Cliff Meth and the Invincible Gene Colan
Cliff Meth pays tribute to the life and artwork of Gene Colan in a new collection. Here, Cliff discusses the importance of Colan's work and its long-lasting legacy in comics.
All About Benjamin
The talented writer and artist behind Orange and Remember discusses manhua and the impact of his work in this revealing interview.
Copper Talk with Kazu Kibuishi
Kazu Kibuishi discusses his new collection, Copper, what inspired him and the freedom working on a webcomics series affords him.
The Puppet Masters: An Interview with Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins
Writer Van Jensen and creator-artist Dusty Higgins discuss their critically acclaimed work on Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer, an original, fun, and inventive take on a story that was already far darker than most people know.
Of Gods and Men: An Interview with George O'Connor
George O’Connor has just begun a new series focusing on the gods of myth, a series he's both writing and illustrating. But he took some time out from his busy schedule to answer our questions about the king of the gods, comics collecting, and more.
Sublife Goes On: An Interview with John Pham
Writer/artist John Pham takes us on a journey through his imaginative Sublife.
Power Talk: Comics in the University Classroom
Randy Duncan and Matthew J. Smith have written the book on The Power of Comics, a first-rate resource for college-level comics courses. We talked to the two professors about how they developed their comics criteria and how other teachers can too. Plus: Both share their syllabi from their courses!
Teeth Marks: An Interview with Raina Telgemeier
Raina Telgemeier discusses the book that everyone is talking about: her memoir Smile. Here’s how a painful childhood accident turned into one of the most talked-about books of the season.
Love, American Style: Ted Rall on The Year of Loving Dangerously
Before Ted Rall was an incredibly popular and controversial editorial cartoonist, he was a young man on the run—a past he documents in wild abandon in The Year of Loving Dangerously.
The X Effect: An Interview with John Byrne
Comics legend John Byrne takes us on a trip through history with a look back at the biggest comics superhero team of all, the Uncanny X-Men, and how his work shaped the world of the team and comics ever after.
Looking Back with Charles Vess
The beautiful artwork of Charles Vess has been gracing comics for more than three decades. Now he takes a look back at his extensive body of work in the collection Drawing Down the Moon and in this revealing interview.
A Conversation with Norm Breyfogle
One of the most revered Batman artists of all time, Norm Breyfogle has been working in the comics industry for decades, putting his definitive stamp on the world's most famous characters. Here's his perspective looking back.
Alan Grant on Batman and Beyond
Longtime Batman writer Alan Grant discusses his career in comics, from his beginnings in England through his tenure on the Dark Knight Detective, and on to his views on comics today.
Yaoi Love: An Interview with Makoto Tateno
For more than two decades, Makoto Tateno has been steaming up the world of manga with her bestselling stories. We talked to the writer about her work and what she sees ahead for the yaoi genre.
The Power of Fables: An Interview with Bill Willingham, Part 1
Bill Willingham discusses his work on Fables, including the new prose novel based on it, as well as the politics of the comics industry, his upcoming work on Justice Society, and more.
The Power of Fables: An Interview with Bill Willingham, Part 2
Bill Willingham discusses his work on Fables, including the new prose novel based on it, as well as the politics of the comics industry, his upcoming work on Justice Society, and more.
The Power of Fables: An Interview with Bill Willingham, Part 3
Bill Willingham discusses his work on Fables, including the new prose novel based on it, as well as the politics of the comics industry, his upcoming work on Justice Society, and more.
Black Book: Laurie Faria Stolarz Interviewed
Laurie Faria Stolarz is the acclaimed author of such young adult books as Bleed, Project 17, and the Touch series. In this interview, Stolarz explains what inspired her to create her latest work, Black Is for Beginnings, as a graphic novel companion to her Blue Is for Nightmares series and discusses how she was able to transition easily between the two formats. She also describes how her upbringing in Salem, Massachusetts, influenced her writing and research on the paranormal subjects in her work and reveals how she stays current on what’s important to her teen audiences.
New York Story: Kevin Baker's Luna Park
Bestselling prose author Kevin Baker breaks into comics with the brilliant and powerful Luna Park. Here, the writer shares what it was like to take on comics for the first time, how his story was inspired, and what he’d like to do next.
Batting 1,000
Tony Isabella shares his massive list of 1,000 Comic Books You Must Read. Here, he talks about what made the list, what didn’t, and much more.
Hat Trick
Return to Wonderland with author Frank Beddor! But be careful…it’s even more dangerous than you remember. Beddor discusses his imaginative series here.
