Interview
Articles
“I’ve Started Getting An Idea Of What Comics Are About”: An Interview With Ken Niimura
Ken Niiumara talks with Alex Dueben about his recently published Never Open It: The Taboo Trilogy with Yen Press, which sees the cartoonist delivering a fresh take on centuries-old Japanese folktales.
“But You Get Up Again. And Then You Get Up Again. And Again.”: The Liam Sharp Interview
In this extensive interview, cartoonist, creator and innovator Liam Sharp discusses his sprawling career drawing superheroes, creating businesses, writing novels, supporting a family, embracing the struggle, representing his hometown, and much, much more. Yes, more than that.
“If I Could, I’d Completely Redraw It”: An Interview With Chaz Truog
While “Animal Man” may be the first title you think of when his name comes up, Chaz Truog’s career has gone much further than one fondly remembered DC comic. In this conversation, he talks about time spent in the monthly trenches with Coyote, his groundbreaking work on Leonardo Da Vinci in Chiaroscuro and his latest, the violent medieval epic, The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus.
The Hunt Emerson Interview
In this interview, which originally ran in TCJ #198 in 1997, British cartoonist Hunt Emerson (Phenomenocomix, Firkin, Calculus Cat, Casanova’s Last Stand) talks about his relationship to the American underground and European comics scenes, adapting classic literature, music, Fortean philosophy, and much more.
“I Really Am an Underground Cartoonist”: Talking to Rick Veitch
Over the last few years, Rick Veitch has utilized a host of publishing tools to bring his older work back to print, and to return to those series as well. Jason Bergman caught up with him about his dreams, his super-heroes, and which major publisher is still frightened by his work.
“I’m A Citizen Of Gay America”: An Interview With Eric Orner
Eric Orner is one of the only former U.S. Congressional aides who can lay claim to a long-running comic strip and time spent in the Disney trenches. Today, he’s talking to Alex Dueben about how that history helped inform Smahtguy, his biography of the iconic and iconoclastic Barney Frank, one of the first gay and out congressmen and a front-line defender of civil rights.
“The Main Motivation Has Been Paying The Rent”: An Interview With Hunt Emerson
Hunt Emerson catches up with TCJ’s Tasha Lowe-Newsome about his experience with cancer, COVID, and Kickstarting comics, following the successful campaign to print Phenomenomix. In so doing, he also talks about his work in Kenya, his time in bands, and the work he’s produced due to his unwillingness to turn down a gig.
Catching Up With Mark Schultz
Mark Schultz talks about his journey from comics, to comics that are turned into television shows and Sega CD games, to taking over the adventures of Prince Valiant… while the whole time, Xenozoic Tales remains in the background, ready to take the spotlight once more.
“I Really Wasn’t Considering The Reader At All”: A Conversation With Ariel Bordeaux
Cartoonist Ariel Bourdeaux catches up with Alex Dueben about her path through comics, from Raisin Pie to Patreon dailies, and all the way up to Clutter, her new work of autobiography with Fieldmouse Press.
“This Town Is Big Enough For All Of Us”: Ralf König On Lucky Luke
German cartoonist Ralf König grew up reading Lucky Luke, and then one day, he loudly sighed over breakfast at the idea of getting to create his own Lucky Luke comic: and then, thanks to a friend, that demonstrative moment turned into Swiss Bliss, an actual Lucky Luke story. Aug Stone has the story!
“I’m A Legendary Drunk, Right?”: A (Sober) Interview With Tony Millionaire
Two decades ago, John Kelly talked to Tony Millionaire at a bar about drinking and making comics. Now, the two speak again, about comics, Saturday Night Live, Adult Swim, Patreon, making comics…and getting sober.
