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Comic-Con at the Library

Comic Con at the Library

Comic-Con at the library attendees holding up coming books

Graphic novels help foster a love of reading and can also be an important part of building and improving literacy skills. The San Diego Public Library uses Comic-Con's unique place in San Diego's cultural landscape to explore the connection between graphic novels, literacy and education.

 

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Comic-Con® Conference for Educators and Librarians

4 panelists for a session at Comic-Con® Conference for Educators and Librarians


Since 2018, Comic-Con International and San Diego Public Library have teamed up to present a FREE five-day conference that takes place annually at the San Diego Central Library during the San Diego Comic Convention and is open to the public.

CCEL programming begins Wednesday, July 22 and runs through Sunday, July 26. Explore the role comics play in promoting education and literacy for all ages. Those in the library and educational fields are invited to learn creative and exciting ways to incorporate comics and other popular arts into their work. Through presentations and panel discussions, the Conference hopes to engage the community and promote comics as a medium for learning.

CCEL Schedule

Junji Ito holding his jacket open to reveal the artwork on his shirt

Registration is highly recommended for interested attendees each day they plan to take part in CCEL. Please note that space is limited and registration does not guarantee seating at each panel.

 

 

CCEL 2026 Full Panel Schedule

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Comic-Con Commemorative Library Cards

Each year San Diego Public Library, Comic-Con International and local artists partner up to present a limited-run commemorative Comic-Con library card. This exclusive library card is the only one to be licensed by San Diego Comic-Con International.

Starting Thursday, July 23, 2026, Comic-Con library card designs may be picked up at 36 SDPL locations, while supplies last. Begin a SDPL card application online. 

Please note that library card replacement fees have been waived for July 2026. New library card signups are always free for California residents.

Cards are also available in limited quantities at the SDPL library booth on the convention floor, starting Preview Night. 

 

Comic-Con Library Card Designs

  • Title: San Diego Public Library Subtitle: Comic-Con 2013 High angle/birds eye shot of Central Library Dome. A woman styled as a superhero flies out carrying a large stack of books. Discover your next chapter is written inside an energetic comic-book style bubble. Illustrated in pen and marker. 2013 themed Comic-Con library card illustrated by Thomas Vineberg.
  • A futuristic (in midcentury modern/fifties stylings) San Diego cityscape with the iconic Central Library, pedestrian walkway and other buildings in the distance. Flying ships in the sky and hover cars on the ground. Illustrated in pen and marker. San Diego Public Library signage hovers at an angle above the buildings. Text: Discover your Next Chapter and Comic-Con International 2014 on the top and bottom of the design. 2014 themed Comic-Con library card illustrated by Thomas Vineberg.
  • Bold text: San Diego Public Library Subtitle: Discover Your Next Chapter A vector rendering of San Diego Central Library a, with googly eyes and a mouth on the dome. A blue book beside it reads Comic-Con International 2015. In 2015, e3 Civic High School—whose campus is located within San Diego Central Library—held a library card design contest. The winning design became that year's themed Comic-Con library card.
  • A Watercolor rendering of a cartoonish octopus sitting on top of the San Diego Central Library dome, reading a book. Words in a stylized, bold, dripping, horror-inspired fonts surround the illustration. Top text panel: Tales from the San Diego Public Library 2016 Side text panel, typewriter style: San Diego Comic-Con International 2016 Bottom text panel, bold: Discover your Next Chapter! 2016 themed Comic-Con library card illustrated by ToshWerks, a San Diego art and design studio.
  • Closeup portrait of a cyborg with purple hair, nails and makeup, reading the book “Neuromancer” by William Gibson. A nighttime, futuristic rendering of the City of San Diego, with the Central Library Dome and One American Plaza building is seen in the background. Futuristic Title: San Diego Public Library Opportunity, Discovery, Inspiration Subtitle on bottom: Comic-Con International 2017 2017 themed Comic-Con library card illustrated by Attiba Royster, one of three possible options. Designs were created by members of the library’s Comic-Con International Graphic Novel Book Clubs.
  • Digital illustration of a young boy with robotic accessories sitting down while reading “War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells with a young girl in hijab and carrying equipment and a older cyborg youth looking over his shoulder. A silhouette outline of San Diego Central Library with a rainbow-hued shadow is in the background. Title in futuristic font: San Diego Public Library Subtitle: Opportunity, Discovery, Inspiration Side Text: Comic-Con International 2017 2017 themed Comic-Con library card illustrated by Vince Alvendia (a.k.a. EggdropRamen), one of three possible options. Designs were created by members of the library’s Comic-Con International Graphic Novel Book Clubs.
  • Digital drawing of a sitting robot in profile reading “The Great Gasket” with the San Diego Central Library entrance rendered in 3D. A stack of books and hovering tablet with “Opportunity, Discovery, Inspiration” on display is in the foreground. Title: San Diego Public Library Bottom Text: Comic-Con International 20172017 themed Comic-Con library card illustrated by Robert McKeone, one of three possible options. Designs were created by members of the library’s Comic-Con International Graphic Novel Book Clubs.
  • A bespectacled boy with Harry Potter-Universe stylings garbed in black robe, striped tie and blue shoes flies away on a broom carrying a stack of books. In the background, a roaring dragon with wings sitting atop the Central Library building can be seen. Official 2018 Logo of Comic-Con International Text: Opportunity, Discovery, Inspiration San Diego Public Library “No Restricted Sections,” the 2018 official San Diego Comic-Con International library card illustrated by Lucas Turnbloom, an award-winning cartoonist.
  • Where’s Waldo holds a tall stack of books with various colored covers in front of a heavily stylized photograph of Central Library overlayed in light blue. Text: Opportunity Discovery Inspiration San Diego Public Library Official Comic-Con 50 year logo. 2019 official San Diego Comic-Con International library card designed by Candlewick Press.
  • A donkey boy reads while riding a donkey-zebra with a star-filled red background that displays the distinctive Arco del Milenio (Milennium Arch) of Tijuana and the San Diego Central Library. These buildings are labeled with a TJ and SD, respectively. 2022 San Diego Comic-Con International logo Spanish text surrounds the characters. Biblioteca Pública de San Diego (San Diego Public Library) Oportunidad, Descrubrimiento, Inspiración (Opportunity, Discovery, Inspiration) Leer Sin Fronteras (Read without Borders) “Leer Sin Fronteras” (Read without Borders), the 2022 official San Diego Comic-Con International library card. Created by Charles Glaubitz, a visual artist and illustrator based in Tijuana, Mexico, its design reflects the close ties between SD and TJ. Spanish is used throughout and the main subjects, niño-burro (boy-donkey) and burro-zebra, are characters frequently featured in his work.
  • Odi the Coyote is dressed in blue and yellow garb wearing a mask and cape emblazoned with the City of SD logo on their chest and belt buckle. Odi, Defender of Books holds their library card in one hand and a book under their arm. Odi is superimposed over a background of various comic-book styled panels that show off the Central Library Dome, Library self-checkouts, SDPL card and a book. 2023 San Diego Comic-Con International logo A comic-book style nanel writes in comic book text: Opportunity, Discovery, Inspiration above San Diego Public Library in bold. “Odi, Defender of Books,” 2023 official San Diego Comic-Con International library card illustrated by Rachel Murray. This alter ego of Odi the Coyote (the mascot of SDPL), is masked up and ready to fight against book bans.
  • Comic-Con Special Edition Library Card 2024 design by John Jennings

