Cartoon Allies (CA) is a student-run comics and convention club at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Our personal mission is to unite students of all majors in a shared love of comics and art but also to provide professional outreach opportunities to SVA students.Founded in 2002 by Tintin Pantoja, we are SVA's longest-running club.As a part of our mission as a comics and convention club, we represent students at multiple major conventions like SPX, MICE, and BICS, where students get the chance to have their work sold.Cartoon Allies also hosts our very own comics festival, Fresh Meat, where students are able to proudly table themselves and buy their peers' work!Information pertaining to submission requirements, volunteering at major conventions, and tabling for Fresh Meat can be found in the resources tab, via our email list, and in our newsletter!At Cartoon Allies, we aim to host events that bridge the gap between classes, providing social and professional resources for our student body.- Cartoon Allies Officers Team

5/2/2025 - Freshmeat

Good morning gamers……and congratulations on finishing the school year! We will not be holding a regular meeting this Friday— instead, we will be hosting our school’s own comic convention, Fresh Meat!Fresh Meat will be taking place from 6-9 PM in the Student Center (215 E 23rd St), this Friday, May 2nd. This event is open to the public, so you are welcome to invite people who are not SVA students as well.If you’ve submitted work to BICs, please come pick it up at our locker (380 2nd Ave, 7th Floor) at 12 PM any day this week. Anything that is not picked up by the end of the year must be discarded, so it’s important that you pick your things up!Thanks for making this year a great one!CA Staff

4/18/2025 - Gallery Night

Hello gamers!Thank you for joining us in the library last week for our interview with Hyena Hell!This week, bring your final projects to our Gallery Night! This is a chance to show off the work that you’ve made this year while making some new friends.We’ll be meeting this Friday, April 18 at 6:30 PM at 380 2nd Ave, room 701G.See you there!CA Staff

4/11/2025 - Hyena Hell

Good morning gamers!Thanks to everyone who submitted their work to Fanfaire— only one more convention to go until the year is over!This Friday, April 11th, we will be meeting in the East Library (380 2nd Avenue, floor 2) for an evening with Hyena Hell! A Kentucky-based cartoonist, illustrator, and printmaker, Hyena Hell has had comics published by several independent publishers, including Silver Sprocket. Our meeting will be held at 6:30 PM.We’ll see you there!CA Staff

3/28/2025 - Critique Night

Thank you all for coming to our collaboration with the Ukagau Project last week! We enjoyed seeing all of your sonas.This week, we will be hosting a Critique Night! Bring in a piece that you want to get an outside perspective on, and get some peer feedback.There is a one (1) piece limit, and a 7-minute time limit, so try to keep it short!We will be meeting this Friday, March 28 at 6:30 PM at 380 2nd Ave, room 701G.Hope to see you there,CA Staff

3/21/2025 - Draw 'til You Drop

Hey gamers!We had a great time last weekend at MoCCA Fest! Thank you to our submitters and volunteers.Wanna try your limits as a drawing maniac? Then come and join this week’s Draw ‘til You Drop! Event, presented in collaboration with the Ukagau Project, to challenge yourself and see how much you can draw in the given time.We will be meeting this Friday, March 21 at 6:30 PM at 380 2nd Ave, room 701G.See you there!CA Staff

3/14/2025 - MOCCA

Attention gamers!We are currently accepting submissions for our Spring conventions--Bring your COMICS, PRINTS, STICKERS, ZINES, BUTTONS, CHARMS, T-SHIRTS etc., so we can sell for you at:MoCCA (www.moccafest.org), March 15th-16th, at the Metropolitan Pavilion: 125 W 18th St, NY, NYAll profits will be returned to you!If you sell out of an item, you can drop off additional merchandise for the next convention at a TBD location.We do not accept any fan art or non-original pieces. No one-of-a-kind items. No variations of the same item under the same item name. (ex: blue poster, red poster with same design are two different items)Due to limited space, we cannot accept more than 2 items per person. There is a limit of 15 copies per item. Prints must not exceed 11” x 17”.Your NAME and WEBSITE must be printed/written on the front/back of your items.One of each of your items will be used as a display copy.Please put your items plus the completed submission form in one container (submission forms can be found next to the submission box in the CI Lab). Merchandise must be properly packaged in either a folder, envelope, or PolyZip. Failure to do so will result in your merch being left behind.Drop off: The Comics and Illustration Lab, room 704-G, 380 2nd Ave. Look for a plastic tub labeled MERCH.We look forward to selling with you!
CA Staff

2/28/2025 - Caroline Cash

Good morning gamers,We had a great time last weekend at Jersey Art Book Fair! If you submitted work, stay tuned for payment information.This week, we are thrilled to be hosting an evening with Caroline Cash! Cash is an indie cartoonist and author of such works as the graphic novel “Girl in the World,” and Ignatz Award winning series “PeePee PooPoo.”We will be meeting at the SVA Library at 380 2nd Ave, floor 2, at 6:30 PM this Friday (February 28th).See you there,CA Staff

