Graphix Spring Preview during New York Comic Con

Kid Reporter Leyla Saldanha with The Baby-sitters Club author Ann M. Martin.

This October, New York Comic Con welcomed over 250,000 fans, cementing its status as the largest pop culture convention in the United States. The show floor buzzed with activations, author signings and exclusive giveaways, but Scholastic stood out with experiences that celebrated the power of storytelling. 

One trend dominated this year’s Comic Con: graphic novels. From original bestsellers like Dog Man to adaptations of beloved novels like The Baby-sitters Club, graphic novels are captivating young readers everywhere by combining art and words to create stories that kids can’t put down. 

An Evening of Graphic Novels and a Lasting Legacy 

Scholastic Graphix hosted a spring preview at the company’s New York City headquarters, celebrating the stories and creators behind today’s most popular graphic novels. The event kicked off with a panel featuring Cassandra Calin, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Morr Meroz and Samuel Sattin, who shared how their characters and worlds come to life from the first sketch to the finished book. 

Adding to the excitement, Ann M. Martin, creator of The Baby-sitters Club, joined the celebration and reflected on the series’ incredible journey. She shared that the original idea for The Baby-sitters Club started as only a title from Martin’s editor. It was then her responsibility to build the world that millions of readers now know and love. This includes characters that came to feel like friends to many. When asked which babysitter she identifies with most she said, “Mary Anne. I was a little bit shy and quiet growing up. I based Christie on my childhood best friend, Beth, who was sort of the bold one. We were best friends even though we were opposites.” 

Forty years after its debut, the series has sold more than 190 million copies worldwide. When asked if she ever imagined that The Baby-sitters Club series would become graphic novels, a movie, TV shows, and even a Broadway musical, Martin responded, “No, absolutely not. It's been so much fun getting to watch all of these things unfold, but everything that comes along that's new is unexpected, and I feel very grateful for it.” Fans shared their own favorite memories of reading the books, proving that these stories can still connect with readers today, decades later. 

Scholastic Kid Reporter Leyla Saldanha pictured at Scholastic Graphix's spring preview at the company’s New York City headquarters

Spotlight on New Voices 

The evening also spotlighted stories and perspectives from leading graphic novel creators, offering a sneak peek at their soon-to-be-released titles. 

Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of Invisible and Edgar Award winner 

Gonzalez’s Invisible features both English and Spanish text. When asked if it was difficult writing in two different languages, she said, “It really wasn't that hard for me because I speak both languages… I can flow between both languages without missing a beat.” She also spoke about how she wanted to write a story about kids who feel unseen or misunderstood. “I wanted to do that because I feel like it doesn't matter who you are, there's always parts of you that the world at large doesn't really see, and I wanted to show that kids and people in general are more than just labels.” 

Morr Meroz, author of Snowlands 

Meroz, a New York based animation filmmaker and author of the Snowlands graphic novel series and founder of Bloop Animation Studios, shared that he was first inspired to write the series after watching a documentary about snow leopards. “It was an episode about how the snow leopard mother travels with a cub, so the two of them have to separate for the rest of their lives. It was a very sad but also heartwarming story, and that was what really pulled me to the story.” 

Meroz also shared what he hopes people learn from the series. “The story is about individualism. The main character, Fiba, goes against what wolves usually do, which is sticking together. These are very communal creatures, and she's very independent, so it's a little bit about being different and finding your voice and place in the world.” 

Samuel Sattin, author of Unico 

Samuel Sattin is an Eisner-nominated writer, editor, and narrative designer known for graphic novels like Buzzing and his reimagining of Unico. Unico was originally a story made by Osamu Tezuka. The story is about a young unicorn with the power to bring happiness to those who love him. Sattin shared what he would wish for if Unico could grant him one wish: “I might wish for him to be okay, because he's had a lot of troubles in his life, and I would wish for him to get his memory back.”