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| Baltimore Comic-Con |
by Mike Rhode
Barbara Perez Marquez was at both Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic-Con this fall, so I asked if she'd answer our usual questions, altered for her Baltimore base. Additionally, Barbara tweaked a few of the questions, which I'm always glad to see.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I'm a writer, primarily of middle grade and young adult stories. Genre-wise I'm pretty expansive, from contemporary to fantasy stories and anything in between.
How do you do it? I know you're a writer - feel free to explore how you get an idea and then write a script.
Usually I start with something closer to a concept than a full-on idea for my stories. From there I'll expand it further (either starting an outline proper or even just listing out some story beats), at which point I get a better idea if I have a full story in my hands or if I need to start exploring further to find it.
If during that part of the process there's already an artist I'll be collaborating with (this isn't always the case or in others sometimes they are ALREADY involved from idea inception), then about this stage is when I ask them to jump in so we can make the foundation of the story something we can all be excited about. At this stage I'll also see if there's any particulars they'd like to see in terms of the style of the script. While across the board I use the same styling for my scripts, (if able) I try to meet the artist's needs in terms of ways in which the script can work with their own process. There's some variability from project to project, but after the above is mostly sorted, that's when I properly start writing. Nothing too exciting in terms of tools of the trade for my scripts, I actually dislike fancy word processors because I find convoluted formatting and file type transfers to be a headache, so I use OpenOffice with the least amount of bells and whistles I can manage.
When and where did you start working in comics?
I grew up in the Dominican Republic, which has a very different comics culture than we see in the USA (plus I was a '90s kid, so add that on to the difficulty of being outside of the American comics market). Most of my early comics reading were European comics and as far as DC and Marvel went, it was mostly the animated media for them and the Pepsi character cards.
It wasn't until college (in New York) when I properly dove into comics by way of indie comics and then onto more traditional cape comics. After that it's been mostly history, I wrote my first comic script around 2014 and it honestly got me hooked, I'd already been producing prose and poetry pieces by then, but comic scripts quickly became a staple in my portfolio too.
I'm a writer, primarily of middle grade and young adult stories. Genre-wise I'm pretty expansive, from contemporary to fantasy stories and anything in between.
How do you do it? I know you're a writer - feel free to explore how you get an idea and then write a script.
Usually I start with something closer to a concept than a full-on idea for my stories. From there I'll expand it further (either starting an outline proper or even just listing out some story beats), at which point I get a better idea if I have a full story in my hands or if I need to start exploring further to find it.
If during that part of the process there's already an artist I'll be collaborating with (this isn't always the case or in others sometimes they are ALREADY involved from idea inception), then about this stage is when I ask them to jump in so we can make the foundation of the story something we can all be excited about. At this stage I'll also see if there's any particulars they'd like to see in terms of the style of the script. While across the board I use the same styling for my scripts, (if able) I try to meet the artist's needs in terms of ways in which the script can work with their own process. There's some variability from project to project, but after the above is mostly sorted, that's when I properly start writing. Nothing too exciting in terms of tools of the trade for my scripts, I actually dislike fancy word processors because I find convoluted formatting and file type transfers to be a headache, so I use OpenOffice with the least amount of bells and whistles I can manage.
When and where did you start working in comics?
I grew up in the Dominican Republic, which has a very different comics culture than we see in the USA (plus I was a '90s kid, so add that on to the difficulty of being outside of the American comics market). Most of my early comics reading were European comics and as far as DC and Marvel went, it was mostly the animated media for them and the Pepsi character cards.
It wasn't until college (in New York) when I properly dove into comics by way of indie comics and then onto more traditional cape comics. After that it's been mostly history, I wrote my first comic script around 2014 and it honestly got me hooked, I'd already been producing prose and poetry pieces by then, but comic scripts quickly became a staple in my portfolio too.
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| SPX |
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I'd known I wanted to be a writer pretty early on in life and I moved to New York to pursue a degree in Creative Writing. As I mentioned, I'd grown up around comics enough, but it wasn't until 2014 that I really dove into writing them. Around that time I was working on an MFA in Creative Writing and I actually updated my coursework to add comics scripting to my workload (particularly around graphic novels). At the school I went to, Manhattanville University, Paul Levitz was a professor at the time. Similar to comics, I'd known about him from friends who'd taken his classes but didn't quite understand the magnitude of it until that comics writing spark fully formed for me.
By the time I realized it, none of the coursework he was offering lined up with my schedule. I wrote him this sort of shot in the dark email and explained my interest in writing comics and asked if he had any guidance. Thankfully, he replied back with a list of titles, which I immediately checked out from the library while I gathered enough cash to buy second hand copies to own. Those books basically created a "how to write comics" course of my own making. Shortly after that, I started applying to comic anthologies and involving myself in the comics community via social media.
Years later, at the 2019 Eisner Awards when Mr. Levitz was inducted into the Hall of Fame, I was actually in attendance and got to shyly approach him and expressed my gratitude for that email exchange. He had bigger things to be excited about that night, but it was great getting to thank him in person.
Who are your influences?
There's a few names that have been part of my bookshelves since those early days of getting into comics. Among them are Vera Brosgol, Lucy Knisley, and Cecil Castellucci. All of them are stellar storytellers. In terms of themes and writing style, I also keep close by some of my favorite collections of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short stories.
