The US Book Show is coming later this month (May 22-25) as an in-person event for the first time. And also for the first time, it will have a dedicated day for Comics and Graphic Novels, on Tuesday May 23rd. 

Held at the NYU Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South, this will be a day jam packed with events and comics luminaries, including:

• An opening KEYNOTE with Roz Chast on her new book I Must Be Dreaming (Bloomsbury, October)
• Lunch with legend Chuck D, talking about his new graphic novel

• A closing keynote with Jeff Smith (Bone) and Tillie Walden (Spinning) in conversation moderated by me.

Other comics speakers include Ryan Estrada (Occulted), Pedro Martin (MexiKid (Penguin Young Readers, August), Sharee Miller, (Curlfriends: New in Town (Little Brown Young Reader, October), George O’Connor, (Asgardians: Odin, First Second, January/2024); Webtoon cartoonist Aidyn Arroyal, aka Snailords, in conversation with Bobbie Chase; Stephen Graham Jones in conversation with Alex Segura; Mattie Lubchansky (Boys Weekend Pantheon, June); Edel Rodriguez ( Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey, Metropolitan Books, November); Jillian Tamaki (Roaming, Drawn & Quarterly); James Tynion IV (W0RLDTR33, Volume 1, Image, November); Tahneer Oksman, Stephanie Anderson, and more TBA. 

The full-day, in-person event includes lunch, an evening reception and plenty of galleys to grab, and plenty of opportunities to mingle and get the latest buzz. In other words, this will be one of the biggest graphic novel events in NYC since the pandemic. As befits the A-list line-up, a one day ticket in advance is $99. 

It’s a bargain at that price – but some lucky Beat readers can attend for FREE while supplies last – we’re giving away a limited number of tickets. Read on for how to register. 

Free In-Person Tickets to the USBS:

A limited number of free in-person tickets are available on a first come, first served basis. Use promo code BEATCOMP when registering. Select the Comics Day Pass in-Person and click “Buy Tickets.” On the next screen, enter BEATCOMP in the discount code field under “Ticket Information” at the bottom of the page.

The US Book Show is being run by Publishers Weekly (where I’m a podcaster and contributing editor), and it’s a hybrid event (online and in person) that is attempting to fill the gap of the departed Book Expo – although on a much smaller scale. This will be its first outing in this format since the pandemic…should be a lot to digest at the show. 

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