“One Thing Leads to Another”: An Interview with Kevin Huizenga
“I don’t think about it in that way. At this point, that’s the way that I draw and the way that I write. It’s not a choice. It’s just the way I do it.”
Interview
Articles
“All That Truly Matters In A Story Is Emotion”: An Interview with Mark Waid
Alex Dueben attempts to catch up with Mark Waid, one of the most prolific and successful comic writers of the last three decades, and while he can’t quite cover it all–they certainly cover a good bit of what has kept Waid’s creative fires burning on books like Archie, Daredevil, Superman: Birthright, Impulse and his latest, Ignited.
“If Anything, The Book Would Be Longer”: A Conversation With Kelsey Wroten
Annie Mok catches up with cartoonist Kelsey Wroten, about their graphic novel Cannonball, the struggle between legible cartoons and artistic expression, and the lack of athletic style benchmarks in the creative arts.
Warts & All The Presidents: A Chat With Drew Friedman
In advance of a major exhibition of his illustrations of the US Presidents, Drew Friedman sat down with Mark Newgarden to answer the burning questions: which of those dudes was the ugliest?
In Deadly Earnest: A Conversation with Kate Lacour
Katie Skelly uncovers the beating heart of Kate Lacour’s Vivisectionary by sitting down with the creator behind a book that has been referred to as “neocomics” by some, “unsettling” by others, and “kind of goofy, kind of creepy” by its own creator.
“I’m Definitely Not Trying To Subvert”: The Alabaster Pizzo Interview
Rob Clough sits down Alabaster Pizzo, whose ongoing project Mimi & The Wolves just reached the halfway point. In this conversation, Pizzo reflects on decades spent living cheap, regretting nothing, and making comics.
“The Sanest Guys In The Ball Park”: An Interview With Paul Tumey
Paul Tumey reflects back on the conclusion of a seven year project: Screwball! The Cartoonists Who Made the Funnies Funny. In this conversation with Michael Tisserand, Tumey walks us through the history of American newspaper comics comedy..and to define the word “screwballist”!
The Comics Journal #304: Excerpt from The Simon Hanselmann Interview
In this excerpt from TCJ #304, Hanselmann talks about Gretzkys, the relationship between autobiography and fiction, and selling stuffed animals.
“I Took It Very Serious”: An Interview With Johanna Maierski
Kim Jooha catches up with Johanna Maierski of Colorama, a small comics press out of Germany with a focus on quality, community and wildcard beauty.
“They Left Me Alone And That Was Pretty Great”: An Interview With Phil Jimenez
Phil Jimenez talks with Alex Dueben about highlights from his twenty-eight year career in comics, the importance of mental health in the LGBTQ comics community, and why he’s returning to Wonder Woman.
“Rhyme With The Images”: An Interview with Frank Santoro
Frank Santoro sits down with Caitlin McGurk to talk in detail about Pittsburgh, his most widely anticipated release from New York Review Comics.
Trauma, Anxiety and History: Travis Dandro In Conversation With Pascal Girard
Cartoonist Pascal Girard spoke with cartoonist Travis Dandro about processing trauma, dealing with anxiety, and managing a full time life…and how all of those things came together for Dandro’s new memoir, King Of King Court.
In Praise Of Popnut Skrummies: An Elmo Conversation With Frank M. Young
Mark Newgarden and Frank M. Young discuss their love for Cecil Jensen’s Elmo, and the reason Young decided to make this unheralded classic available again via print on demand.
“It Became An Obsession”: An Interview With Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
Jonathan Fetter-Vorm speaks with Alex Dueben about the difficulty of making graphic novel out of a conflict-free story where every reader knows the ending: Moonbound, the story of Apollo 11.
LGBTQ Speculative Fiction: A Creative Roundtable
Blue Delliquanti and Dylan Edwards are both cartoonists working in the field of queer and trans spec fic for kids and teens. In this interview, they talk with Melanie Gillman about the power of LGBTQ spec fic as a genre to challenge existing infrastructures, provide escapes, and create allegorical mirrors for young queer and trans readers.
An Interview With Donald Rooum
In this interview from TCJ #247, political cartoonist Donal Rooum talks to Ken Worcester about anarchy, gag cartooning, and typography.
Vive Le Livre: Simon Roussin’s Beautiful BD
Cynthia Rose speaks with Simon Roussin about the varied styles that have gone into his award-winning and wildly colorful work, how he grapples with his influences, and the choices he’s made about who gets to publish him.
“Vengeance As A Subject Matter Always Excites Me”: An Interview With Tia Roxae
As Tia Roxae’s horror inspired comics begin making their way to readers, Katie Skelly pinned the artist down to talk about what inspired her to move into the field, and what she has planned for the future.
“Style Itself Influences The Mood.”: An Interview With Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran’s latest graphic novel sees her taking Harry Clarke’s illustration and stained glass work as inspiration. In this interview, she explains to Alex Dueben how the project–her newest collaboration with writer Neil Gaiman–came about.
“The Paper Was The Place Where We Could Play”: An Interview With Simon Grennan
Dr. Simon Grennan talks with Nicholas Burman about his work in comics, and how that work drew him and his collaborators to the work of graphic medicine, exemplified in the recent publication “Parables of Care”.
I Feel Like We Don’t Meaningfully Have Much Of An “Underground” Right Now”: An Interview With Evan Dahm
Evan Dahm talks to Sloane Leong about the exciting sprawl his career in comics has taking, from successful webcomics to series work with publishers, all while struggling against the traditional expectations of what a “story” is supposed to be.
“I Did It The Other Way Around”: An Interview With Joan Steacy
For her first foray into the artform, Joan Steacy went long–a 250 page graphic novel, detailing a semi-fictionalized account of her life. Today, she’s speaking with Alex Dueben about her life, her unusual background, and the variety of real life people who appear in Aurora Borealice.
“Simplifying Is My Thing”: Sloane Leong Talks To Giorgia Marras
Cartoonist and critic Leong is speaking with the her fellow artists-in-residence at the Maison de Auteurs in Angouleme, France. This week, she talks to Giorgia Marras about the inspiration and decisions behind her graphic novel, Sissi, Une Femme Au Delà Du Conte De Fées.
“I’m Crazy. This Is Why It’s Really Hard To Find A Publisher”: Sloane Leong Talks To Giorgia Casetti
Cartoonist and critic Leong is speaking with the her fellow artists-in-residence at the Maison de Auteurs in Angouleme, France. This week, she talks to Giorgia Casetti about the cartooning “code”, making work for children, and lining things up for publishers.
