV, but not before I got my copy of Wednesday Comics #1 signed.

Thanks again to Cinedork and Geekadelphia for promoting the event on their sites, and to the University itself for featuring the event both on the front page and the news portal.

Oh, and super thanks to DC for letting us use A God Somewhere for our poster.  If you haven’t read it yet, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Library blogging: Falvey Celebrates the Graphic Novel with 2nd Annual Event

Last year, comics went to college. This year, Falvey Memorial Library, in partnership with the Villanova University Writing Center, invites you to discuss superheroes and scholars at our Second Annual Graphic Novel Event, on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. in the first floor lounge.

Graphic novel writer and Philadelphia resident John Arcudi will give the keynote address. He is best known for developing The Mask for Dark Horse Comics, and his work served as the basis for the 1994 film starring Jim Carey. He has also written for both DC and Marvel Comics, taking on superheroes like Superman, the Flash and Wonder Woman.

Arcudi recently tackled the superhero genre from a more cynical perspective in his original graphic novel, A God Somewhere (Wildstorm, 2010). The story charts the loss of faith and reason in Eric, an everyman who emerges from a deadly accident with superpowers. Publishers Weekly calls the graphic novel “harrowing,” and USA Today says it is “a bold and risky book that dares to offer a challenging new take on what it would be like to be a super-man.”

Continue reading at the Falvey Library news blog.

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This event means a lot to me, and I’ve put in a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make it as successful as possible.  You can also see it featured at cinedork.com.  Expect more about the event, including a detailed rundown of my press strategy and a post mortem in which I’ll gush about how awesome it was to meet John Arcudi, in the coming weeks.  And if you’re in Philly, come out and hang with us!