Talk
The Strange Inside the Ordinary
Charles Burns, Frank Quitely
Schedule
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Run Time: 60min
Two of the most distinctive voices in contemporary comics meet for the first time. Frank Quitely and Charles Burns have shaped radically different corners of the medium, from the surreal intimacy of independent comics to the epic scale of modern superheroes. Yet both artists share a fascination with the blurry boundary between the ordinary and the strange. In this conversation, they will discuss storytelling, drawing the human body, and how comics can transform everyday reality into something unsettling, poetic, and deeply memorable. The discussion will be moderated by graphic designer and writer Chip Kidd, who has followed both artists throughout their careers and is Burns’ editor at Pantheon Books.
Charles Burns will discuss his career preceding a screening of the animated horror anthology, Fear(s) of the Dark on Friday, April 24. Frank Quitely will also be leading a masterclass, From Glasgow to Gotham: Frank Quitely and the Art of Modern Superheroes, on Saturday, April 25.Â
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Venue
Event Pricing
Children under seventeen (17) years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times and may not attend events unattended.
Charles Burns
Charles Burns was born in Washington, DC in 1955 and grew up in Seattle. His work rose to prominence in Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman’s Raw Magazine in the 1980s, and he has since worked on a wide range of comics and projects. Black Hole, Burns’ 2005 graphic novel, received Eisner, Harvey and Ignatz awards, and a Fave D’or in Angouleme, France. His books include Skin Deep (2001, Fantagraphics Books), Last Look (2016, Pantheon Books) and Final Cut (2024 Pantheon Books). Burns lives in Philadelphia.
Frank Quitely
Frank Quitely is a Scottish comic book artist born in Glasgow. Widely recognized for his distinctive storytelling and meticulous draftsmanship, he is considered one of the most influential comic artists of the past three decades.
He began his career in the independent comics scene in Scotland in the early 1990s, working on titles such as The Greens and Missionary Man. His breakthrough came through collaborations with fellow Scottish writer Grant Morrison, with whom he created several landmark comics including Flex Mentallo, WE3, and the celebrated series All-Star Superman.
Quitely later became one of the defining artists of modern superhero comics. His work includes major runs on New X-Men, Batman and Robin, and other influential titles for DC Comics and Marvel. Known for his expressive characters, inventive page layouts, and precise storytelling, his style has helped redefine how superhero narratives can be visually told.
Throughout his career, Quitely has maintained strong ties to the Scottish comics community while working on some of the most iconic characters in popular culture.
His work has received numerous accolades and has been exhibited internationally. Today he remains one of the most respected artists in contemporary comics, admired for combining the spirit of independent comics with the scale and ambition of the superhero genre.
Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd is an award-winning graphic designer, writer, and VP and Art Director at Pantheon. A three-time Eisner Award winner, he has written and designed more than a dozen books on comics, including Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, Shazam! The Golden Age of the World’s Mightiest Mortal, Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross, and Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross. He lives in New York City.
Portrait © Rachel Burns
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