by Mike Rhode

Anais Depommier is a young woman illustrator who has just had Sartre, her first graphic novel (really a graphic biography) come out in English from NBM Publsihing. She attended the 2017 Small Press Expo and I got the opportunity to interview her there.

Her NBM biography is charmingly translated rather literally (and a little outdated as you'll see later in the interview): Anaïs Depommier was born in the late 1980s in a small village in the Southeast of France. Growing up a close friend of Mathilde Ramadier, they can't do enough sleepovers from one's house to the other. Inseparable at school, they spend their weekends building huts in the bush, watching the gendarmes go by, playing "Mouse Stampede" on a Macintosh Classic, and reading many comics. When it becomes time to prepare for the entrance exam to art school, they meet later in the evenings at the painter Jean-Michel Pétrissans' workshop in Valence.

Anaïs studied drawing for four years, then co-created the OneShot workshop where regular life drawing classes and other exhibitions are held. She now lives in Paris and works in comics, graphics and animation design. 

For those not familiar with the French philospher Sartre, NBM's blurb for the book reads: For some he was the philosopher of existentialism, for others the constant provocateur, the politically engaged author, the uncertain militant, the repenting bourgeois, the life companion of Simone de Beauvoir… From his first readings in the Luxembourg Garden to his refusal of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Jean-Paul Sartre was all of this at the same time.

Mike Rhode: So SPX is your first American show... is it a little overwhelming?

Anais Depommier: Absolutely.

MR: And Sartre is your first book in English?

AD: Yes, and also my first graphic novel. And also for the writer Mathilde Ramadier, actually. It was our first book.

MR: Did you propose the book together to the publisher?

AD: We've known each other for a long time, so we created the project together and then asked some editors [if they would be interested in it].

MR: Biographical comics are fairy popular in France?

AD: Yes, that is true.

MR: You didn't serialize this in a newspaper first; this is an original graphic novel.

AD: Absolutely, we started everything through a contract with our French editor. Dargaud is our publisher; it's one of the main and oldest ones in France.

MR: Did you have the book already put together, or was it just a proposal when you approached them?

AD: It was just a proposal. Works like this in France are usually [done this way now].

MR: So they gave you an advance?

AD: Absolutely.

MR: Moving on from the business side to the subject, so why did you pick Sartre?

AD: At the beginning, it was the writer's idea. She got her masters degree in philosophy, writing about Sartre, and she's passionate about comics (like I am). She thought it would be a good idea to depict him in comics, so she asked the artist that she knew - me - and I totally agreed with her. We started like this.

MR: Did she give you a script that you then broke down?

AD: Absolutely. In the beginning, she explained to me in conversation what she wanted to say about him, and then she wrote all the script. I made my own layout. She didn't really criticize the scenes - I decided the layout myself.

MR: Right, so she didn't give you thumbnails or sketches?

AD: That's true.

MR: This is a fairly substantial book... how long did it take you?

AD: Oh, a little time. Two and a half years, more or less. 135 drawn pages, and [an appendix] at the end to explain who is who in the book, for 160 pages in total.

MR: Did you have a hard time illustrating any action in a philosopher's life? I saw in the early pages that he was a rough-and-tumble school boy.

AD: Absolutely. It was kind of fun actually to draw that part. [laughs] It was interesting to show this man not just as an intellectual philosopher, a serious guy, because he had a lot of humor. I liked the pages where there was more action, and all his travels, all the trips he made. It was interesting to read the documentation and get the atmosphere.

MR: Did you work from photo references?

AD: A lot. And also from videos. We still have some interview videos of him. He died in 1980. In his last fifteen years, he was not that active outside his house. He was really sick.

MR: Who is the audience for this in France? Is this an all-ages book in France?

AD: Yes, and that's interesting. In festivals, we meet a lot of professors who don't really read comics, but they are curious about it, so that's great for us. Also, the opposite - comics lovers who know Sartre by name but don't know his books and they buy our book because they are curious.

MR: Were you influenced by any of the other biographies that came out? Anne Simon was here last year [at the Alliance Francais] to talk about her books that had been published in English.

AD: Yes, Einstein and Freud... I met her because we have the same French publisher. I think her first book, Freud, was published during the time we were doing the first pages of our book. So she's not really an influence because she has a totally different point of view. I really like her work - it's totally another thing, another approach.

MR: So what's next?

AD: Right now, I'm just starting to work on another story. It's still really, really beginning. It's fiction, and kind of dark.