2/14/2025 - Valentine OC Swap

Greetings gamers,Thank you for coming to last week’s Pitch Night! We loved seeing what you guys have been working on.This week, join us for a night of drawing and gift-giving at our Valentine’s Day OC Swap! Bring printed reference of your OCs to receive fanart and draw fanart for other students. Bonus points if you bring a couple!We will be meeting at 380 2nd Ave, room 701G at 6:30 PM, This Friday (February 14th).See you there!CA Staff

2/7/2025 - Pitch Night

Morning gamers!Thank you guys for coming to last week’s interview with Raina Telgemeier!This week, get some practice pitching your project and get feedback from your peers at our yearly Pitch Night!If you’d like to pitch a project this week, we ask that you prepare a slideshow presentation before Friday— please stay tuned for an example presentation and information about submitting your slides.We will be meeting at 380 2nd Ave, room 701G at 6:30 PM, This Friday (February 7th).We’re excited to see what you have prepared!CA Staff

1/31/2025 - Alumni Night

Good afternoon gamers!Thank you for coming to last week’s evening with Grayson Bear!This week, we have another guest speaker we’d love to introduce to you– Raina Telgemeier! SVA Alum and bestselling author of graphic novels such as Smile, Sisters, and Ghosts, will be joining us this week for a presentation and interview.We will be holding this meeting over Zoom, on Friday, January 31st at 6:30 PM. Stay tuned for the link!See you soon,CA Staff

1/24/2025 - Guest Speaker

Hello gamers!Thank you to everyone who came to our 2 Hour Comics Night! We enjoyed creating art with you all.This week, Cartoon Allies is thrilled to be hosting guest speaker Grayson Bear! That’s right— award winning cartoonist and tattoo artist Grayson Bear, author of graphic novels such as “Al Dente” and “Pokey,” is coming to SVA!We will be meeting in SVA’s East Library (380 2nd Ave, 2nd Floor) at 6:30 PM, This Friday (January 24th).See you there,CA Staff

1/17/2025 - 2 Hour Comics

Greetings, gamers…And welcome back! We hope everyone had an amazing Winter Break.This week, we are kicking off the spring semester with 2 Hour Comics Night! Need something short to submit to INK Magazine? Or maybe you’re just trying to be more fast and loose with your comic art. Whatever the case, this week’s meeting will be fast-paced storytelling fun for everyone!We will be meeting in room 701G at 6:30 PM, This Friday (January 17th).See you there,CA Staff

12/13/2024 - Live Comics Reading

Hello gamers!We had a great time in Boston last weekend at MICE! A big thank you to our submitters– watch this space for payment and unsold merch pickup updates.This Friday, we are resuming our normal meeting schedule for Live Comics Reading Night! Come and read your original comics in front of a live audience!You can put a Google Slides presentation of your comic into this folder so that we can put it up on the projector during the meeting: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1297BRMf8Xg9au9wk66DQ9FvYVycZrye5?usp=share_linkWe will be meeting in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, December 13th.See you there!CA Staff

12/8/2024 - MICE

Morning gamers!We hope that everybody had a great Thanksgiving Break.While we will not be meeting this Friday, Cartoon Allies will be attending MICE in Boston, Massachusetts this weekend (December 7-8)!The submission deadline for MICE has been extended to today (December 2) at 10 PM. You can find submission forms and a drop off box for your items at the CI Lab at 380 2nd Avenue. Please make sure to read the submission form carefully when filling it out— items that do not meet the specifications outlined on our form cannot be sold.See you guys next week!CA Staff

11/23/2024 - RISO Demo

Good morning gamers!Thanks to everyone who came to last week’s Zine Night!Instead of our usual Friday meeting, this weekend, we are teaming up with the folks at the CI Lab to bring you a whole weekend of printing fun with our RISO Demo Weekend!We will be meeting in the CI Lab at several times over this weekend (November 23rd-24th). In order to attend one of our demos, you will need to sign up for a time slot using this form: https://forms.gle/2ernuLM8zcz1sjyF8.Please note that in order to attend this event, you must already have current access to the CI Lab. This facility is available only to comics and illustration majors who are in their second year or above. Additionally, our RISO Demo Weekend is not a training session for RISO certification. If you are interested in becoming RISO certified, we encourage you to independently sign up for an individual session at the CI Lab. RISO Certification is not a requirement to attend this weekend’s event.Join us, and unlock the mysterious powers of RISO!CA Staff

11/15/2024 - Zine Night

Gamers!Thanks for coming to last week’s interview with Michael Walsh.This week, join us for an evening of arts and crafts at our Zine Night! Wanna sell your work, but got nothing to print? Join us for mini-comics creation night! Learn how to scan and print your zines for the next convention.We will be meeting in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, November 15th.November 15th is also your last chance to pick up leftover merch before we have to toss it all! If you sold with us at SPX, you need to pick up unsold merchandise at or before this Friday’s meeting if you have not already done so. To schedule a pickup time before the meeting, email us at [email protected].See you soon!CA Staff

