Kids Comics Pitchfest 2023 Showcase
Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents. A panel of judges (click here to see the juror list) select the top pitches. Projects are archived here so that industry pros may view them and discover new talent.
Good Game Anxiety
When thoughts become worries, and worries become anxieties, a cautious middle-school boy relies on video game level classification to face off in escalating boss battles against his nemesis: Mr. Anxiety. Aware of how he feels at each level, he navigates Mr. Anxiety’s tactics with an arsenal of defensive coping skills. Level one is easy, but each level’s difficulty increases. How will he beat the tenth level to vanquish Mr. Anxiety? Unlocking the end-game content reveals a path to becoming cooperative frenemies.
JUST ROLL WITH IT meets GOOD DIFFERENT in this genre mash-up. GOOD GAME ANXIETY is a graphic-novel-in-verse that sprinkles mental health expository elements into an adventure narrative making it easy to remember when anxiety hits.
Age Range:
Middle GradeGenre:
Adventure, Neurodiversity Content, Own Voices, Social-EmotionalPage Count Estimate:
112-208
My Why:
When my son started to exhibit symptoms of Anxiety, he held up a mirror to my own childhood experiences. I wanted to support him in all the ways I needed at his age but never received because nobody noticed my struggles. This project started in response to a school counselor’s request for a list of his coping skills. I returned an elaborate PowerPoint. His school counselor asked for a version to support other kids. A friend wished that it was in book form to share with foster kids. From there, a beta reader wished it was a graphic novel that her Guardian Ad Litem kids could carry around. I knew she was right. This graphic novel is for my son, and any kid with Anxiety. You are seen. Here’s – engaging, accessible, easy to remember – support.
Nicole Harwood
Nicole Harwood is an author/illustrator from Vancouver, WA. As an American Sign Language/English Interpreter, she regularly transforms English phrases into the visual medium of ASL to paint a picture of meaning for Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients, or in reverse. Creating comics and graphic novels allows for a similar process with more flexibility, fewer time constraints, all while emphasizing her own voice. She is inspired by her Neurodivergent sons, husband, and her own mental health journey.
Vexed & Hexed
When tween witch Vietta’s ADHD quirks provoke her best friend into ending their lifelong friendship, her desperate attempt to salvage their unraveling relationship is a magic potion dud that accidentally destroys a vengeful sprite’s home. Surviving middle-school is going to be a challenge friendless and alone except for the pesky sprite wreaking havoc. Vietta must break the curse behind her pest problem while braving her loneliness to ultimately accept herself – including her quirks – and embrace the opportunity for new friendships.
The magic and mischief of Pico’s ASTER AND THE ACCIDENTAL MAGIC meets the neurodivergent middle-school friendship rollercoaster of Ormsbee & Brooks’ GROWING PANGS in this middle-grade graphic novel.
Age Range:
Middle GradeGenre:
Fantasy, Fiction, Neurodiversity Content, Own VoicesPage Count Estimate:
224-256
My Why:
Friendship has been tricky in my life with the first scars formed in middle-school. I eagerly made new friends at the start of 6th grade. As the awkward one, I bounced between talking too much or not enough, but I thought I had made friends. On the last day of school they purposefully ditched me. I managed to build confidence back up for the start of 7th grade and was relieved when I made new friends. At the end of the year, I was ghosted again. When 8th grade brought the same, I thought I was broken. My ADHD diagnosis at 30 meant clarity and healing. Few stories focus on the devastating loss when a friendship ends. I wish my younger self had a book like this to normalize the experience with a sprinkle of humor and a dash of magic.
Nicole Harwood
Nicole Harwood is an author/illustrator from Vancouver, WA. As an American Sign Language/English Interpreter, she regularly transforms English phrases into the visual medium of ASL to paint a picture of meaning for Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients, or in reverse. Creating comics and graphic novels allows for a similar process with more flexibility, fewer time constraints, all while emphasizing her own voice. She is inspired by her Neurodivergent sons, husband, and her own mental health journey.