MR: Your own characters?

AD: Yes. I will work with another writer, an Italian one, and we'll see how it goes.

MR: Is this your first time in America?

AD: Yes it is, and it's really exciting.

MR: Where are you going next?

AD: Before I was in Baltimore at MICA and I met some students, and it was really interesting. Tomorrow I will be at the Brooklyn Book Festival, and then next week I will be in Miami in an art school and then a book store.* The counrty is really different already even between Bethesda and Baltimore so I cannot imagine New York and Miami.


MR: I'm sorry you don't have the time to see Washington while you're here since it was influenced by Paris. Any thoughts about the Small Press Expo? Have you been able to walk around?

AD: Just a little bit this morning, and I will go again now. It seems to have really cool work; so many different comics and illustratioins. It's full of variety and I love it. It's a little underground and I really like that.

SPX floor by Bruce Guthrie

MR: SPX isn't a normal American superhero convention. In France, do you usually attend Angouleme or other festivals?

AD: I've been there twice, but always just to visit. It's a huge festival, and editors send their author with a new book, but Sartre was published in March, and the festival is in January, so it didn't match. Still, it's a crazy festival and a really interesting place to go.

MR: Have you done other French shows then?

AD: Yes, in France - a lot. In Paris, a lot, in Lyon, a lot and so many in little cities.

MR: Do you see a difference about a show in France and one in America?

AD: Here in America everything is bigger. Also the buildings too. It's impressive. I can find the same family atmosphere, a relaxed and fun atmosphere is a common point, for sure.

MR: I should ask you about your background before we end...

AD: What I did before my book? I was in university, in École Émile Cohl, a traditional school with an academic program, and I studied comics and illustration there. After that, I created a studio with friends, and did exhibitions and drawing classes, still in Lyon. Then I went to Paris and I started this book. I've made a lot of little works for newspapers, and been a graphic designer for lawyers,. This book took me so much time. I'm also doing work in Lyon Capitale, a French newspaper that has several pages a month about the history of the city. It's not really serious. There's always a historical background, but the story can be fictional. I'm still working for newspapers as a graphic designer, and I'm starting a new book, but I've also moved to Rome. I don't live in France anymore.

MR: Why Rome?

AD: It's a personal choice, not a business choice. It's a gorgeous city and I really love the Italian south.

The drawing she did in my book

*If you're in Florida tomorrow:
 Anais Depommier Book Signing
Books & Books / September 20 at 8PM
265 Aragon Ave Coral Gables, FL
http://booksandbooks.com/event/anais-depommier/

by Mike Rhode

Michael Brace is a member of the DC Conspiracy comics co-op.  He was at DC Zinefest this summer, and finally agreed to answer our standard questions. He will be at SPX next month if you'd like to meet him.


What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I just finished my second black-and-white comic book its in a realistic style. I also contribute one-page stories to a local newspaper comic Magic Bullet and those tend to be a little more cartoony.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

Mostly traditional pen and ink. I used a computer for lettering and occasionally for adding color.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

1950s

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

Long-time Foggy Bottom resident. I came here to pursue an illustration career.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Took a one-year commercial art vocational training class back in 1973.

Who are your influences?

Too many to name. I'm a big fan of turn-of-the-century book illustration (I should say turn-of-last-century book illustration) and woodblock prints.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

Would have focused more on writing skills.

What work are you best-known for?

Pages in Magic Bullet and artwork for District Comics.

What work are you most proud of?

Managing to finish two comic books.

What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

I would like to expand on my last comic "Never Rescue an Octopus from a Tree".

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I try to have a couple of projects going so I can switch off to keep things fresh.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

I think independent comics will continue to expand on both the web and in print. Flexibility is key.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

Zine Fest and Small Press Expo this year. Great to have an alternative to superhero cons.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

Don't need a car to get around.

Least favorite?

The local neighborhoods are being gobbled up.

What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?

Air and Space Museum and National Cathedral.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

No longer around "Dove and Rainbow." Made their pizzas with Greek cheeses, they were great.

Do you have a website or blog?

Not at this time.

by Mike Rhode

A Baltimore Comic Con staffer tipped me about Chris Fenoglio of Alexandria, VA, who kindly answered our usual questions. Fenoglio should be getting wider recognition soon as he's drawn an X-Files spin-off that comes out this summer.


