This year, we celebrate Ohio comics creators! Ohio has a storied (pun intended) heritage when it comes to comics, tracing back to the very beginning of the modern medium. Pivotal founders of the art hailed from Ohio, including R. F. Outcault (born in Lancaster, Ohio), Winsor McCay (who got his professional start in Cincinnati), Frederick Burr Opper (born in Madison, Ohio), Billy Ireland (born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and working in Columbus – and namesake of the The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum), Edwina Dumm (born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio), and many others. The Buckeye State’s comics heritage is alive and well, and we look forward to having conversations about the current generation of creators this year.
For Winter/Spring 2026, we’re meeting the first Thursday of February through May at 6:00 pm at Forest City Brewery located at 2135 Columbus Road in Cleveland. We thank the folks at Forest City for welcoming us!
This season’s titles are:
Thursday, February 5: Trashed by Derf Backderf
This month, we’re reading Trashed by Derf Backderf (Richfield/Cleveland). Derf’s Trashed tells the fictionalized story of the author’s time as a garbage collector, interspersed with facts about that world not many people consider. Derf lives in Cleveland and attended high school near Akron. Derf’s other works include My Friend Dahmer and Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, a pivotal work of comics storytelling.
Thursday, March 5: Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer.
Ellis’ and Templer’s work is “a comic about what it was like to write comics in the 1950s, but also about what it means to be a writer at any time in history, struggling to find your voice.” (from the publisher) Grace Ellis hails from Columbus and is also well-known for her Lumberjanes series and her recent Lois Lane book, Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge.
Thursday, April 2: The Toxic Avenger by Matt Bors
This month, in honor of Earth Day, we’re reading The Toxic Avenger, Vol. 1, by Matt Bors. Bors’ retelling of the classic Toxic Avenger story takes a “a 21st-century spin… Featuring violent action, gross mutations, bursting pustules, and plenty of trenchant satire.” (from the publisher) Matt Bors is from Canton, Ohio, and his work also includes editorial cartooning in addition to serial comics.
Thursday, May 7: Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick
This month, we’re reading Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phill Jimenez. DeConnick’s work is a retelling of the origins of the Amazons, including Diana – the future Wonder Woman. DeConnick is from Columbus, and she is also known for works like Bitch Planet, Captain Marvel, and numerous other titles for Marvel, DC, and other publishers.