“I Draw Swell, Drunk Or Sober. Unless I’m Really Drunk For Three Days”: An (Old) Interview With Tony Millionaire
In this conversation between Tony Millionaire and John Kelly from 1999, the cartoonist explains how he got his start, his time spent hanging off the roof of a cab, how autobiographical his comics about an alcoholic and suicidal crow are, and his love for all things nautical. Next week, we’ll present an all new conversation between Kelly and Millionaire, picking up right where this one leaves off.
“I Much Prefer The Drawing Of A Thing More Than The Finishing Of It”: An Interview with Warwick Johnson Cadwell
The prolific cartoonist talks with Joe Decie about his collaborations with Mike Mignola, his extremely specific (and, in comics circles, rare) day job, and why it might be a good idea for creative types to bone up on their Hammer horror knowledge.
Recognition: A Conversation with Jean-Claude Mézières
In this interview, circa 1985, Gil Kane and Gary Groth talk to Valerian and Laureline co-creator Jean-Claude Mezieres about being a storyteller, not an artist, the French comics scene, being an American cowboy, and collaboration. They talk at him about Clint Eastwood.
“We Get To Do Whatever We Want!”: An Interview with Sean Phillips
Ian Thomas catches up with one of the most prolific comics artists of the last two decades: Sean Phillips, who has drawn zombies for Marvel, horror for Vertigo, and a metric ton of comics written by Ed Brubaker. In this conversation, the two manage to cover it all at a pretty brisk clip.
Isolation, Empathy, and Wistfulness: An Interview with Aubrey Nolan
Sam Jaffe Goldstein catches up with cartoonist Aubrey Nolan about what she learned from her art show “Protection Spells”, what influences her work, and how she sees that work going forward.
“If I Can Inspire Others To Do This Kind Of Thing, That Would Be Amazing”: A Conversation About Koyama Provides
After closing Koyama Press at the beginning of 2021, Annie Koyama turned her energies towards Koyama Provides, an ongoing series of financial grants for cartoonists, comics makers and other artistic ventures. We caught up with her about the project’s first year and the motives behind it.
“We’re Not Doing Books To Make Our Living.”: A Dungeon Interview With Lewis Trondheim
With all new English language editions of Lewis Trondheim & Joann Sfar’s Dungeon series making its way to the United States, it was about time to check in and find out how things are going with all those fantasy mammals, and the murderer’s row of talent that has been drawing them!
“A Book That Contains Years of My Life”: An Interview with Andrew White
As cartoonist Andrew White prepares to release we are breathing, a collection of his earlier comics, he catches up with Alec Berry on what has changed about his approach to the work, the art, and the intersection of the two.
Catching Up with Tom Kaczynski
Publisher, cartoonist and thinker, Tom Kaczynski has his hand in as many art forms and intellectual pursuits as one can. Craig Fischer caught up with him about all of them not once, but twice.
“These are Modern American Family Comics”: The Derek M. Ballard Interview
We speak with Derek M. Ballard about growing up in the South, learning comics from catalogs, creating cartoons with Pendleton Ward, all in an attempt to figure out how he got this good, and how it is that he keeps getting better.
“I Wanted to Create a World”: An Interview with Lane Milburn
Lane Milburn’s newest graphic novel Lure sees the cartoonist making a departure from his previous work. In this conversation, he goes into how those changes came to be, the different kinds of non-comics work he takes on to support himself, and the dark business of “graphic recording”.
“Outside Our Sad Little Country, They Can Actually Achieve Something”: An Interview with Łukasz Kowalczuk
Łukasz Kowalczuk returned to making comics as an adult, fueled by memories of slime, a love of 80s licensed properties and role playing games. Since then, he’s translated Prison Pit, organized conventions and increased the world supply of neon-colored Polish comics by a healthy margin!
Speaking Out of the Silence: A Conversation with Dash Shaw about Discipline
In this conversation between Dash Shaw and Greg Hunter which took place earlier this month via Brooklyn’s Community Bookstore, Shaw discusses the background to his latest graphic novel Discipline, how his own Quaker upbringing informed its depictions of silence, and the real world Civil War letters that birthed the project.