MR: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

CF: I have a couple of projects right now. The biggest one I’m working on is the X-Files Origins: Mulder series coming out in August from IDW. I just finished the first issue of a project called Bloodworth written by the supremely talented Dan Corey that’s coming out really soon as well. I also work on a webcomic strip called Chris & Christina about me and my wife. It’s funnier than it sounds…

MR: How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

CF: Mostly computer… especially lately. I have a lot of plates spinning, and it’s just faster this way.

MR: When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

CF: In Berkeley, CA in the early 1980s.

MR: Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

CF: Alexandria. Does that count still?

MR: What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

CF: I have a master’s degree in illustration from The Academy of Art University. I teach some of their online classes now (like I said… lotsa plates).

MR: Who are your influences?

CF: Too many to count, but the major ones would be, like, Jeff Smith from Bone, Alex Toth, Chris Samnee, and Greg Capullo… at least those are the guys I try to copy as much as I can.

MR: If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

CF: Nothing so far… maybe go to art school sooner in life? Or maybe pick a career that makes a lot of money… like accounting.

MR: What work are you best-known for?

CF: Probably the X-Files one now… but I also colored a few issues of the Orphan Black comic IDW put out.

MR: What work are you most proud of?

CF: Right now it’s a tie between my X-Files and Chris & Christina stuff. X-Files feels like a huge step forward in my career both artistically and in terms of my standing in the industry. Chris & Christina scratches that artistic itch of putting something together that’s totally mine. And it also lets me try out some of my weirder ideas.

MR: What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

CF: Everything. Is that an answer?

MR: What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

CF: Just keep working. I find that you can usually work through things like that if you just keep noodling. Worse comes to worse, I’ll take a break and go do something else for awhile.

MR: What do you think will be the future of your field?

CF: Hopefully universal acceptance. I’d love to live in a world where everyone read comics. I think the way the medium is expanding and diversifying is really helping, but it’s still got a ways to go.


MR: What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

CF: I just moved to the area about 2 years ago, so not a bunch. I’ve gone to NYCC the last two years and it’s been pretty great. I also checked out Baltimore this year also, which was a ton of fun.

MR: What's your favorite thing about DC?

CF: Is it cheesy to say, “the monuments and museums?” If you grew up on the other side of the country, they’re really awesome to see up close.

MR: Least favorite?

CF: Traffic… And that’s coming from a Californian. Is getting hit over the head with a tack hammer part of the driving exam out here?

MR: What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?

CF: Portrait Gallery. I like paintings.

MR: How about a favorite local restaurant?

CF: There’s this awesome place in Alexandria called Rustico. I love their pizza… and vast selection of beer.

MR: Do you have a website or blog?

CF: I have a website (that’s in dire need of an update) at
www.chrisfenoglio.com and you can check out my webcomic at https://tapastic.com/series/chrisandchristina. And people can always follow me on Instagram and Twitter @ChrisFenoglio

I'm sure her dad, Jamie Greene, wrote some of these...

5 Questions with G. Willow Wilson

November 3, 2014
http://theroarbots.com/2014/11/03/5-questions-g-willow-wilson/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42kHqy_GcWw

5 Questions with Kevin Conroy

  November 25, 2014
http://theroarbots.com/2014/11/25/5-questions-kevin-conroy/#more-1936
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozfneR-43YA

5 Questions with Peter Beagle

November 11, 2014
http://theroarbots.com/2014/11/11/5-questions-peter-beagle/#more-1879
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llkSGGX5jcE

Avengers STATION

http://theroarbots.com/2014/11/12/avengers-station/#more-1889

Disney's The Little Mermaid

http://theroarbots.com/2014/11/25/disneys-little-mermaid/#more-1930

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Essa Neima

by Mike Rhode on Oct. 8, 2013 

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/visual-arts/2013/10/08/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-essa-neima/

Rob Ullman should be familiar to Washington readers of the City Paper because he illustrated Dan Savage's Savage Love sex advice column for years with both humor and hot babes. I believe I may have one of DC's largest collections of original sketches by Rob...

CDC: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

RU: I'm kind of all over the place...I started doing auto-biographical comics and strips about 15 years ago, and have continued to do them in various forms over the years. I also have recently been doing hockey comics: biographies of players (usually those who've met untimely deaths...I have a thing for tragedy), strips about odd events and funny incidents in the sport's colorful history. I also have managed to make a bit of a name for myself as a drawer of pretty cartoon ladies...pin-ups and whatnot. It's a label I embrace wholeheartedly.