    2024 official San Diego Comic-Con International library card designed by John Jennings, an Eisner award-winning graphic novelist, author and professor.

  • A digitally rendered illustration of a Native American woman in space reading an untitled sci-fi comic book over a background with the moon and rainbow-hued galaxy. Her space suit includes patches of a daisy, heart and rainbow-striped star on the sleeve. San Diego Public Library. 2025 San Diego Comic-Con International logo.

    2025 official San Diego Comic-Con library card created by artist Sarah Wilkinson, a fine art oil painter known for her Art Nouveau-inspired works featuring subjects from popular fandoms, including Star Wars and Star Trek.

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2026 Comic-Con Library Card Design

A colorful comic-style illustration featuring a blue alien figure with two little aliens walking towards San Diego Central Library as a trolley approaches. San Diego Public Library. 2026 San Diego Comic-Con logo.

 

The 2026 Comic-Con Library Card is here! Illustrated by Keithan Jones, this colorful and friendly design emphasizes how the library is a space that welcomes everyone, including aliens.  

Saturday, July 25, 2026, stop by the SDPL booth #5523 at Comic-Con for a Meet & Greet with the artist. Keithan Jones will be signing cards at noon! 

Badge required. 

 

Photo portrait of an African American man with a neat beard wearing a blazer and tshirt with a colonnade backdrop.

About the Artist

Keithan Jones is the founder and owner of KID Comics. KID Comics stands behind the thought that “the Kid In you never Dies.” It is a constant reminder that our childhood spirit is the core of who we really are no matter how old we get.

In 2018 he began Black Com!x Day a Black History Month event celebrating creators of African descent in the fields of comic books, animation, film and more.

His first publication for KID comics began with The Power Knights, a comic that he created as a child in 1982. Jones regularly works as an artist for various publishers, including Image Comics and Vortex Comics. He was a judge for the Eisner Awards in 2021 and 2022.

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2026 Cosplay Repair Station

Central Library IDEA Lab, 4th floor  
July 23: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.  | July 24,  11 a.m. - 5 p.m.  | July 25, 1 - 5 p.m.

 

  • A woman and two men dressed as anime characters with colorful bows and wigs pose with an IDEA Lab staff member in the Lab.

    A triad of Sailor Scouts stopped by the Cosplay Repair Station for a hair fix while IDEA Lab staff assisted. 

  • Spiderman in a punk outfit wears denim, spikes on his head and red converses while playing a spiderman-styled guitar.

