The 2011 Kids Read Comics Celebration is just around the corner! Help us spread the word and you can enter to win a free copy of KRC special guest Dave Roman’s highly anticipated new book, Astronaut Academy!

We’ll be giving away copies of Dave’s book — generously provided by publisher First Second — to KRC supporters who promote out June 18-19 event. Here’s what you need to do in order to be entered to win a copy:

• Write a blog post promoting attendance at KRC 2011 in Chelsea.
• Link back to http://kidsreadcomics.org using one of the handy banners provided below.
• Say a few words about KRC on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr.
• You must post a link to your blog or social media post on our Facebook page.

On June 1, 2011 we will randomly select a number of entries to receive an advance copy of Dave’s Astronaut Academy.

Good luck to all who enter!

You can also check out daily behind-the-scenes art and writing posts from Astronaut Academy this month on Dave Roman’s Tumblr page!

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We’ve closed applications to table at KRC 2011. Thanks to everyone who applied! We’re happy to know that there are so many comics creators out there who share our mission of getting more kids involved in our medium. We’ve sent an email to all of the applicants with information on what to do next. If you applied for a table but did not receive an email from us, check your spam filter or get in touch with us at kidsreadcomics@gmail.com.

We will update the guest list over the course of the next week with some very exciting names in comics!

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Our friend Alex Simmons of Kids’ Comic Con in New York was recently profiled for the work he’s doing with the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, bringing comic book creation into the classroom. As Alex says, it’s all about creating great kids who’ll grow up into great adults.

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Dwayne McDuffie, who died unexpectedly on Tuesday, was unable to attend our previous Kids Read Comics Celebrations, but had big plans to come out for this year’s event. When we corresponded about it just last week, he sounded very enthusiastic about joining us. And of course we were thrilled that the man who was a founder of Milestone Media, creator of the terrific Static comic book and Static Shock cartoon series, as well as producer, writer and story editor of animated shows like Justice League Unlimited and Ben10 Ultimate Alien, would be spending a weekend with us making the work he did come alive.

If anyone knew how to tell great stories about the struggles and the strength of character that go into being a hero — and to do so in a way that connected with young audiences — it was Dwayne. Standing at around 6’6”, he was a big man physically (though he once told me he was the shortest male member of his family); but more impressive was his big talent and his big heart. Even when he couldn’t make it out to KRC, he was a generous behind-the-scenes supporter, sending us special items to hand out for free. He believed in comics and in kids, and he’ll be greatly missed.

–Dan Mishkin

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