Let's Get Physical
Physics professor James Kakalios is a comics fan through and through. Who better to write The Physics of Superheroes? We talked to him about his favorite stories, the best science bloopers in comics, and where they got it right.
Traveling Pants: An Interview with Eddie Campbell
For 30 years, popular artist Eddie Campbell has been documenting his life in a series of revealing autobiographical comics. More than just memoirs, these are powerful, critically acclaimed works of art, and now the majority of them have been collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants. Get to know Eddie even better in our interview.
Cannon Fodder
Writer-artist Kevin Cannon began creating an usual challenge to himself: the 24-hour story. A series of those events led to the creation of the swashbuckling, seafaring adventure Far Arden, and here he discusses his inspiration for this wildly inventive book.
The Wondrous Comics Life of Junot Díaz
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Junot Díaz discusses the role of color and racial politics in comics both in the past and today. In this compelling interview, he notes how far the format has come…and how it’s still got a long, long way to go.
The Big Picture
Josh Elder discusses his latest project, the nonprofit effort Reading With Pictures, which helps teachers incorporate comics into the classroom.
Photographic Evidence
Emmanuel Guibert followed up Alan’s War with the poignant and impactful nonfiction work The Photographer. Here, he talks about the entire process of creating this magnificent work, in all its painstaking detail.
Very Vlad Things
Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon, the masterminds behind the bestselling The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, now take you back to the 15th century for a horror story unlike any other—Vlad the Impaler’s. Here’s what Jacobson and Colon had to say about the life that inspired the legend of Dracula.
Breathed in Bloom
Berkeley Breathed, the man behind Opus, Bill the Cat, Milo Bloom, Steve Dallas, and so many more of our favorite characters from the '80s, talks about his life creating Bloom County and what it means to look back on it now.
Spending Time in the Fairy World
Holly Black has just released the second book in her Good Neighbors trilogy, Kith. With a year-long space between the release of each of the books (the final book, Kind, will be out in October of 2010), fans have a long wait for their fix, but it’s worth it.
The Art of Ball Peen Hammer: Talking with George O'Connor
One of the most buzzed about books of the fall, Ball Peen Hammer, also contains some of the most stylized artwork. We talked to George about how he came to work on this powerful new book.
Behind Forty-Five: A Talk with Andi Ewington
An ambitious project from writer Andi Ewington brings together the work of 45 different artists in one book. Here, the author discusses the scope of this huge project.
Good and Evil: An Interview with Mark Waid
Comics legend Mark Waid discusses his ongoing Irredeemable series, his incredible body of past comics work, and what’s in store next.
Days of Thunder: An Interview with Dwight Jon Zimmerman
With a remarkably thorough way of explaining the entire scope of Vietnam, Dwight Jon Zimmerman has tackled a seemingly insurmountable project and made it so much more than a simple comic retelling of the war. The Vietnam War: A Graphic History is a history lesson that truly teaches the depth of its subject.
Apocalypse Now
Set in a future world that’s as bleak as it is disturbing, Adam Rapp’s Ball Peen Hammer is an unsettling piece of work…but also compelling and fascinating. The man behind the story talks about the creation of this dark tale.
Father Figure
Laurie Sandell’s father was always a mystery. Slightly dangerous, confusing, but utterly brilliant, he seemingly could talk his way into and out of anything. But who and what was he truly? Sandell set out to find out the truth.
Worlds Beyond
Brian Fies asks a very intriguing question: Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? That’s the world we were promised so many decades ago, and the world we worked so hard to achieve. We talked with Brian to find out where that world is now.
Alex Eckman-Lawn: The Artist at Work
Talented artist Alex Eckman-Lawn discusses his inspirations as a comics artist and how he came to illustrate the new noir series Awakening—and as a bonus, he walks us through the creation process by showing how he created the artwork for one of the pages of the book. Step inside the artist’s mind and see the creative process through his eyes.
The Mouse Roars
Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm talked to GNR about how they work together on their bestselling Babymouse series, how the books came about, and what’s next for their tiny protagonist.
Small Steps
David Small is an award-winning children's book author, but he'll soon be known for his staunch graphic memoir Stitches, a stunning exploration of his childhood. With a cold and distant mother and a father who subjected him to bizarre experiments, Small escaped his childhood relatively intact, but without one of his vocal cords. Here, he explains why the time was right for him to tell his story now.
Kazu Kibuishi's Magical Kingdom
Following the success of his highly praised Flight series of anthologies, writer and artist Kazu Kibuishi got busy creating Amulet, one of the most fun and creative fantasy stories to come down the pike in ages. Here he discusses both and details what’s in store for each.