    After some tuning, this electric guitar was ready for a punked-out Spiderman to play.

  • A woman in a robot cosplay holds up her metal helmet lit up with electric blue eyes.

    Lights on! After some electronics adjustments, this robot was good to go.

  • A man focuses on attaching a comical snakelike creature around a seated man’s shoulders in the lab.

    A man secures a monster “boa” around his friend’s shoulders with pins. 

  • A red-haired woman threads a ribbon into the leaf-covered bodice of her Poison Ivy costume.

    A woman cosplaying as Poison Ivy laces up a leaf-covered bodice with ribbon. 

  • A petite Asian woman in armor and a wig smiles at the camera while holding accessories for her costume. A giant foam sword lies on the table alongside gloves and cuffs.

    Marvel Rivals cosplayers visit the lab so Magik can put final details on her Soul Sword and other accessories while Iron Fist waits. 

  • A middle aged man in a cape sits at a table so the machine claws of his costume can be worked on by an IDEA Lab staff member.

    Spiderman villain Doc Ock gets his machine claws strengthened by IDEA Lab staff with adhesive. 

Cosplayers finding themselves with a missing button, broken strap, a last-minute add and more can walk into the Central Library IDEA Lab for quick fix solutions to common cosplay woes.   

The IDEA Lab will provide the following while supplies  last:

  • Equipment and tools: sewing machines, 3D printers/pen, laser cutters, desktop cutters, soldering irons and more.
  • Sewing supplies: needles, thread, seam rippers, scissors, safety pins, heat & bond, etc.
  • Various adhesives: hot glue guns, wood glue, tacky glue, super glue, duct tape, electrical tape, transparent tape, etc.
  • Wig Supplies: hairspray, combs & brushes, wig stands, hair dryer, heat gun, fabric softener, etc.
  • & More: Comic-Con themed makes, trivia, swag swap, and Photo-Ops

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Featured Library Programs

Celebrate comics and Comic-Con with SDPL! Join for fun activities, crafts and workshops for all ages in-person at various SDPL locations and online.

 

View Upcoming Events

 

Find us at Comic-Con

Badge holders are invited to visit the San Diego Public Library at Booth 5523 in the Convention Center. The Booth is close to the exhibition floor entrance between lobbies B1 and B2. Pick up a limited-edition Comic-Con Commemorative Library Card, learn more about library resources and other goodies. The booth will also have a special appearance from the 2026 Comic-Con Card artist.

Library staff posing with a banner that reads "The Dating Game"

 

Blind Date with a Book, Chapter 5: Revenge of the Fifth
Friday, July 24, 2026| 8-9p.m. | Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina – Grand 12 & 13

The librarians are back at Comic-Con to help find your forever read, dating game style, in this fifth annual librarian-powered literary spectacle. San Diego Public Library librarians Vanessa Gempis, Christina Wainwright and Maureen Meadows, along with Melissa Barbour,  and host Scott Ehrig-Burgess of Library Shop SD, help three lucky audience members fall in love with a book!  Badge required.

Keithan Jones | Comic-Con Library Card Artists Meet & Greet
Saturday, July 25, 2026| Noon-1 p.m. | Convention Center, Booth# 5523

Meet the founder of Black Com!x Day and KID Comics at the San Diego Public Library booth. Keithan Jones will be signing the Comic-Con library card he designed for 2026.

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Transportation Information

San Diego Central Library is conveniently located near multiple forms of transportation and offers: 

  • Covered Parking in the underground garage 
  • Bike racks (Underground Parking, Park Blvd. Entrance)
  • A nearby Trolley Stop (Park & Market)
  • A direct Bus Stop for routes 12, 901 and 925 (11th Street Entrance) 

Due to the increased traffic downtown, taking public transit is highly encouraged. Please note: the Central Library Parking Garage will have special event rates in effect during Comic-Con and will likely fill up early in the day for the duration of the Conference.

 

MTS Comic-Con Routes & Schedules

 

Central Library Parking Garage Details

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Library Resources

San Diego Public Library Zine Collection 
Central Library, 8th floor | Available during library hours

Collection of various zine covers. San Diego Public Library Zine Collection.

 

Explore the SDPL Art, Music, and Recreation Zine Collection with over 1,100 unique items available for viewing. This reference collection includes both local writers and artists and creators from all over the country. Genres cover a range of topics, with both fiction and non-fiction, essays and art. Zines may be handprinted zines to glossy stock in limited-run magazines. 

For those interested in donating zines, SDPL would love to hear from you. Please contact library staff for details.

Email Art, Music & Recreation Staff at: artmusic@sandiego.gov
 

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Comic-Con Booklists

For more information, please email San Diego Public Library Adult Programming at SDLB_Adult_Programming@sandiego.gov 

Presented By: 

Comic Con International Logo            San Diego Public Library Logo
 
Comic-Con® and the Comic-Con logo are registered trademarks of San Diego Comic Convention.