Two comics superstars are teaming up for a book they hope will create more comics superstars.
Raina Telgemeier, creator of bestselling classics like Smile and Guts and Scott McCloud, author of the classic Understanding Comics, will collaborate on The Cartoonists Club, due April 1, 2025 from Scholastic Graphix.
The dream team will tell a story about youngsters who dream of making their own comics:
Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn’t know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but can’t help but focus on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures! So, if you are in need of a little comics magic or have ever yearned to tell your own story…welcome to The Cartoonists Club, where friendship is a work of art!
The tale will blend how-to advice on comics making with the story of these young creators with the aim of inspiring a new generation of cartoonists. And Scholastic expects many to seek this inspiration: the book will have a 750,000 copy first printing.
McCloud and Telgemeier spoke briefly of their collaboration in a press release – although comics fans will want to know MUCH MUCH more about the process….and just might learn more at SDCC (hint hint hint)
“Whenever I speak to kids, they ask me what advice I have for budding cartoonists,” sayd Telgemeier. “I hope this book serves as a good answer, or at least a great jumping-off point! I have wanted a book like this to exist for a long time, and collaborating on it with Scott has truly been a dream come true. I’m ecstatic for younger readers to discover Scott’s insights into how comics work, what makes them special, and how to think about them!”
“Collaborating with Raina on The Cartoonists Club has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences I’ve had in all my decades of making comics,” says McCloud. “She understands the power of comics in her readers’ lives like no one else. I hope that the love we have for these kids and their journeys shines through on every page.”
More statement from the PR: “The Cartoonists Club, at its heart, is a story of friendship, so it’s only right that it came about from the real-life friendship of two titans of the comics world. The result of this collaboration is a story that will at once be instantly familiar to readers of their previous work yet something wholly original,” says Cassandra Pelham Fulton, Editorial Director of Graphix.
“With more than 26 million books in print, in 34 languages, and 639 weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list, Telgemeier’s legion of fans have been eagerly waiting since 2019 for her next book. So to pair her with comics powerhouse, Scott McCloud, the man who literally wrote the book on comics, is a marriage made in comics heaven. Fans will eat up this dynamic collaboration written from both of their hearts,” adds David Saylor, Vice President and Publisher of Graphix.
The book will be edited by Fulton and the deal was negotiated by Pelham Fulton and Saylor in a deal with Judy Hansen of Hansen Literary Management.
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Awesome