CDC: What work are you best-known for?

RU: In DC, I'm probably best known for doing the spot illustrations for Dan Savage's Savage Love column in the City Paper from 1999-2008. It's the one thing I've done that everybody in Washington has seen, and was instrumental in my discovery that I could draw naked people pretty well.

CDC: How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

RU: Traditional for pencilling and inking, then all computer for coloring and layout. The computer is just another tool, like a brush or a bottle of ink. I'm not adamantly anti-drawing-on-the-computer, but I haven't found/invested in a method of doing so that doesn't end up making the process more difficult and slow rather than less.

CDC: Can you tell us a little about your books that you'll have with you at SPX?

RU: As far as new books, I'll have the brand new issue of Old-Timey Hockey Tales, which has stories by Jeffrey Brown and I. I'm really proud of it, and I can't wait to show it off. I'll also have all my other books...a hardcover artbook of all my Savage spots and pin-up work called Atom-Bomb Bikini, two collections of my autobiographical strip Traffic & Weather, Grand Gestures from a bunch of years back, and about a dozen other mini-comics. I'll have a ton of prints and original art as well.

CDC: You've attended the Small Press Expo in the past - do you have any thoughts about your experience?

RU: This will be my 14th SPX...I haven't missed one since 1997. It's the closest I have to a "local" show, and it's always my favorite weekend of the year.

CDC: What are you looking forward to buying or seeing or doing for this year's event? Or who do you want to see, to catch up on old times, or to have a fanboy experience?

RU: Hoo, boy...we had a baby back in May, and I've been so busy with him and my other kid that I haven't even been able to even find out what'll be there! SPX for me is like a yearly class reunion, catching up with old pals and having a drink or five.

CDC: What's your favorite thing about the DC area? Least favorite?

RU: Favorite thing? So much to choose from. Great vibe, amazing restaurants. Least favorite has gotta be the traffic. Or maybe the Capitals.

CDC: What monument or museum do you like or wish to visit when you're in town?

Always like to visit the Hirshhorn when I have time.

CDC: What do you think will be the future of your field?

RU: I can't speak for the larger comics "industry", but I think type of people who exhibit at SPX will always make comics, whether it's in print or on a screen, whether there's money in it or not, because they're compelled to, against all common sense. It is nice to make a few bucks, though.

CDC: Do you have a website or blog?

RU: Both! My oft-neglected "professional" website is robullman.com, but it's mostly for Fancy-Dan illustration clients and whatnot. The real fun is over at my blog, atombombbikini.net. Updated a few times a week. Usually. I promise.

I was fortunate to be in the PR queue for Craig Thompson's Habibi book, so I got to read it (I recommend it) and talk to him for a half hour.

Check it out at

Meet an SPX Cartoonist: An Interview With Craig Thompson

Posted by Mike Rhode on Sep. 7, 2011 at 9:15 am

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/07/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-an-interview-with-craig-thompson/

Small Press Expo Executive Director (and infrequent blogger here) Warren Bernard answered some questions about this year's convention for me...

CDC: How’d you personally get into comics?

WB: When I got my tonsils out in 2nd Grade, my parents bought me a Superman comic. It has been downhill ever since and I am waiting to hit bottom....

CDC: How is SPX different than a standard comics con?

WB: Well, to be Clintonian about it, depends on your definition of 'standard'. There are two different standards in the comics world, one is the SDCC, Baltimore Comiccon, Heroes Con etc world of the super hero comic and the other is the SPX, MOCCA, TCAF, Stumptown, etc indie/self published comic.

But regardless of which standard you apply, the main difference is, we have the most fun. ;-)

CDC: How many years has it run, and how many years have you been a part of it?

WB: SPX started in 1994, I started as a volunteer in 2002. Staring about 2004 I began to handle the PR duties, last year was the Assistant Exec Director and this year, well, the whole enchilada is now mine.

CDC: How many people are you expecting?

WB: 2500-3000 or more!!

CDC: Any cartoonists you are particularly proud of having come? Favorite guests of past years?

WB: Well, I have to admit, Roz Chast and Jim Woodring this year are the two that I have to pinch myself to be sure I am not dreaming that they are coming. In terms of past years, Joost Swarte, Will Eisner and Harvey Pekar are the three that will always stand out in my pantheon of SPX Guests.

CDC: How fast did the tables sell out? Are you sold out?

