The organizers of BookExpo America have announced that the programming for Saturday, May 31 will be centered on issues affecting the comic book market, kicking off with an all-star breakfast with Bone creator Jeff Smith (left), Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Maus creator Art Spiegelman, and current Hulk scripter Jeph Loeb (who also co-produces the NBC drama Heroes). After that, the day is filled with panels to teach bookstore owners how to build up a kid-friendly graphic novel section, how to deal with books aimed at mature readers, and how publishers aim to sustain the momentum in the manga market.

"Since I run both BEA and New York Comic Con, this is sort of like a dream come true," says BookExpo show manager Lance Fensterman in the press release announcing the events. "I get to take one big show, in this case New York Comic Con, and give it a little home inside our other big show! Without a doubt, the strength of the content and personalities involved in our graphic novel programming this year give credence to the explosive impact graphic novels are having on the publishing and book retail industry."

(Smith: Cartoon Books; Bone: Boneville.com; as seen on Vulture)