Boise Comic Arts Festival
Boise Comic Arts Festival returns for its 13th year from August 30 through 31, 2025. It will include all the features you know and love including a two-day Artist's Alley, cosplay, panels, performances, and workshops at Boise Centre.
BCAF XIII Location & Hours:
Saturday, August 30 | 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Boise Centre
Sunday, August 31 | 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Boise Centre
Free to Attend | No Registration Required
Event Info
This year we will be hosting a two-day Artists' Alley on Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31. The application for table space in Artists' Alley is now closed.
For those who missed the application deadline, we have opened a waitlist. If and when space becomes available, we’ll offer it to those on the waitlist. To be added to the waitlist, fill out the application below:
Please send questions about exhibiting at BCAF XIII to Elaine.
The Original Comic Creation Contest is a chance for kids to show off their comic crafting skills by creating a single page of comics to express an idea, set a scene or mood, introduce a character, or tell a story. The contest is open to ages 4-14 and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes will be awarded in two categories: Younger Kids (4-9) and Older Kids (9-14).
Contest submissions accompanied by a completed entry form can be turned in at any Boise Public Library location. Entry forms are available at all Library locations or can be downloaded and printed. The contest ends July 31.
Attending BCAF is great, but did you know there are opportunities to volunteer as well?! We’re seeking interested community members to help staff the event on Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers will get a BCAF t-shirt and our eternal gratitude. To sign up, visit our volunteer registration form. The deadline to sign up to volunteer is July 18.
The Cosplay Contests are your chance to show off your costume-making skills and creativity. Your costume could win you fame, glory, and of course – prizes! We'll have live Cosplay Contests for kids, teens, and adults, as well as a Cosplay Parade!
Cosplay contests will take place at Boise Centre’s Junior Ballroom (Room 130) on Saturday, August 30 at the following times:
- 11:30 a.m. – Kids Cosplay Contest
- 12:30 p.m. – Cosplay Parade
- 1:30 p.m. – Adult Cosplay Contest
- 3:30 p.m. – Teen Cosplay Contest
Registration is now open and will close on August 30. Participants can also register onsite on the day of the event.
2024 saw the launch of Boise Comic Arts Festival Presents…an exciting new limited edition annual publication produced by Boise Public Library. After reviewing many great pitches for this year’s comic, we’re pleased to share that this year’s BCAF Presents… artist will be Alieha Dryden.
Alieha Dryden is a comic artist and illustrator from the Pacific Northwest, though she stumbled through a hole in the thicket and into Idaho some time ago. Her work pays homage to meandering fairytales, mysteries of arcane flavor, queerness in all its forms and especially brave little girls. When not working, she can be found reading about places far away.
This year’s BCAF poster was created by Rose Bousamra, an illustrator and cartoonist based in Michigan. Their debut graphic novel, FRIZZY with writer Claribel A. Ortega earned the 2023 Pura Belpré award for Children’s Text, the 2023 Eisner award for Best Kid’s Publication, and indie bestseller status. They are currently working on their solo debut graphic novel, GUTLESS, with First Second Books.
For more information see our BCAF FAQ or email our event coordinator Josh Shapel.
BCAF XIII Guest Creators
Ben Kahn is a GLAAD Media Award–nominated writer of comics and novels. Ben works out of New York City, where they like to cook, watch scary movies, and play with a very snuggly kitty. Their work includes the Renegade Rule series, Mr. Muffins: Defender of the Stars, Monster High: Howliday Haunt, and their prose debut, Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend.
Cassie Anderson is a freelance comic artist who loves telling stories and drawing pictures. She is the illustrator behind the Lifeformed series as well as the creator of Extraordinary: A Story of an Ordinary Princess. Her newest book, I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018, will be released in early 2026. When she’s not drawing comics, you can find her reading a good book, baking some tasty treats, or exploring the outdoors with her adventure-loving husband and babies.
David 'DB' Andry is a physical therapist and comic book writer from Sacramento, CA. His credits include Resonant and Denizen from Vault Comics, Creepshow from Skybound and Morning Star and Crush Depth from Mad Cave Studios. He has signed a blood pack with co-writer, Tim Daniel, binding their souls together for all eternity.
David F. Walker is a comic book writer, filmmaker, journalist, and educator. Walker has written for numerous publishers, including Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, but he is best known for the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Black Panther Party (Ten Speed Graphic), the Eisner Award and Ringo Award-winning series Bitter Root (Image Comics), and the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Big Jim and the White Boy (Ten Speed Graphic). His debut YA novel, The Second Chance of Darius Logan, was published by Scholastic in 2024. He also teaches part time at Portland State University.
Jeremy Whitley is a writer and comic creator from Durham, North Carolina. He is the creator of Princeless, Navigating with You, The Dog Knight, School for Extraterrestrial Girls,
and many more. He is also well known for his time at Marvel writing the critically acclaimed Unstoppable Wasp and fan favorite Gwenpool. He has also written more My Little Pony comics than any other writer, with sixty issues. Along with Emily Martin and Ben Kahn, he hosts of the Progressively Horrified podcast.
