Kids Comics Pitchfest 2025 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Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents.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.
Chaotic Good and the Banned Bookmobile
Phoenix, AZ, 2024: Kai and their crush Lupe still take Covid precautions like masking, which has created tension in their D&D party, The Chaotic Good. Kai is sure that spending time in mentor Mx. Greene’s library, where clean air and queer stories are celebrated, will let them reconnect. But when Mx. Greene’s support of banned books leads to their termination, Kai must find another way to bring their friends together. The Chaotic Good embarks upon a real-life campaign, fighting community pushback to create a Dungeons and DRAG(ons) show to raise awareness about censorship. Their success funds a Book Bike fleet that reunites them with Mx. Greene. CHAOTIC GOOD AND THE BANNED BOOKMOBILE is a YA GN about free speech and the power of community.
Age Range:
Young Adult (approx ages 13+)Genre:
BIPOC, Disability Content, LGBTQ+, Neurodiversity Content, Own Voices, Realistic Fiction/Slice of Life, Social IssuesPage Count Estimate:
240
My Why:
Without broad viewpoints and factual information, bullies uphold a cultural status quo that ignores differences. The Covid-19 pandemic looks “over”, but as disabled creators, we still mask; official policy is for us to “fall by the wayside” (which we’d both prefer to avoid!). At the same time as public health data is suppressed, we also see a wave of literary censorship meant to “protect” children from queer culture. As firebrand teens we were bent on justice but lacked a target; CHAOTIC GOOD and the BANNED BOOKMOBILE aims to give today’s queer, trans, disabled and activist teens a mirror as they rise to subvert the fascism that wants to erase all of us. Affirming kids as they rise to their own power in the world makes our hearts soar.
Sarah Steinberg
As a teen, Sarah Steinberg (she/they) felt like a bit of an outsider. With earlier access to queer and neurodivergent books, she’d have found not only answers, but an outlet for her sense of justice and need to make change! As an author-illustrator, Sarah wants to let kids know they have the power to change the world, not just for themselves, but for the greater good. Long Covid now limits her activism to creating books from her home in Portland, OR with son Ollie, 9, and partner Matt.
Katrina Martin
Katrina Martin (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary, chronically ill, and disabled creator. They have bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and English and have been published in Health.com and Tripadvisor. They are an active member in Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge and were chosen as a 2024 Queer Kidlit mentee. Katrina volunteers for the local mask bloc and owns a business where they tutor students with learning disabilities. They live in Colorado with their cat, Harvey Milk.
You must be logged in to view this content.