WB: Tables sell out in like 3-4 weeks and we have been wait listed since February 1st. So you really have to move fast to get a table!!!

CDC: Is there anything special about this year not mentioned yet?

WB: Well, no real last minute surprises, but the both the SPX Collection at the Library of Congress and the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, comprise a major shift for us, taking SPX from being a festival to widening our responsibilities into becoming an institutional foundation of the indie comics world.

The Small Press Expo takes place 11 am–7 p.m. Sept. 10 and noon–6 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda. $10-$15.

Meet an SPX Cartoonist: A Chat with Mike Dawson
by Mike Rhode on Sep. 6, 2011

 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/09/06/meet-an-spx-cartoonist-a-chat-with-mike-dawson/

Meet a Local Cartoonist : A Chat with Dan Nokes

Posted by Mike Rhode on Dec. 17, 2010

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/12/17/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-dan-nokes/

Now online at the City Paper - Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat With Kevin Ward, by Mike Rhode on Dec. 2, 2010.

Brad Meltzer, a former local comics writer, answered some of my questions on his new tv show Decoded. First, here's some information about him from the press release for the show.

 

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Fate and six other novels. His first non-fiction work Heroes For My Son, a collection of historical heroes, recently hit the New York Times bestseller list. Meltzer is also author of the critically acclaimed comic books Identity Crisis and Justice League of America and is the first author to ever reach the #1 spot on both the New York Times and the Diamond comic book bestseller lists simultaneously. Meltzer's books have spent over eleven months on bestseller lists, and have been translated into over 25 languages.

  
Best-selling author Brad Meltzer loves a good mystery. A history enthusiast known for his immaculate research, he has studied and written about some of America's most revered institutions and documents. But sometimes he uncovers unverifiable stories that keep him awake at night. Is there another hidden message buried in the Statue of Liberty? What happened to the White House cornerstone that's been missing for two centuries?  Could it be true that John Wilkes Booth lived for 40 years after his presumed death under an assumed identity? 

In the new 10-part series BRAD MELTZER'S DECODED, premiering on Thursday, December 2 at 10 p.m. on HISTORY®, Meltzer scours secret clues, symbols and conspiracy theories to unravel some of society's most provocative enigmas. And the deeper he digs into the past, the more we learn about our future. 
 
Together with a team of experts – Buddy Levy, a professor and journalist who assumes there is always more than meets the eye; Christine McKinley, a mechanical engineer who believes only what she can prove; and Scott Rolle, a trial lawyer who is skeptical by nature – Meltzer hunts for answers to questions that have perplexed us for centuries yet have never been fully investigated.
 
The premiere episode rolls out with "The White House" as the team gets to the bottom – literally – of a mystery concerning the cornerstones of our democracy.  Laid by the ultra secretive Freemasons, this landmark piece of stone vanished. The search for the cornerstone has been on for over 200 years, everyone from Harry Truman to Barbara Bush have looked for it. Is it a coincidence…or is there a secret conspiracy tied to these stones and the buildings they were meant to support?

 

ComicsDC: Brad, to provide a figleaf of cover for this appearing on ComicsDC - you used to live in suburban Maryland, and you still write comics, correct?

 

Brad Meltzer: Of course.

 

 ComicsDC: How did the idea for the tv show come about?

 

Brad Meltzer: One of the heads of HISTORY read my novel The Book of Fate, which dealt with Freemasons and the secret codes that Thomas Jefferson used when he was President -- and then said, "We should do a show like this."  And y'know what that is?  That's dumb luck by me.

 

 ComicsDC: How did the topics get picked?

 

Brad Meltzer: I keep a book (now books) of every idea I've had over the years -- some stupid and dumb and not fleshed out -- and some that'll feed characters and comic books and anything else.  And there were just tons of historical details that I'd love to know the answers to, but just couldn't use in the books.  So really, I'm stealing from my future novels.

 

ComicsDC: How much research do you personally do or supervise?

 

Brad Meltzer: For the novels, I do all the research myself.  But for the show, HISTORY said, you give us the mysteries and we'll give you the research team to solve it.  The problem is, I still couldn't help myself and sometimes found myself digging as well.

 

ComicsDC: Which is your favorite show?

 

Brad Meltzer: Of Decoded?  I love this first one airing tonight -- about the first piece of the White House.  That was the very first idea I suggested, and it really set up a good model for the show.  Sure, we're not digging it up from below the White House -- but we do answer questions like, is it hollow?  And what's inside?  As for surprises, the John Wilkes Booth one is the one that kept me awake.

