Meet the KCU Team
Janna Morishima
Founder
I'm a literary agent and comics fan who specializes in graphic novels and visual storytelling. I'm also passionate about teaching business skills to creative people (like me) for whom some of these skills don't come naturally. And finally, I love building community -- especially given the increasingly digital world we live in. I believe we need more real, strong, human connections to build a healthy future for everyone.
I started my career at Scholastic, where I was a co-founder of the Graphix imprint. Later, I was the director of the Kids Group for Diamond Book Distributors, and then launched and ran the NYC Department of Education’s “NYC Reads 365” literacy initiative.
I founded KCU in 2020. Find out more about my agency at http://jannaco.co.
Janna’s picks:
BLANKETS by Craig Thompson
I read this graphic novel when I was an entry level assistant at Scholastic. It’s an achingly beautiful coming-of-age story set in rural Wisconsin. It made a huge impression on me — I realized that *any* type of story could be told in comics format, and that reading comics *feels* different than reading prose. And that made me wonder why there weren’t more stories for kids in comics format. I talked to my boss about it, and we ended up proposing a new graphic novel imprint to the publisher. So BLANKETS helped birth the Graphix imprint!
ARIOL by Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavent
This is one of my absolute favorite kids graphic novel series — and it’s unfortunately out of print. It was originally published in France and is a huge hit there. But it never caught on in the United States. I think it’s interesting how certain types of stories can be extremely popular in one country, but not do well in another country. This particular series is about the everyday life of a boy and his family and friends, set in an anthropomorphic world of animals. It captures the mindset of kids extraordinarily well, and it is full of hilarious moments that make me laugh out loud.
WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohammed
This is the only graphic novel that has ever made me sob uncontrollably. It’s about a Somali boy and his brother in a refugee camp in Kenya. It’s an exceptional example of “giving face to the faceless” — depicting all the little details about some individual humans experiencing war and loss, the type of thing we usually read about in the news and that can feel very distant and abstract. The boys lose their parents and are raised in the refugee camp by a woman who has lost her children. When the boys get the happy news that they’ve been granted asylum in the United States, but then find out that their surrogate mother will not be able to go with them…. That’s when I broke down. I imagined myself being that mother, and the pain of letting go of a second set of children.
Lisa Lowry
Program Manager
Hello all! I’m Lisa Lowry, program manager for KCU. I’m a writer and mom to a 4-year-old. As a writer, I love to play with language and form and am enjoying the challenge of writing my first graphic novel script.
I didn’t read many comics as a kid, but I have vivid memories of my dad reading Visiting the Art Museum (by Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown) to me and my sister. I love moving through the museum with the characters, getting to hear all their voices, and eavesdropping on side characters. I recently bought an old copy to read to my daughter.
Pre-pandemic I spend a lot of time on the static trapeze. I’m hoping to go back… eventually. Can a city be a hobby? If so, I would also say New Orleans is my hobby. I spent many years of my childhood there and there are so many things I love about it. If you are heading there for a visit, I’ll send you my recommendation list.
As a member of the KCU team, I want to continue to build this vibrant, diverse and supportive community of creators. To me, curiosity is the best word for what I want for myself and for KCU.
Jade Vaughan
Creative Director
I'm a visual storyteller living in San Antonio, TX who works in multiple mediums, but by far my favorite is making comics! It's funny I never once thought about writing comics until 2020.
I had it in my mind for a while to be an animator, storyboard artist, or a motion graphic artist, but that changed over time and for a while... I felt lost. One day I decided to challenge myself to create a comic and something clicked in place. Finding KCU and connecting with other comic artists sealed the deal. Ever since, I have been filled with gratitude and obsessed with learning the craft.
And baking, especially cakes. I am trying my hand at bread making. So far so good. I think I am ready to try brioche or sourdough. If you guys have any tips or tricks let me know!
My mission as KCU's creative director is to mine those rich nuggets of wisdom, polish them 'til they shine, and share their value across the kidlit community. I want to imbue fun and play into our everyday. Life's too short to be taken too seriously. Besides, we are comic artists — it's in the title 😉
Bailey Culver
Content Manager
Howdy! My name is Bailey Culver. I’m a storyteller with a soft spot for misfits.
I create comics for people who started watching Adult Swim way too early and think every little thing will lead to the end of the world. On one hand, I focus on comedic young adult stories that revolve around identity and community influenced by youth counter-culture. On the other, I love creating Gothics about forgotten rural landscapes inspired by my upbringing in north central Pennsylvania. I’m also interested in adapting classic works from authors that inspire me such as Dante Alighieri, Angela Carter, Edgar Allen Poe, and Shirley Jackson.
When I’m not working, you can find me playing point-and-click adventure games, causing chaos in Dungeons and Dragons, and hunting for 80s new wave records at my local flea market.
You can also check out my work at baileyculver.com!
AKIRA by Katsuhiro Otomo
From the moment I finished Akira, I realized two things: Comics are limitless, and I want to make comics for the rest of my life.
PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi
I don’t think you need me to tell you how good Persepolis is. But I will tell you that no graphic novel has ever made me feel every emotion in the best way possible.
PARADISE KISS by Ai Yazawa
Paradise Kiss is my favorite type of YA story: messy. I love that everyone is impulsive and contradictory, I love their struggle to find themselves in their art, and most importantly, I love that they all dress fabulously.
