FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Allison Solomon
Senior Director of Marketing & Advancement
Phone: 216-593-0584
Email:
asolomon@mmjh.org
Home of Heroes: Icons Fest Celebrates Cleveland's Comic Book Legacy
Brian Michael Bendis, Terri Libenson, Jon Bogdanove, Peter Kuper, and dozens of creators, artists, and scholars gather for the Maltz Museum's summer festival.
Building on the success of Icons in Ink: The Jewish Comics Experience, the Maltz Museum is launching Icons Fest, a festival inspired by the exhibition and Cleveland's remarkable role in comic book history. Taking place July 11–12, 2026, Icons Fest will bring together acclaimed creators, artists, scholars, and fans from around the world for two days of conversations, workshops, family activities, screenings, Artist Alley, and special events across Greater Cleveland.
As the birthplace of Superman and home to influential creators ranging from Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to Harvey Pekar, Terri Libenson, and Brian Michael Bendis, Cleveland has helped shape the evolution of comics and popular culture for nearly a century. Icons Fest honors that tradition while connecting audiences with the artists, storytellers, and scholars whose work continues to inspire new generations of readers and fans.
Designed for comic book fans, families, aspiring creators, and newcomers alike, Icons Fest combines history, scholarship, creativity, and popular culture through a diverse lineup of conversations, workshops, screenings, and interactive experiences for all ages.
Featured Guests and Programming
The festival will feature acclaimed guests including Brian Michael Bendis, Cleveland native, Peabody Award-winning comics creator, and New York Times bestselling author best known for co-creating Miles Morales (Spider-Man), Jessica Jones, and Ironheart; Terri Libenson, New York Times bestselling children's book author and award-winning cartoonist behind The Pajama Diaries and the Emmie & Friends series; Peter Kuper, internationally-celebrated cartoonist and graphic novelist and 2026 Pulitzer Prize finalist; Joe Rubinstein, legendary comic book artist and inker; Amy Kurzweil, famed New Yorker cartoonist; and dozens of additional comic creators, artists, scholars, and industry professionals.
"The story of comics is deeply connected to the story of Cleveland," said Aaron Petersal, Executive Director of the Maltz Museum. "Icons Fest celebrates the creators, characters, and ideas that have shaped popular culture while bringing together artists, scholars, and fans to explore the enduring power of storytelling."
Special Events Across Cleveland
Icons Fest begins on Saturday, July 11 with two special events celebrating Cleveland's enduring connection to comics and popular culture. At 1 p.m., Brian Michael Bendis will join Mark Andreyko, the Cleveland-born comic book writer known for his acclaimed work on Manhunter, Batman, Wonder Woman, and numerous other DC Comics titles, for a conversation at the Main Library campus of the Cleveland Public Library in downtown Cleveland. Together, they will revisit their acclaimed graphic novel Torso (currently in development as a Netflix film)—inspired by Cleveland's infamous Torso Murders—and reflect on the impact it has had on their careers, as well as their work in comics since. The discussion will be moderated by Mike Sangiacomo, veteran Cleveland journalist, pop culture writer, and longtime observer of the comic book industry.
At 4 p.m., audiences can continue the day with a screening of the original 1978 Superman film at Cedar Lee Theatre, followed by a brief talk by exhibit curators Roy Schwartz and Dr. Samantha Baskind to honor the Man of Steel's Cleveland origins and set the stage for the festival weekend.
Sunday Festival Programming
The festival continues on Sunday, July 12 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a full day of programming at the Maltz Museum campus in Beachwood. Panel discussions will explore topics ranging from Superman's Cleveland origins and Harvey Pekar's lasting influence to Jewish mythology in comics, women in the comics industry, graphic storytelling, and the history of Marvel Comics. Visitors can also enjoy hands-on workshops, family activities, Artist Alley, and the opportunity to explore Icons in Ink: The Jewish Comics Experience throughout the day.
Featured sessions will include appearances by Brian Michael Bendis, Terri Libenson, Danny Fingeroth, Peter Kuper, Dr. Samantha Baskind, Roy Schwartz, and other creators, historians, and scholars from across the comics industry. Libenson, the bestselling author and cartoonist behind the beloved Emmie & Friends series, will join fellow creators and experts for conversations exploring storytelling, creativity, and the enduring impact of comics.
The festival will also welcome participants from around the world, including popular comics influencers and fans-turned-pros joining virtually from Brazil, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Taiwan for a special discussion exploring Superman's global impact.
Visitors of all ages will enjoy hands-on workshops, including family-friendly cartooning activities, comic creation workshops, interactive readings, and creative experiences led by professional artists and educators. Highlights include Drawing Aloud: How to Create a Character for Animation, where husband-and-wife creative team Chari Pere and Elliot Schiff— the animator behind the “Red Bull gives you wings” commercials and the voice actor behind Puppy Playtime’s Giblet and Marvel Super Stories’ Doctor Doom—will guide participants through the process of bringing original characters to life from design to sound.
Artist Alley will feature big-name creators alongside independent creators, illustrators, writers, and publishers from across the country, giving attendees the opportunity to meet artists, purchase original artwork, discover new comics, and explore the creative process firsthand.
Throughout the weekend, attendees can explore Icons in Ink: The Jewish Comics Experience, an immersive exhibition that examines the Jewish creators, iconic characters, and stories that helped shape popular culture. Featuring rare comics, original artwork, multimedia experiences, and interactive activities, the exhibition provides the perfect backdrop for the festival.
From Exhibition to Festival
Icons Fest is inspired by the scholarship and vision behind Icons in Ink: The Jewish Comics Experience, a groundbreaking exhibition currently in the midst of a five-year national tour. First presented in 2023 at the Center for Jewish History in New York, the exhibition was led by managing curator Dr. Miriam Eve Mora, a historian of American immigration and ethnic history at the University of Michigan.
The Cleveland presentation was doubled in size through the contributions of Roy Schwartz, a renowned pop culture historian and author of the bestseller Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero. Working with Dr. Samantha Baskind, Distinguished Professor of Art History at Cleveland State University and the nation's leading scholar on Jewish American art, Schwartz developed the exhibition's acclaimed "Cleveland: Home of Heroes!" section, which highlights Northeast Ohio's extraordinary role in shaping comic book history—from Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to Harvey Pekar, Brian Michael Bendis, Peter Kuper, Terri Libenson and beyond.
Additional guest announcements, ticket information, and a complete festival schedule will be released in the coming weeks. For updates and information, visit maltzmuseum.org.
About the Maltz Museum
Opened in 2005 in a collaboration between The Maltz Family Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Centennial Initiative, and Congregation Mishkan Or with research support from the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Maltz Museum is rooted in the Jewish value of respect for all humanity, building bridges of tolerance and understanding by sharing Jewish heritage through the lens of the American experience. The Maltz Museum is dedicated to exploring diverse stories of courage from history and today, with a commitment to education and learning so there can be a more inclusive tomorrow.