At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, educator and board member of Women in Comics Collective, Shamika Ann Mitchell, Ph.D., moderated the “Oh, Grow Up! Adulting in Anime and Manga” panel, which unpacked rating systems, the cultural norms they reflect, and the ageless appeal of a good story.

For more than 10 years Women in Comics Collective (WinC) has been an advocate for women and marginalized genders in the comic book space. Their work has been instrumental in uplifting voices, and in 2024 they received the Bob Clampett Award for Humanitarianism at the Eisner Award ceremony.

Based out of St. Louis, Steenz Stewart is the lead cartoonist for the syndicated comic strip Heart of the City and co-creator of the graphic novel Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games.