Raina Telgemeier partners with Scott McCloud to help young readers discover “the magic of comics.”

American Raina Telgemeier is undoubtedly one of the most widely read authors among young people. Her drawings are simple yet very expressive, clean, with clear lines, one might say. Her comics regularly appear on bestseller lists (and among the most requested by children in libraries). Titles like Smile , Sisters , Courage , and Ghosts have accumulated reissues and recognition in the form of Eisner Awards.

Most of Telgemeier's works revolve around preadolescence, and she has successfully connected with young readers through deeply human stories that appeal to their feelings and concerns, conveying them with gentle humor, simple and relatable language, and just the right dose of emotion to engage readers. In her comics, Raina Telgemeier speaks to today's young readers using today's language.

In The Cartoonists' Club (Maeva Young, translated by Iris Mogollón González), he teams up with none other than Scott McCloud (author of the celebrated comic-book essay Understanding Comics ) to create a new and highly entertaining album. A comic about comics. A comic that tells young people how to write, draw, and even publish their first comics. He even explains, with very accessible explanations, the characteristics of comics language.

In a way, Raina Telgemeier deconstructs the theory Scott McCloud explained in his famous essay and translates it into a youthful adventure. It's in line with what she did in Drama , where she told the story of a group of young people who love theater and want to put on a production for their high school. That play addresses love, breakups, and homosexuality.

Now, in The Cartoonists' Club, he tells the story of boys and girls who want to achieve their dream of becoming comic book artists, and presents it as a true adventure, a personal challenge that each one must overcome. The story will encourage them to share and trust others, to learn to express their feelings, even if it means leaving their comfort zone.

Inspiring It will appeal to young readers, who will connect with a story of friendship and overcoming difficulties.

The four young protagonists of The Comics Club want to make their way in the world of comics. Each has their own unique skills, but also doubts and fears (the characters are designed to represent as much diversity as possible). Makayla has many ideas but can't put them into practice; Howard draws but can't find good stories; Lynda doesn't dare show her drawings; and Art is restless and very creative.

As the adventure progresses, the theory gradually slips in (and that's where we recognize McCloud's style). This is a comic that invites you to take the plunge: stop reading comics and start drawing them.

A comic that will appeal to young readers, who will easily connect with this story of friendship and overcoming challenges. It's even more suitable for those interested in drawing, telling stories, or creating their own comics. This comic book club invites readers to join the club and begin to unleash their creativity.

At the end of the book, there's an epilogue that begins with a conversation between the two authors and continues with an explanation of several elements specific to the comic. The final pages include a short essay to discover a little more about this "magic of comics," to use the words that appear in the comic itself. It's an invitation to close the comic and start drawing.

Read also The note The 'other' graphic novel

Comics, which for years were considered primarily a children's book, gained adult readers in the 1960s and 1970s, and then, thanks to the graphic novel phenomenon, definitively conquered the adult public, entering mainstream bookstores and demonstrating that they could address any topic with literary and aesthetic ambition. Later, following the phenomenon of the adult graphic novel, another model emerged that has also been a best-seller: the graphic novel for young readers. Ironically, traditional comics are once again conquering children and young adult audiences, but relying on the graphic novel label. Even if it is a young adult graphic novel.