Beating the Forecast
Josh Neufeld talks about his experiences helping people recover from the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In the lives of seven remarkable people he met in New Orleans, he was able to create a classic work that captures the horror of what the victims went through—and how they survived.
Walking on Air
The visionary creator behind Air and Cairo discusses her seamless world of the magic and the mundane and how they all blend together on her outstanding new series.
The Scott Christian Sava Chronicles
When Scott Christian Sava sets out to write a graphic novel, he starts with a simple concept and asks “What would happen if…” The results are a series of cheery, self-contained children’s books that each revolve around an idea, often spelled out in the title: Pet Robots, Gary and the Pirate, My Grandparents Are Secret Agents.
War Stories
When C. Tyler went looking for her father’s past, his story of his experiences in World War II, she found a wall built up around him. With her father not wanting to share what he went through, Tyler thought that part of his life would be lost to history forever. Until one day he opened up. Here, she discusses how that day turned into the incredible memoir You’ll Never Know.
A Dork Is Born
Rachel Renée Russell is putting dorks on the map with her hilarious and charming new kids’ series Dork Diaries, starring the irrepressible Nikki Maxwell, unlikely eighth-grade star. Here, Rachel discusses how Nikki and the series came about—and why it has hit so big.
Jeremy Love's American Style
Writer and artist Jeremy Love discusses his beautifully done series Bayou and explains its historical roots, as well as his inspiration for creating the story.
Passion Under the Sun
Nicole Chaison finds a little inspiration from Joseph Campbell, a superstar football player, and the epic battles of heroes throughout history. But what she makes of that inspiration is instead one of the funniest memoirs out there.
Lunch Is Served
Jarrett J. Krosoczka created a fun new kids’ character with Lunch Lady, his heroine du jour for solving classic school crimes.
Flood Lines
Writer A. David Lewis explains how he and his coauthor came to be inspired by the many flood myths that permeate so many different human cultures, and how that inspiration in turn led to the gorgeous comic series Some New Kind of Slaughter.
Making UDON
UDON’s manga line recently debuted, making a huge impact with its new releases, translations of popular Japanese manga aimed specifically at kids ages 7 to 12. This long-ignored market is getting some special attention with this new line.
The Rules According to Jimmy
Jimmy Gownley and his fun-filled creation Amelia have taken the world by storm. First as a self-publishing phenomenon, and now as a release from a major publisher. He gives us the scoop on where Amelia came from and where she’s going next, as well as an exclusive on what the next volume will be!
Frankie in Earnest
Young readers are in a Pickle and loving it. Eric Wight’s funny series is catching on with beginning readers, and we caught up with him to ask him how he created the character and the books.
The Song Remains the Same
Small presses face innumerable challenges starting out today. One indie owner, Rachel Dukes of Poseur Ink, discusses the ups and downs of running a small press, as well as her new anthology, Side B, in this interview.
A Return to the Classics
Steve Saffel edited the massive new collection The Best of Simon and Kirby, a behemoth and fitting tribute to two of the most influential legends the industry has ever seen. It can’t have been easy. Here’s what went into this labor of love.
The Long and Winding Career of Arthur Suydam
One of the most storied creators in comics, as well as music and film, Arthur Suydam has been creating and interpreting comics characters for decades. With a penchant for larger-than-life drawings (and specializing in zombies), Suydam is a unique and eye-catching illustrator. We talked to him about his creations Cholly & Flytrap and his career in the industry.
The Claws Come Out: Chris Claremont and Matthew K. Manning on Wolverine
Two writers discuss the past, present, and future of Wolverine, one of the truly great characters in comics. Legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont and Wolverine expert Matthew K. Manning answer our questions about Logan.
A Force to Be Reckoned With
Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton could probably not be any more different, but all three of them have had their life stories turned into Female Force comics. The company’s president Darren G. Davis discusses his company and its success in this interview.
Blast from the Past: Rick Geary’s History in the Making
Rick Geary has an eye on the past, but with a very modern sensibility. That's what's helped him create some very exciting adventures and mysteries that all have historically accurate ties, including The Complete Adventures of Blanche.
C.M. Butzer Discusses Gettysburg
C.M. Butzer worked an astounding amount of research into an extraordinary visual treat, Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel. Going to great lengths to pay tribute to this moment in our national history, he’s created a unique historical work in the graphic format.