What work are you best-known for?I think my work in middle grade is still where I'm most recognized (The Cardboard Kingdom, Animal Rescue Friends, Girls Survive) and as I look ahead at upcoming projects, it's been nice to see that presence cement and continue to grow from it. I don't want to stop telling stories for young readers, but I'm excited to be branching out further into young adult.
What projects do you have coming up?
I've got quite a few titles coming out in 2026. First up will be The Curie Society: Game of Code (out March 2026) and then I'd been working on adapting Jenny Han's famous novel, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, so we're bringing that to the graphic novel realm (out May 2026).
As I mentioned, branching out into young adult stories has been a work in progress, so it's nice to get to see it shine in those two projects.
In the second half of 2026, there'll be two other titles: To Dance the Moon and Stars (alongside Tasia M.S.) and The Library of Memories (alongside Lissy Marlin). 2026 will be a busy year, but I'm excited to find that cadence in telling stories in both age ranges.
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
Assuming it's not a looming deadline, I try my best to disconnect from the work that I'm stuck on. Sometimes I just need to reset creatively, so I'll spend time reading or watching shows/movies or playing videogames, I occasionally even leave the house to experience the outside world!
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| The Order of Belfry Female knights and girls love comic |
Oftentimes
writer's block is less about "not knowing what to do" and more about
"your creative well needs replenishing" so I try my best to honor that.
Which, don't get me wrong, can be hard work. But I think (unless
absolutely necessary), just plowing through a writer's block is only a
temporary fix. You'll just get stuck at the next junction, so you might
as well step back and come at it refreshed.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
I think 2025 has been a big year of change in comics as a business, as well as in recent years with AI trying to encroach on creative fields. The future is still the same it's always been: Beyond all the noise, we must keep telling stories.
In the current climate, we have to aggressively tell human stories and that heart will continue to live on. Now in terms of the "business" of it all, I think we're going to see some new systems come into place and even go back to some old ones that have proven to withstand the test of time (this one in particular I'm thinking about networking and how with decentralized social media, we will have to go back to building connections "offline" in some modernized way).
What local cons do you attend? I know The Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic-Con. Any comments about attending them?
I can be found pretty regularly at the Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic-Con and I also attend the Graphic Novel Festival and the Baltimore Book Festival. I think they are all great shows, albeit with the occasional time conflicts.
What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?
My comics pull box lives at Dreamers and Make-Believers, where I've even surprised the booksellers with some of my requests because my reading affinities can be all over the place. It all depends on my mood or my storytelling needs at the time of reading, but a few recent reads and titles I'm looking forward to are:
Go-Man! by Hamish Steele
Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen
Warriors and a Wee Wonder by Stephanie Williams, alongside an amazing artist rotation including: Jane Pica, Emily Pearson, Dominic Bustamante, and Tasia M.S.
Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes by Erica Henderson
Death to Pachuco by Henry Barajas, Rachel Merrill, and Lee Loughridge
What's your favorite thing about Baltimore?
One of the first things that stood out to me about Baltimore was how perfectly in the middle it was to the two cities I'd lived before. I think it had some of the nostalgia points I missed from Santo Domingo and enough of a slowdown from New York to be able to keep up with it.
What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?
A visit to the Walters Art Museum is a must!
Do you have a website or blog?
I have a website: www.mustachebabs.com, which I keep updated with all my current work and I also have a Patreon page as a newsletter-lite: www.patreon.com/mustachebabs
What do you think will be the future of your field?
I think 2025 has been a big year of change in comics as a business, as well as in recent years with AI trying to encroach on creative fields. The future is still the same it's always been: Beyond all the noise, we must keep telling stories.
In the current climate, we have to aggressively tell human stories and that heart will continue to live on. Now in terms of the "business" of it all, I think we're going to see some new systems come into place and even go back to some old ones that have proven to withstand the test of time (this one in particular I'm thinking about networking and how with decentralized social media, we will have to go back to building connections "offline" in some modernized way).
What local cons do you attend? I know The Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic-Con. Any comments about attending them?I can be found pretty regularly at the Small Press Expo and Baltimore Comic-Con and I also attend the Graphic Novel Festival and the Baltimore Book Festival. I think they are all great shows, albeit with the occasional time conflicts.
What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?
My comics pull box lives at Dreamers and Make-Believers, where I've even surprised the booksellers with some of my requests because my reading affinities can be all over the place. It all depends on my mood or my storytelling needs at the time of reading, but a few recent reads and titles I'm looking forward to are:
Go-Man! by Hamish Steele
Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen
Warriors and a Wee Wonder by Stephanie Williams, alongside an amazing artist rotation including: Jane Pica, Emily Pearson, Dominic Bustamante, and Tasia M.S.
Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes by Erica Henderson
Death to Pachuco by Henry Barajas, Rachel Merrill, and Lee Loughridge
What's your favorite thing about Baltimore?
One of the first things that stood out to me about Baltimore was how perfectly in the middle it was to the two cities I'd lived before. I think it had some of the nostalgia points I missed from Santo Domingo and enough of a slowdown from New York to be able to keep up with it.
What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?
A visit to the Walters Art Museum is a must!
Do you have a website or blog?
I have a website: www.mustachebabs.com, which I keep updated with all my current work and I also have a Patreon page as a newsletter-lite: www.patreon.com/mustachebabs
