vgarzagh@gmail.com
1 407 437 88 02
New York, NY
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‘Lost in the Middle’ is the New York Life Foundation’s new graphic novel for middle schoolers that aims to promote collective healing in the face of loss. The brief was a launch plan to get ‘Lost in the Middle’ the attention it deserves.
The theme of loss is central to graphic novel storytelling. From Spiderman to Batman and beyond, the “grief arc” sets in motion the hero’s journey for the most beloved comic franchises in the world. We can connect directly to this culture leveraging a graphic novel platform to drive conversation about our book, its mission, and the actual heroes we want to help: real children on their own grief journeys.
So we put Lost in the Middle in good company by launching it among the most famous franchises in the world of graphic novels, activating with a panel at Comic Con, and tying our book’s themes to these other iconic franchises with a common thread.
We had a booth to launch the novel and educate Comic Con fans about NYLF’s important work in the grief space, built to be a simple classroom to fit the topic of the novel.We propped the space with 5 desks (each giving a window into the world of each character), and put on an interactive trivia session for the first 10 minutes of every hour, with the topic being “Grief and Loss in Comics.”
The booth was designed to feel like you were stepping inside the novel, with everything outlined to give it a 2D feeling, and within the look and feel of the novel.
the comp
the booth
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We invited people to slip their own messages of collective healing into a locker that we displayed in our booth. Where attendees wrote encouraging and supportive messages to middle schoolers.
The panel on “How Books and Graphic Novels Can Help Children on their Grief Journeys” was hosted by Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve (the actor who played Superman). Will was just 11 when his father died. He’s now an important voice in this area and his personal connection to grief and the world of graphic novels & superheroes made him the perfect fit.
We had 5 other panelists joining Will Reeve on the discussion. These are creators, authors and illustrators of other novels of the same group and genre as Lost In The Middle.
all the booth attendees received a copy of the book, as well as magnets and stickers. the winners of the trivia game got all of those plus a t-shirt.
