Comics San Frontières was an academic comics conference held at Rice University between March 20 and 24, 2025.

A conversation with Art Spiegelman kicked things off. Art was clever, engaging and honest. Afterward, he was kind to everyone who got him to sign their dog-eared copies of Maus despite a clearly announced prohibition against asking him to sign things. Art was GREAT! and the perfect choice for our conference about crossing borders. We also gave Art the Comic Art Teaching and Study Workshop Comics Pioneer Award, nicknamed the “Yoink!”

Everyone who presented at the conference, except for one late addition, submitted either a 1,200-word text or a 4+ page comic. We collected the material into a book published by kuš komikss. Kuš! published the book before the conference and it was given away for FREE to attendees. The book informed our audience about the panelists and topics. We could all speak at a higher level. The book is now available for sale at comic book stores in 30 countries, or you can order it from the publisher. The cover is by Art Spiegelman.

Panelists were limited to speaking for 15 minutes at most, leaving up to an hour for discussions that included the audiences.

We had about 500 people attend over the three days but if you missed the conference, don’t cry! Grab a copy of our book. If nothing else, it’s a unique comics publication. You might see something like it again, but it’s never been done before.

The other remnants of the conference are the two exhibitions on the Rice campus. One, at the Moody Center for the Arts, is the tip of the iceberg of the collection of Jack Katz original art that is a new gift to the university. This exhibition will be up through July. If you’re in the area, pop in and check it out. It’s modest in size, but Katz’s work is a revelation.

In addition to the panels, there were four workshops during the conference – two for the public and two just for Rice students. Risograph, letterpress in addition to some comics-specific ways to think about representation and how to use a grid in design.

If you came to the conference, thank you. If you missed it, buy the book!