Fresh Comics

781 Beach Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Current & Upcoming Events

Oct. 19, 2019: Batman: The Definitive History Launch Party

Author and Cartoon Art Museum Curator Andrew Farago celebrates the premiere of Batman: The Definitive History of The Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond published by Insight Editions on Saturday, October 19, 2019. This star-studded book launch party features a number of talented Bat-guests, including Batman comic book writer Devin K. Grayson, DC Comics artists Brent Anderson, Al Gordon, Mick Gray, and Steve Leialoha, Sam Hamm, screenwriter of the 1989 Batman motion picture, and other special guests to be announced.

That evening, the Cartoon Art Museum will also launch a display of Batman movie costumes and props courtesy of Allan Lavigne of The Bronze Armory. Award-winning costumer and prop designer Lavigne will be on hand to discuss his career and provide guests with a behind the scenes look at the creation of Batman’s most iconic costumes.

General admission for this special event is $10, and free for Cartoon Art Museum members. Copies of Batman: The Definitive History of The Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of event sponsor Insight Editions. The Cartoon Art Museum will be the first west coast venue to offer this historic volume for sale.

Oct. 19, 2019: How to Draw Cartoons Workshop

Learn from animation story artist Matthew Luhn during a 90 minute workshop for ages 7-13 at the Cartoon Art Museum free with advance purchase of Luhn’s How to Draw Cartoons line from General Pencil offered by the museum! The “How to Draw Cartoons with Matthew Luhn” workshop will take place in the museum’s Drawing Room from on Saturday October 19, 2019 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM. A signing and meet and greet will follow in the museum’s Bil Keane Family Lobby that is free and open to all members of the public.

Past Events

Oct. 12, 2019: Surfside Girls Signing

The Cartoon Art Museum welcomes Kim Dwinell, creator of the popular Surfside Girls graphic novel series, for a presentation and book signing on Saturday, October 12, 2019 from 1-3pm. Dwinell will discuss her creative process and will sign copies of her graphic novels in the Cartoon Art Museum‘s Bil Keane Family Lobby. Dwinell’s discussion and book signing are free and open to the public.

Aug. 25, 2019: The Teen Age: Youth Culture In Comics Talk

Join Will Eisner Hall of Fame cartoonist and historian Trina Robbins for an insider’s look at the Cartoon Art Museum’s summer exhibition The Teen Age: Youth Culture In Comics on Sunday, August 25, 2019, from 2pm to 3pm. This guided tour is included with paid admission to the Cartoon Art Museum. Robbins will discuss classic teenage comics including Sharon Smith Kane’s lost classic Buttons an’ Beaux, Archie Comics from the 1940s to today, and will discuss highlights from her personal art collection that are featured in the Teen Age exhibition, which is on display at the Cartoon Art Museum through September 8, 2019.

Aug. 24, 2019: Landry Q. Walker Signing

Join us as we kick off the third annual Marin Comics Fest at the Cartoon Art Museum with New York Times bestselling writer Landry Q. Walker, whose resume includes Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, the gritty medieval tale The Last Siege, and the humorous school-age sci-fi book series Project: Terra. Landry will be signing books and discussing his work on Saturday, August 24, 2019 from 1 PM to 3 PM, in the Bil Keane Family Lobby. Admission for this event is free.

In addition, those presenting a valid Marin County library card will receive free same-day admission to the museum galleries (one admission per card). To register for a library card, visit any library branch in Marin County or visit marinet.lib.ca.us.

The Marin Comics Fest features a series free creator talks, demonstrations, and book signings throughout the month of September. For more information and to see a complete schedule of events, visit marincomicsfest.org.

The Marin Comics Fest is supported by the Cartoon Art Museum, Copperfield’s Books, Blue Moon Comics, and the libraries of Marin County.

Aug. 17, 2019: Becoming Superman Signing

The Cartoon Art Museum welcomes the multi-award-winning writer J. Michael Straczynski for an evening of conversation as he discusses his new memoir, Becoming Superman, published by Harper Voyager. Join Straczynski as he looks back at his unlikely path from childhood poverty to a prolific writing career that spans television, animation, comic books, science-fiction, and movies.

This ticketed event takes place at the Cartoon Art Museum on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 7pm, with a book signing to follow. General admission to the event is $25, with discounts for Cartoon Art Museum members. Tickets are available with or without advance purchase of Becoming Superman from the Cartoon Art Museum. Mr. Straczynski will sign one additional outside item per attendee with each purchase of Becoming Superman. Full details are available at the Cartoon Art Museum’s website and our ticketing page, https://guestli.st/613083.

For the first time, Straczynski tells his own story and reveals how the power of creativity and imagination enabled him to overcome the horrors of his youth and a dysfunctional family haunted by madness, murder, and a terrible secret.

Joe’s early life nearly defies belief. Raised by damaged adults – a con-man grandfather and a manipulative grandmother, a violent, drunken father and a mother who was repeatedly institutionalized – Joe grew up in abject poverty, living in slums and projects when not on the road, crisscrossing the country in his father’s desperate attempts to escape the consequences of his past.

Straczynski’s personal history has always been shrouded in mystery. Becoming Superman lays bare the facts of his life: a story of creation and darkness, hope and success, a larger-than-life villain and a little boy who became the hero of his own life. It is also a compelling behind-the-scenes look at some of the most successful TV series and movies recognized around the world.

For four decades, J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI has been one of the most successful writers in Hollywood, one of the few to forge multiple well-respected careers in film, television and comics. He is the founder of Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, Crusade, Jeremiah, and Sense8. Straczynski also wrote the psychological drama film Changeling, and co-wrote the films Ninja Assassin, Underworld: Awakening, and World War Z.

As a comic book writer, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics’ The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is also the author of the Superman: Earth One graphic novel trilogy and has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. He is also the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through his own comic imprint Joe’s Comics. Straczynski is also the author of the novels Blood Night; Othersyde; and Tribulations, the short fiction collection Straczynski Unplugged, and the nonfiction book The Complete Book of Scriptwriting.