Jorge Corona is a multiple time Eisner Award nominee Venezuelan sequential artist and the winner of the 2015 Russ Manning Award. A writer and illustrator, his works include The Me You Love In the Dark, Ain't No Grave, and Middlewest with Skottie Young for Image Comics, Transformers for Skybound Entertainment, We Are… Robin and Batgirls for DC Comics, and Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, Adventure Time, and Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Dragons for BOOM! Studios. Jorge is also the co-creator of Goners and No. 1 With A Bullet for Image Comics, and creator of Feathers, his all-ages dark fantasy, for Archaia Entertainment. Currently Jorge lives in Denver with his wife and fellow artist Morgan Beem.
Jose Pimienta is a Latinx cartoonist who grew up in Mexicali, Mexico influenced by animation, movies and comics. After they finished college at the Savannah College of Art and Design they moved to Los Angeles hoping to work doing storyboards for films. Currently Jose lives in Burbank making comics, doing storyboards and spending time with their community. Suncatcher was their author/illustrator debut graphic novel, but they have also worked with various writers and other creatives on titles such as Luminous Beings, Stars, Hide Your Fire, and Soupy Leaves Home. Their most recent comic is Halfway to Somewhere.
Lee Moyer is a two-time Hugo Award-winning illustrator, designer, writer and comics creator from Portland, Oregon. In addition to his comics with Battle Quest (The Trident of Aurelia, Steel Siege, and No'madd), he’s collaborated with Michael Kaluta on Starstruck and adapted Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My Business. He’s served as art director for Electronic Arts, docent at the Smithsonian Institution, and lead concept artist for Dungeons & Dragons and 13th Age.
Ma’at (pronounced “ma ought”) Crook is an ENNIE award-winning artist, writer, and D&D adventure designer, often exploring themes of kindness and misunderstood monsters.
They are the cartoonist for the webcomic, Demonstrative, and self-published comics and zines. In 2017 they began designing and illustrating D&D adventures, starting with their Bleeding Gate trilogy, and continued with more community-created content and official adventures for D&D Adventurers League.
Marcus Kwame Anderson is an illustrator and fine artist. He is the Eisner Award–winning co-creator of The Black Panther Party, the co-creator of series Snow Daze, and the illustrator of Cash & Carrie. His most recent book is the critically-acclaimed and Eisner Award nominated Big Jim and The White Boy, a collaboration with David F. Walker, published by Ten Speed Press.
Melissa Capriglione is a queer comic artist living in Indiana. She graduated in 2017 with a BFA in Drawing and Illustration from Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis. Her debut graphic novel, Basil and Oregano, was published with Dark Horse Comics in 2023. She specializes in stories featuring women who love women, and other LGBTQ+ representation.
Ryan North's recent work includes the non-fiction books How To Take Over The World and How To Invent Everything, the semi-fictional graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and the so-far-fictional series Dinosaur Comics, Squirrel Girl, and Fantastic Four. He's an internationally recognized multiple-New-York-Times-bestselling author whose work has been translated into 16 different languages, and as a linguist, he's very happy about that. He lives in Toronto, where he once messed up walking his dog so badly it made the news.
Sebastian Girner is a German-born, American-raised comic book editor, writer, and publisher of Goats Flying Press, an independent comic publisher based in Brooklyn. He started his career at Marvel Entertainment, helping develop and creatively guide titles like Punisher MAX, Ghost Rider, & New Mutants. As a writer, he created the all-ages fantasy adventure Scales & Scoundrels with artist/co-creator Galaad, the tall-tale action/satire Shirtless Bear-Fighter! with co-writer/co-creator Jody Leheup and artist/co-creator Nil Vendrell, and the dark fantasy samurai grindhouse The Devil's Red Bride with artist/co-creator John Bivens.
Steenz is a St. Louis based cartoonist, editor, and professor. They're the cartoonist on the new graphic novel Side Quest: A Visual History of TTRPGs, the syndicated comic strip Heart Of The City, the co-creator of Dwayne McDuffie Award-winning Graphic Novel Archival Quality, and is the co-creator of the Standard Comic Script. Steenz currently teaches at Webster University and SVA while editing titles from independent publishers and creators. They’re also Board President of SLICE (The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo). They live with their spouse Keya and two cats (Marko and Ripley).
Mr. Tyler Crook is a comic book artist and writer with 14 years of experience and is most notable for his lush traditional watercolor, gouache, and ink rendering and emotive characters. He’s the cartoonist of The Lonesome Hunters, and interior and cover artist for titles like Harrow County, Black Hammer, BPRD, The Sixth Gun, and Witchfinder. His illustrations have been featured on Marvel and DC comic covers and Magic: The Gathering cards. He’s earned two Ghastly Awards and a Bram Stoker Award and has been nominated for several Eisner Awards. His first graphic novel, Petrograd, earned him the coveted Russ Manning Promising Newcomer award.
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