Kids Comics Pitchfest 2026 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Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents.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.
Freaky Weirdness
Zeke Zomer, Marisol Morgan, Charlie Fluke, and Nova Zhang are four ordinary autistic teenagers who just found out their hometown–Chillbrook, Michigan–is infested with demons that feed on fear, anger, pain, and sadness. High school stuff, basically.
But they’ve also found a mysterious backpack with four very powerful objects–a Marker, a Trenchcoat, a Glove, and a Beanie. And it turns out their Vice Principal, Mr. Lennan, has seen all this before. Back in the 90s. So he’s got pretty good advice.
But fear makes the Dream Fiends strong. So our heroes have their work cut out for them: Saving their town while dealing with social anxiety, mental health, and just trying to get by in a neurotypical world. And kicking Dream Fiend butt, of course.
Age Range:
Young Adult (approx ages 13+)Genre:
Disability Content, Fiction, Horror/Scary, Neurodiversity Content, Own Voices, Paranormal, Social-EmotionalPage Count Estimate:
300
My Why:
As an autistic teenager, I often felt as though I noticed things nobody else noticed, and that I couldn’t see things everyone else could. My friends and I found solace in monster movies and superhero anime, entertainment that championed outsiders, making space for big personalities and big emotions. Now, making theatre with autistic teens for a living, I see that not much has changed. The kids I work with want stories that reflect their lives, while providing fantastic escape from a world that wasn’t designed for them. Freaky Weirdness is the comic I wish I could have read when I was growing up–a story in which young autistic people are the heroes, saving the day and going on incredible adventures.
Comp Titles:
Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV. Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden.Jackson Tucker-Meyer
Jackson Tucker-Meyer (he/they) is a fabulously autistic playwright, comics writer, and filmmaker. Jackson's play The Perfection of the Donut was performed at the Tank in 2024. Jackson's film Satan Cured My Autism was honored at the Museum of the Moving Image's Marvels of Media Awards in 2022.