10 to watch for at Kids Read Comics!

The guest list for Kids Read Comics! is a great mix of big names, local talent and lesser-known creators, many of whom are making print editions of their webcomics.

It’s been a lot of fun clicking links and finding new titles to read. I think I’ll be dropping some serious coin this weekend and look forward to a day when temperatures are a little cooler, and I can sit on the front porch with some tunes, a big glass of sweet iced tea and a bunch of books.

Here are some of the creators I’m looking forward to seeing after all that clicking:

J. Torres: I’ve been a big fan of Torres’ since a friend got me to buy “The Copybook Tales,” a charming coming-of-age series, in the ’90s. Since then, he’s proven to be a highly versatile writer with licensed properties, such as “Teen Titans Go” and “Avatar,” and many great independent projects, including “Alison Dare,” “Love as a Foreign Language” and “Lola: A Ghost Story.” “Bigfoot Boy” is next.

Raina Telgemeier: Telgemeier is a pro I discovered when I reviewed her “Smile” graphic novel, another great coming-of-age story, this one about a girl who faces growing up while undergoing some dental drama after a fall. Her next project is the upcoming “Drama,” about a girl who loves theater but winds up having to work backstage.

Lee Cherolis: Cherolis is one of the artists I discovered while clicking. I quickly found myself engrossed in his “Little Guardians” webcomic (with writer Ed Cho) but stopped myself because 1. it was getting really late and 2. he has a trade paperback collection, which I’m hoping he’ll be selling at the show, and I didn’t want to spoil it. It’s about two kids switched at birth and how their destinies intertwine around the Yowza Village guardian.

Tom Stillwell: Stillwell is the creator of “Honor Brigade,” a book published by Spinner Rack Comics. I’ve heard dribs and drabs, and he does conventions, but this will be the first instance, I think, where we’ll both be at one at the same time, and I can check his books out. The art’s solid, and the team certainly looks intriguing, so I’ll be checking it out for sure.

Dani Jones: Her webcomic “My Sister, the Freak” is beautifully illustrated and a lot of fun. It’s about a couple of sisters dealing with each other and growing up. Oh, and alien invaders. Jones also has a spin-off comic at her website, “The Adventures of Captain Bacon,” about a starship-flying cat and his pet human, Mary. An imaginative delight.

James Anderson: “Ellie on Planet X” is another webcomic I had to tear myself away from. (I was at work reading this one on break.) It’s about a robot girl who doesn’t make the smoothest of landings when she reaches Planet X. And just as she’s about to claim it, she discovers life. That’s where I stopped. Give it a look and check out his awesome illustration of the famed Detroit Zoo water fountain.

Diana Nock: By sheer happenstance, the next strip that kept my attention was “The Intrepid Girlbot.” It’s a rather grown-up sounding story about a girl robot who lives in a big house in the forest with other robots and various critters around her. There’s something unique about her, but she runs into trouble when trying to reach out. It’s mostly wordless.

Shawn Amberger: If he’s got his super cute Wacky Monster Books for sale, my stockpile for future nice and/or nephew will be getting larger. He also does some fun stuff with paper models.

Rob Worley and Chris Houghton: I’ve extolled the comic creating virtues of local writer  Worley (“Scratch 9″) and formerly local artist Houghton (“Reed Gunther”) many times on this blog. Worley will have a poster promoting the upcoming “Scratch 9,” and I’m hoping to find out what new project is putting the beloved “Reed Gunther” on hold for the time being.