ComicLab LIVE! at the 80th annual National Cartoonists Society Conference and Reuben Awards

Once again, Dave and Brad brought their podcast to the stage at the annual National Cartoonists Society Conference and Reuben Awards. They were joined by Dee Fish, Terri Libenson, and Jamar Nicholas — three cartoonists with very different creative paths and a wealth of hard-earned advice to share.

Dee Fish

Dee Fish is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer best known for Finding Dee, her semi-autobiographical webcomic about navigating life after coming out as a transgender woman. Dee was nominated for a Reuben Award in the Best Online Shortform category.

Terri Libenson

Terri Libenson is the cartoonist and author behind the New York Times bestselling Emmie & Friends graphic-novel series. Before moving into graphic novels, she created the syndicated comic strip The Pajama Diaries and worked as a writer and illustrator for greeting cards. Her tenth Emmie & Friends book, Seriously, Celia?, arrives in September 2026.

Jamar Nicholas

Jamar Nicholas is an award-winning cartoonist, graphic novelist, and educator whose work includes the Leon series from Scholastic Graphix, beginning with Leon the Extraordinary. He also adapted Geoffrey Canada’s memoir Fist Stick Knife Gun into a graphic novel and has spent much of his career teaching and encouraging young people to tell stories through comics. The third Leon graphic novel, Leon and the Big, Big Problem, is scheduled for January 2027.

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Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.