11/8/2024 - Guest Speaker

Good afternoon gamers!Thank you to those who competed in our first ever OC Tournament last week, and congrats again to those who won!This week, we will be collaborating with SVA’s Horror Society in an interview with Michael Walsh! He’s done a lot of work with Marvel and DC, as well as a horror anthology with Image called The Silver Coin. He is currently working on a Frankenstein adaptation.Our meeting will be held over Zoom on Friday, November 8th, at 6:30 PM. Stay tuned for the Eventbrite link!See you there,CA Staff

11/1/2024 - OC Tournament

Hey gamers!Thanks to everyone who came to our Halloween OC Swap! Don’t put your printed reference sheets away yet– you’re gonna need them for this week’s meeting, too.Because this week, we are hosting an OC Tournament! Bring your OC and put your storytelling skills to the test in an epic Original Character Tournament (OCT) against other club members!We will be meeting in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, November 1st.See you there!CA Staff

10/25/2024 - Halloween OC Swap

Hey gamers!Thanks everyone for coming to last week’s Con Night! We hope you learned a ton.This week, join us for our Halloween OC Swap! Bring printed reference of your OCs to receive fanart of and draw fanart for other students! Come in costume… if you dare!We will be meeting in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, October 25th.See you there,CA Staff

10/18/2024 - Con Night

Good morning gamers!Thanks to everyone who came to our Telephone Comics Night. We had a blast making some goofy comic strips with you all. (If you missed the meeting, most of the finished comics from last week can be found on our Discord!)This week, learn the ins and outs of tabling at a convention at our Con Night! We’ll be showing you how to organize your space with our example setup, as well as discussing pricing and manufacturers.We will be meeting in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, October 18th.See you there,CA Staff

10/11/2024 - Telephone Comics

Hey Gamers!Thank you all so much for coming to our Comic Shop Crawl on Saturday! We hope you all had a great time exploring the city with us!This week, we will be having Telephone Comics! What’s Telephone Comics? Much like a game of Telephone, you make a panel of a comic and pass it down. Then the next person has to move forward with the story only seeing the panel that came before!This meeting will take place on Friday, October 11th, at 6:30 PM in Room 701G, 310 E 22nd St.See you there!CA Staff

10/5/2024 - Comic Shop Crawl

Hi Gamers!Thank you to everyone who came to our guest speaker meeting with Shen Comix. It was a fun and insightful meeting and we’re glad to have had lots of people there for it!Our next meeting will be our annual Comic Shop Crawl! We will be going to Kinokuniya, Forbidden Planet, and The Strand. The meeting will take place Saturday October 5th at 12PM and we will be meeting outside the Student Center (217 E 23rd St).We hope to see you all there!CA Staff

9/27/2024 - Guest Speaker

Hello gamers!Thanks to everyone who attended our Maid Cafe Mixer Event last week! We had a lot of fun sharing snacks and playing games with you all.This week, join us for an evening with legendary internet cartoonist **Shen Comix! **Creator of series such as Owl Turd Comix and Public U. Art Club, Shen has been posting comics online since 2013. If you aren’t already familiar with his work, you can find him @shencomix on Instagram.This meeting will be held over **Zoom on Friday, September 27th at 6:30 PM. **To get access to the video call, **please SIGN UP on Eventbrite! **The link will be sent out this Wednesday.**SPX SELLERS: **Thank you for selling with us! Payment information will be going out very soon. We appreciate your patience with us!Looking forward to seeing you all,
CA Staff

9/20/2024 - Maid Cafe-Mixer Event

Good morning gamers!Thank you to our SPX submitters, and to everyone who attended our first meeting! We look forward to getting to know everyone over the next few meetings.This week, come grab a bite at the Cartoon Allies Maid Cafe-Mixer Event! Have a snack and learn more about your fellow comics enthusiasts!We will be meeting in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, September 20th.See you there!CA Staff

9/14/2024 - SPX

Hey Gamers!Thank you all so much for coming to our first meeting!! It was great to see so many faces, both new and old.This week, we will not be having a meeting due to us being at Small Press Expo (SPX) this weekend! Our deadline for submissions is tomorrow, Wednesday September 10th at 10PM. Here is what we ask for your submissions:We do not accept any fan art or non-original pieces.No one-of-a-kind items.No variations of the same item under the same item name. (ex: blue poster, red poster with same design are two different items)Due to limited space, we cannot accept more than 2 items per person.There is a limit of 15 copies per item.We ask that your prints not exceed 11” x 17”.Be sure that your NAME and WEBSITE are printed or written on the front or back of your items.One of each of your items will be used as a display copy.Some of our professors and alumni will also be doing portfolio reviews at SPX on Saturday and Sunday from 1-3 PM.We’ll see you all next week for our Maid Cafe Mixer event next week!See you soon!!CA Staff

9/6/2024 - Fall '24 First Meeting

Hey gamers……and welcome to our Fall 2024 newsletter! This week, please join the Cartoon Allies in our first meeting of the new school year.Meet us in room 701G at 310 E 22nd St at 6:30 PM on Friday, September 6th to introduce yourself and learn more about SVA’s comic and convention club. Draw comics, meet friends, and learn about opportunities throughout the coming semester! We have a lot planned for this year that we can’t wait to share with you all.