Join bestselling comics creator John Jennings (After the Rain) as he introduces MEGASCOPE, a newly launched line of graphic novels from Abrams ComicArts dedicated to showcasing speculative and non-fiction works by and about people of color, with a focus on science fiction, fantasy, horror, history, and stories of magical realism. John is joined by Megascope author Eric Anthony Glover (Black Star) and illustrator Arielle Jovellanos (Black Star) as they discuss the creative process and vision behind the line. Moderated by forthcoming Megascope author Ytasha Womack (Black Kube).
Co-produced by NYU’s 370J Project, NYU Skirball, the Center for Black Visual Culture (CBVC)/Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA)-New York University, and the Brooklyn Book Festival.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
John Jennings is the curator of the Megascope list and illustrator of the graphic novel adaptations of Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred and Parable of the Sower. He is a professor of media and cultural studies at the University of California, Riverside. His most recent graphic novel is After the Rain, a graphic novel adaptation by Nnedi Okorafor.
Eric Anthony Glover studied screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College and studied feature and television writing as a 2016 Final Draft Big Break Fellow in Burbank, California. Glover is committed to writing about underrepresented groups and hopes to make the world a better place with this work. Black Star is his debut graphic novel.
Arielle Jovellanos is a New York-based freelance illustrator, writer, and comic artist. Her work has been featured in the Eisner and Harvey–nominated anthology Fresh Romance and in magazines, comics, books, and branded social media campaigns. Recently, Jovellanos illustrated the book Fierce Heroines: Inspiring Female Characters of Pop Culture for Running Press Kids. Her most recent graphic novel is Black Star, which she illustrated.
Ytasha L. Womack is an award-winning author, filmmaker, independent scholar, and dance therapist. She is a leading expert on Afrofuturism and lectures on the imagination and its applications across the world. Ytasha was honored among DesignHub’s 40 Under 40 designers for social good and innovation in 2017 and listed as a Filmmaker to Watch in The Chicago Tribune. Her book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi and Fantasy Culture (Chicago Review Press) is the leading primer on the subject and taught in colleges and universities. Afrofuturism is also a Locus Awards Nonfiction Finalist. A prolific writer, her books include the time travel series the Rayla Universe including Eartha 2198, Rayla 2212 and Rayla 2213. Her Afrofuturism novella series A Spaceship in Bronzeville (Mouse Books) was created during her creative in residence with Kickstarter. She’s also author of the nonfiction works Post Black (Chicago Review Press), and Beats Rhymes and Life: What We Love & Hate About Hip Hop (Random House). Her graphic novel epic BLAK KUBE (Megascope), illustrated by Tanna Tucker, debuts in 2022. Ytasha is director of the Afrofuturist dance film A Love Letter to the Ancestors From Chicago. Her other films include the romantic comedy Couples Night (screenwriter) and the documentary Tupac: Before I Wake (coproducer). Her feature films Love Shorts (producer/writer), and The Engagement (director).
