Hasta La Ideas

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how much is a 150-page graphic novel worth? This and other illustration-minded brainteasers will be fodder for discussion tomorrow afternoon during three back-to-back events at the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, now underway in New York City. First up is a conversation with author Neil Gaiman, the creator of the popular Sandman series and the recently adapted Coraline. Then settle in for “1,000 Words: The Power of Visual Storytelling,” in which the force of nature that is Jonathan Ames—himself a recently minted graphic novelist (The Alcoholic)—will chat with David Polonsky (Waltz with Bashir), Shaun Tan (The Arrival), and Emmanuel Guibert, who has documented war in Afghanistan and Europe in his graphic novels. Finally, at 4:30 p.m., grab your Strand tote bag for Adrian Tomine‘s conversation with alternative manga pioneer Yoshihiro Tatsumi, whose work Tomine has helped bring to American readers. Expect an animated conversation about the evolution of comics in Japan, the U.S., and around the world.