The Skip Williamson Interview
This freewheeling interview by Grass Green touches on Williamson’s early influences, his fellow underground cartoonists including Jay Lynch and Gilbert Shelton, and the trajectory of his own comics career.
Highlights from the Archive
Articles
The Jay Lynch Interview, 1987
In this 1987 interview, underground cartoonist Jay Lynch talks about his experience growing up with comics and the influence of printed satire. The underground comix scene and the comic industry are discussed in depth as well as the theories behind his work.
The Jack Davis Interview
In this 1992 interview conducted by Lee Wochner, Jack Davis discusses his early days in New York and his work for MAD and TIME Magazine.
The Darwyn Cooke Interview
In this 2007 interview, Cooke talks about growing up in Canada, his career in animation and comics, and whether or not he can actually take anyone in a fight.
The Dennis Eichhorn Interview
In this 1993 interview, Eichhorn talks about matching artists to his writing, Bukowski, and Harvey Pekar.
The Richard Sala Interview by Darcy Sullivan
In this 1998 interview, Richard Sala discusses his genre influences, style, and pop culture obsession.
The Daniel Clowes Interview
In this 1992 interview from The Comics Journal #154, Gary Groth and Peter Bagge talk with Daniel Clowes about art school, Lloyd Llewellyn, and the beginnings of Eightball.
Yoshihiro Tatsumi Interview
Gary Groth interviews seminal gekiga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi.
The Dame Darcy Interview
In this 1994 interview, Dame Darcy and interviewer Darcy Sullivan talk about Victorian influences, ghosts, and pointy boobs.
The Problem with Editorial Cartooning Today
This 1988 panel about the viability of satire in editorial cartooning features Jules Feiffer, Chuck Freund, Brad Holland, David Levine, and Peter Steiner. They question what’s left to satirize in a culture that satirizes itself, and ponder if humor helps or hurts the political aims of editorial cartoonists.
Cartoons of Mass Destruction: The Whole Story Behind the Danish 12
In 2006, 12 Danish cartoonists controversially drew pictures of Muhammad at the urging of Flemming Rose, the culture editor of the weekly Jyllands-Posten. This news story from The Comics Journal #275 (April 2006) offers a multitude of perspectives — from cartoonists, Danes, Muslims, Danish Muslims — and is being rerun to help supply context for the Charles Hebdo killings.
Ralph Steadman: Into the Gentle Darkness
In this 1989 Comics Journal interview, Gary Groth picks Ralph Steadman’s brain on the topic of his growth as an artist, changing interests, loss of faith and times working with Hunter S. Thompson in a career-spanning conversation that always finds its way back to politics and all that’s wrong in the world.
The Great Comic Book Heroes Intro & Afterword by Jules Feiffer
In this expanded intro and afterword to Jules Feiffer’s The Great Comic Book Heroes, he explains how the art and business of comic books has evolved since its origin.
“The Nostrand Zone” by Bhob Stewart
In this essay from The Comics Journal #96 (March 1985), Bhob Stewart looks at the career of “Mystery Artist” Howard Nostrand.
The Shary Flenniken Interview
In this interview from The Comics Journal #146 (November 1991), Shary Flenniken talks about running away from home, the Air Pirates, editing National Lampoon, Trots and Bonnie, and more.
Edward Sorel’s Happy Accidents
Emerging from a partnership with some of the most famous and influential graphic designers of the time, Edward Sorel went on to become a celebrated illustrator, writer, and cartoonist whose work graces publications across the cultural spectrum. In this interview from TCJ #158 (April 1993), Sorel spoke to the Journal about his life, his art, and his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the wrong time.
The Bill Watterson Interview
In this 1989 interview, Bill Watterson talks about the tension between realities in Calvin and Hobbes, how popular art doesn’t have to pander, nuance, animation and why he chose not license the strip.
The Joey Manley Interview
In this 2006 interview, Dirk Deppey and Joey Manley discuss the webcomics subscription model, micropayments, how putting comics on the web changes them, and an e-book future.
The Peter Bagge Interview
In this interview from 1998, Peter Bagge talks about ending the first run of his Hate series, developing it for MTV, buying comics off the Internet, and being able to make a living off of doing comics.
Take Five: An Interview with Arnold Roth
In this 1991 interview, Gary Groth talks to Arnold Roth about jazz, Humbug, Harvey Kurtzman, the Senate hearings, Poor Arnold’s Almanac, National Lampoon, and more.
Blood and Thunder: The Complete “I Am Not Terry Beatty’s Girlfriend” Debate
In a classic example of authors responding to their critics circa 1988, Terry Beatty and his girlfriend Wendi Lee refute a negative review of Wild Dog in this series of letters from TCJ’s Blood and Thunder. An “I am not Terry Beatty’s Girlfriend” letter-writing contest ensues.
Claire Bretécher: Triumphant Despite Traitorous Translation
In this review from The Comics Journal #42 (October 1978), Kim Thompson critiques National Lampoon’s Claire Bretecher translation.
Another Relentlessly Elitist Editorial
Kim Thompson answers a “silly question” in this editorial from The Comics Journal #55 (April 1980)
One Picture Does Not A Comic Make
In his review of Masters of Comic Book Art from The Comics Journal #49 (August 1979), Kim Thompson makes a distinction between illustration and sequential comic art.
