Comics giants Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud are teaming up to create the comic they wish they had (and we had) when they were kids

The creators of Smile and Understanding Comics are working on a book to inspire the next generation of comic creators

Image credit: Joseph Fanvu Photography/Scott McCloud

News by Chris Arrant Editor-in-Chief

Published on June 26, 2024

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Sometimes to enjoy your favorite thing, you have to make it first. And now two of comics' most popular authors are doing just that.

The Cartoonists Club — Image credit: Raina Telgemeier/Scott McCloud (Scholastic/Graphix)

Comics giants Raina Telgemeier (Smile) and Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics) are teaming up to co-author a new graphic novel about a fictional group of kids learning how to make comics. Good thing Telgemeier and McCloud are two former kids who learned how to make comics (and quite well, I might add). The book is to be published by Scholastic under its Graphix imprint.

"This book is unlike anything I’ve done before," says Telgemeier. "Together, Scott and I both plotted, wrote, re-wrote, drew, and drew some more, to shape the final product! There are four main characters, and each of them imbues a bit of both of our spirits."

According to Telgemeier, this book has been in development for the past four years and is "truly 50% of each of our weird brains, and 100% a book I wish I'd had when I was a kid."

Joining the duo is Ray Baehr as inker and Beniam C. Hollman as colorist.

The Cartoonists Club centers on four teens - Makayla, Howard, Lynda, and Art - who come from different backgrounds and different skillsets to make comics, and tell their own stories.

The Cartoonists Club is scheduled to hit bookshelves, comic stores, and my hands on April 1, 2025.

Get into the vibrant world of comics with our guide to buying digital comics, how to make the most out of comic shops, our comprehensive guide to the upcoming comics, manga, and graphic novels you should be looking for, and everything you need to know about Free Comic Book Day and Local Comic Shop Day.