 

ComicsDC: Navy medical historian Jan Herman is a friend of mine - I've known him for 20 years - and he hasn't convinced me yet that Lincoln's murderer John Wilkes Booth may have escaped, as one of your shows examines. Did any of the shows change your mind about an historical 'truth'?

 

Brad Meltzer: I hear you.  And I started the Booth show thinking the exact same thing.  But wait till you see Booth's family telling their side of the story.  It's like "Who is Donna Troy?"  Will mess you up good.

 

ComicsDC: Is the show going to continue? If so, do you know what other topics you'd like to look into?

 

Brad Meltzer: It depends if we get more viewers than my last try at television -- Jack & Bobby.  There, our ratings were 14.  Not a 14 share.  Fourteen people.  Total.

 

ComicsDC: Is it really possible to solve a mystery for a tv show?

 

Brad Meltzer: Especially with historical shows, the biggest barrier is simply that so much of the physical evidence is gone or unavailable.  When Lee Harvey Oswald was dead, theories started that it wasn't him in the grave.  So they dug him up and proved it was.  If you want to solve the Booth mystery, dig up the grave.  For now, the government still won't allow it.  But when you watch our Lewis episode, the ballistic evidence and the other details we find definitely add a huge piece to the puzzle.  

 

ComicsDC: Your next book is about secrets in a museum or archives - can you tell us anything about that?

 

Brad Meltzer: The Inner Circle comes out 1/11/11 and for that one, I got help with the research from a former President of the United States.  So I'm now gearing up that release.

 

ComicsDC: What is your favorite museum or archives? 

 

Brad Meltzer: The National Archives.  No question.  It's the attic of the US Government.  Library of Congress is a close second.

 

ComicsDC: And bringing it all back home, do you have any plans to write another comic book? How about adapting your existing works to graphic novels?

  

Brad Meltzer: Love to write more comics.  Without question, comics still have had the biggest influence on my writing.  More than film.  More than novels.  More than anything.  They're still the best.

 

Richard Thompson and Comic Riffs are sponsoring a color-your-own Cul de Sac contest.

Also Richard's telephone interview by Tom Racine, postponed from San Diego until recently is online.

This blog seems to be seeping out of DC and into the amorphous blogosphere... I got a newsletter from Atomic Comics today which noted that they had an interview, or Radiation Interrogation: Jay Faerber up today. I'm always interested in that type of thing, as I work on my big Comics Research Bibliography project. They also have interviews with Adam Kubert, Phil Hester, and Joe Pokaski up on their main page. I haven't poked any deeper yet.

You can read it at "Interview with Nick Defina" by John L. Daniels, Jr., Comiccritique.com, 2007-06-27.

The interview is about the new studio's new comic book, Scorn.

Scott Rosenberg keeps cranking out the articles - see Mister Miracle: Jack Kirby's Fourth World.

Bone creator sees skies sunny ahead for industry by Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times June 23, 2007.

Jeff Smith, Bone cartoonist was interviewed in "Mix of tradition, fantasy comics pays off for artist" by Joseph Szadkowski in the WASHINGTON TIMES (June 16, 2007). Szadkowski writes the Zadzooks column every Saturday in the Times and it usually has a comics bit. This Bone interview continues into next week.

David Petersen's interviewed in The Lord of the Cheese: 'Mouse Guard' by Scott Rosenberg at Readexpress.com (June 13, 2007).

I ran into Scott today and he said that a couple more interviews are forthcoming.

Also his compadre Nate Beeler has an absolutely awesome political cartoon in today's Examiner. You've got to love that Gitmo Frankenstein.

Finally, both free papers, the Examiner and the Express ran the same Associated Press article by Frazier Moore on the new Comedy Central animated series, Li'l Bush. One could probably find the article through either of the above links fairly easily.

We never crossed paths, but the former Washington City Paper writer, and current comic book writer / playwright was a Big Planet Comics customer. Here's a podcast interview (thanks to Tom Spurgeon's Comic Reporter for the tip) -
Comic Book Queers (June 5, 2007)
http://www.comicbookqueers.com/podcasts.php

Episode 34 - Out Queer Creators (part 2 of 2) - Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
More on out queer creators, and the Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa interview.
Our discussion about out queer creators continues. What do queer comics creators bring to the table that straight creators can't?

This episode also includes our interview with the giggly and adorable Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.