Moraine Valley Hosts Graphic Novel Symposium, Sept. 27 and Sept. 28

PALOS HILLS, IL -- Aspiring and veteran graphic novelists, artists and fans are invited to Moraine Valley Community College’s Graphic Novel Symposium this Wednesday, Sept. 27 and Thursday, Sept. 28. Speakers, discussions, a gaming day and comic shop fair are planned. All events are free and open to the public in the Library Lounge on MVCC’s Palos Hills campus at 9000 W. College Parkway. The comic shop fair will take place both days.

The symposium kicks off on Sept. 27, 1 to 1:50 p.m., with a panel discussion on “Talking About Things We Love: Finding Community in Fandom.” Faculty members from different disciplines will discuss the fan subcultures to which they belong (such as “Glee,” “Star Trek” or “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and describe how these subcultures explore ideas.

Chicago writer and artist Dan Dougherty is the featured speaker on Sept. 28, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Dougherty is a Moraine Valley alumnus who has received several awards for his comics and graphic novels. He has written graphic novels, comic books, newspaper articles, and comic strips featured online and in print.

The final program of the symposium will be a dual event. From 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Moraine Valley faculty member Jason King will lecture on “Dungeons and Dragons: The Game, the Myth, the Legend,” focusing on the history and cultural impact of the game. After the presentation and coinciding with Gaming Day, he will teach and play Dungeons and Dragons. Anyone can play additional games such as Ticket to Ride, Carcassone or The Settlers of Catan between 12:30 and 4 p.m.

“Our goal is to promote the growing intellectual and academic connections with pop culture,” MVCC Library Services Chair Dr. Troy Swanson said. “Comics, films, TV, books, etc., are the places where our society explores ideas and evaluates the world around us. Many of the scholarly ideas that exist in our college curriculum get translated and shared with the general public through popular culture.”