Snikt!—Barry Lyga Presents Wolverine from Another Point of View
It’s a new day at Professor Xavier’s school for mutants, and one new recruit is about to get an eyeful—which he’s more than happy to share with us through his blog. Writer Barry Lyga gives us the scoop on Wolverine: Worst Day Ever. Plus, take a look inside the book!
Smile Like You Mean It
The long-awaited The Eternal Smile, new from Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, is finally here. Meet the two creators behind the book in this interview and learn how the two friends decided to work together—and whether their friendship can survive a Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate.
School Days: Ariel Schrag Discusses Likewise
Ariel Schrag documented her high-school years in four raw, unflinching memoirs. With the release of the fourth and final edition, Likewise, which chronicles her senior year, she talks about what it’s like to share your coming-of-age with the world.
Corporate Rock and Comics Are for Suckers: An Interview with Mitch Clem
Mitch Clem started Nothing Nice to Say, a webcomic about “the awesomeness and the absurdity” of the punk rock scene, back in 2002. Here he talks about the recently released anthology of his popular and controversial series.
Surrogate Father
Author Robert Venditti discusses the inspiration behind his bleak sci-fi book The Surrogates. Plus, we give you a look inside the upcoming sequel!
Looking Back with Alan Davis
For the past quarter of a century, Alan Davis has been one of the most recognized and popular comics artists. Arriving in the States in the mid-'80s as part of the British Invasion of comics, he went on to take part in classic books and characters. In this interview, he looks back on that career and where it's brought him.
From Comics to Music and Back Again
Gerard Way may be best known for his immensely successful band My Chemical Romance, which has constantly reinvented its sound, finding greater and greater commercial success and picking up a Grammy in 2008, but his true passion, going all the way back to his childhood, is comics.
Mister M: A Career Retrospective with Dean Motter
Dean Motter gives us a retrospective of his fascinating career in this in-depth interview. Talking about everything from his pivotal Mister X series to his work on properties like Batman and The Prisoner, he opens up about the secrets behind his work, his collaborators, and his design and writing inspirations.
A Return to Dreaming
David B., the bestselling creator of Epileptic, shows you the vivid power of dreams in his latest, Nocturnal Cospiracies. Dreamland is a strange and dangerous place in these short stories.
Whole Hearted
Step inside the frightening, surprising, and bizarre world concocted in the minds of two teenage stepsiblings. Nate Powell introduces you to a decidedly twisted and engrossing experience in Swallow Me Whole, and here he discusses how it all came about.
Robots, Their Programming and How to Break into the Business
In a business that's tough to break into, and more difficult to get noticed in, some creators opt to self-publish. Felix Tannenbaum is one such creator. He talks here about what it took to get his book, Chronicles of Some Made, printed (and even distributed), with a little help from the Xeric Foundation.
Reliving History
As the inauguration approaches, we take a look back at the amazing year that just was with Dan Goldman, illustrator of 08.
Interview with Author Peter David and Stephen King's Historian Robin Furth on Journey to the Dark Tower
Stephen King’s Dark Tower series has been reborn in a best-selling graphic novel series from celebrated comics author Peter David and King historian and assistant Robin Furth. Here, they talk about the series’ past, present, and future.
Art Spiegelman and His Breakdowns: The GNR Interview
It’s been 30 years since a young, struggling, and virtually unknown comics artist named Art Spiegelman decided to publish Breakdowns, a massive retrospective of the work he’d done in the six years prior. Today, the reemergence of Breakdowns is an event, a cultural touchstone from a Pulitzer Prize-winning artist. Back then, it was an ambitious, risky, and, Spiegelman freely admits, unasked for.
Q&A with Jeff Smith, Creator of Bone
Artist and author Jeff Smith is the creator of the Bone series, which has been hailed as one of the 10 greatest graphic novels of all time. Here, he recalls the origins of his seminal work.
Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, Authors of Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, Want You to Be Creative Too
Between the two of them, Jessica Abel and Matt Madden have created numerous graphic novels and comic series, including Mirror, Window, Soundtrack, Black Candy, and Odds Off. This year, they published an instructional guide on writing graphic novels called Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, based on classes they teach at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts. In this interview, they explain what inspired them to write this textbook and highlight what both aspiring cartoonists and artists in general will be able to take away from these lessons.
Meet Lucy Knisley, Author of French Milk
The author of French Milk discusses life after France and how her book went from a self-published travelogue to a bestseller from a major publisher.
Interview with David Heatley, the Author of My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down
David Heatley turns the art of the comics memoir on its ear with My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down. The book is not only frank and honest, but also challenging. In this interview, Heatley describes the process of creating the book, how it changed his life, and how reaction to it has somewhat separated him from the comics community.
