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Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents.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.
June in the Dataverse
When her 5th grade teacher dies midway through the school year, 10-year-old June can't stop thinking about it while her classmates have already moved on. In this near-future world, she discovers a digital space where a version of Mrs. Gale still exists. But the more time she spends in their perfect virtual reunion, the more her real life unravels. She lashes out, her friendships crumble, and she stops finding joy anywhere but the Dataverse. Only when June realizes she's abandoned the curious, brave kid Mrs. Gale loved can she find the courage to step back into reality.
The Thing About Jellyfish meets Steven Universe and BELLE (2021) in a tech-savvy story about a grieving girl who can't let go, and a digital world that makes it easy not to.
Age Range:
Early Middle Grade (approx ages 7-9)Genre:
Science Fiction, Social-Emotional, Social IssuesPage Count Estimate:
176
My Why:
I was bullied relentlessly in 2nd grade. Midway through 3rd grade I switched school districts to a new school with new kids and a new teacher, all alongside a turbulent home life. My 3rd grade teacher became my saving grace. She helped me connect with classmates and gave me the support I desperately needed. Before the year ended, she passed away from breast cancer complications. She was only 46.
As an adult working in technology design, I became fascinated by technology's relationship to grief, from my own hoarding of iPhone photos of loved ones to the profiles of people gone but still online. Kids will relate to this story about using technology to help navigate difficult times, and recognize where it can fall short.
Comp Titles:
Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke (tone/age/format), In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang (digital world as emotional escape)Johna Mandel
My name is Johna (she/they) and I'm a cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, MUTHA Magazine, and The Gutter. I hold an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies and a BA in Architecture from Yale. Before comics, I worked as a UX Designer at Instagram and The New York Times — and would love nothing more than the irony of inking by hand a book about technology. I live in Brooklyn with my spouse and two young sons.