Past Talks & More | Author Talks

Derf Backderf

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio 

Book Signing

Kent State book cover next to a cartoon image of soldiers with guns on a hill with cartoon words repeating boom and bang.
Mar 10, 2026 7:00 PM
Film/Video Theater

$5 members
$6 general public
Free for students

For ticketing questions please call the Visitor Desk at (614) 292-3535.

If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation to participate in this event, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Visit our Accessibility page to learn more.

Become a Member

Join us for a conversation with Derf Backderf about his graphic novel Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio.

One of the many celebrated cartoonists to hail from Ohio, Ohio State alum Derf Backderf is a former cartoonist for the Lantern and the award-winning creator of such books as My Friend Dahmer (2012) and Trashed (2015), as well as the comic strip The City, which ran in alternative newspapers from 1990 to 2014. His heavily researched graphic novel Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (2020) is a recounting of the tragic shooting of four college students by Ohio National Guard troops on May 4, 1970. Rich with historical detail, the book also serves as a deeply moving portrait of the young people who died that day. Backderf will discuss the creation of the book and sign copies in the Wexner Center Store following the presentation. 

The event is presented in conjunction with the current exhibition Naeem Mohaiemen: Corinthians, on view through May 24.

IMAGE CAPTION
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio book cover and cartoon, courtesy of Abrams Books.

Tag(s)

Program Support

Presented with Ohio State's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.

SUPPORT FOR FILM PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY

Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY

Greater Columbus Arts Council

The Wexner Family

Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

CampusParc

The Columbus Foundation

Every Page Foundation

Mellon Foundation

Axium Packaging

Nationwide Foundation

Michael and Anita Goldberg

Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease, LLP

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

Joyce Shenk

Rebecca Perry and Ben Towle

Lachelle Thigpen

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Past Talks & More

Derf Backderf

Mar 10, 2026 7:00 PM EST
Film/Video Theater

$5 members
$6 general public
Free for students

For ticketing questions please call the Visitor Desk at (614) 292-3535.

If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation to participate in this event, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Visit our Accessibility page to learn more.

Become a Member