Artists of the future, have we got the event for you. In this episode of Strip Search, we talk to Meena Jain, director of the Ashland Public Library in Massachusetts, and cartoonist and author Deanna Soukiasian about the Ashland Library Young Artists Comics Fest coming March 21. (Including about how kid creators can participate with their comics, and sell them too, for cash money.) Also, Dave and Pete have book recs, an update on their upcoming chapter book "Freddy Peeves and the Scoop on the Sinking School," and a rundown of upcoming events.

Strip Search is back for 2026, with a most special of special guests: Deon Parson, also known by his pen name "Supr Dee." "Rosebuds," his comic strip about a family of three very different sisters that he produces out of his home studio in Indiana, is nationally syndicated by King Features, and he's also the creator of the strips "Life With Kurami" and "Pen & Ink." We talk with Dee about his road to syndication, his methods and creative process, and just what's going on between him and Jim Davis. (Yes, that Jim Davis!) Also: Dave's got a new title, Pete's reading a new book, and Pet Peeves is getting ready for its next big launch.

Douglas Laubacher is a cartoonist and art educator from Northeast Ohio. You can find his comic strip, "Unbound," in the Tuscarawas County Bargain Hunter and the Wooster Weekly News. A member of the National Cartoonist Society, Doug can often be found traversing the land, teaching the mysterious craft of cartooning in various art centers and libraries throughout the region. (We know because he told us.) Check out our wide-ranging interview with Doug about "Unbound" and his cartooning history, along with some news about our latest Pet Peeves projects and a few adventures of our own.