The Beat is a proud sponsor of Comix Experience’s Graphic Novel of the Month Clubs, which bring comics fans a curated mix of the best of new release graphic novels and conversations with the creators who make them. Each month, the staff of Comix Experience votes on two sets of upcoming books they are most excited—one gets presented to adults and another to middle readers. Each club provides schwag like original signed custom bookplates for adults or buttons and magnets for the kids (in this case, the latter, to support the featured book The Breakaways!).
Most excitingly, the Graphic Novel Clubs bring in the creators of selected books to talk exclusively to GNC members in interviews conducted by Comix Experience owner Brian Hibbs, who brings thirty years of experience in comics to the table. These talks are livestreamed to members all over the country and are a fun and informative mix of conversation on craft and form, as well as on the business of making comics. The Graphic Novel Clubs make a point of being inclusive, inviting creators from a wide variety of age, race, sex, and cultural perspectives to speak to members.
Membership is what propels these conversations, so if you like what you see, please support these discussions of comics, and the creators who make them, by joining the club.
This week: Cathy G. Johnson, the creator of First Second’s The Breakaways, sits down with Brian Hibbs to talk about this touching middle grade slice of life story. The Breakaways follows Faith, a quiet and sensitive girl who starts middle school and immediately gets roped into the school’s soccer team. Stuck on the C team, a “ragtag group” with questionable soccer playing skills, Faith and her diverse group of teammates quickly form friendships that extend beyond the field of play!
