TCAF answers! from Angela Hsieh

by Mike Rhode

A few local cartoonists were selected to attend TCAF in Canada this year - it's a curated show, and not a lottery like SPX is. I think it has invited guests and people who apply to exhibit. I reached out to ask about their experiences. Angela's recent interview is here.

How did you get selected for this show? Did you have to apply?

I applied back in January and was accepted at the end of February. The TCAF application was fairly straightforward: they want your portfolio and your bio, and notably, they're interested in what comics work you'll be debuting the year you apply. I believe I was selected this year because I had a graphic novel come out this year, plus I'd never been to TCAF before.

Was this your first time?

First time at TCAF, not to mention first time in Toronto! I went a few days in advance so that I could explore the city, but I tired myself out even before the con began. Unwise? Perhaps. Regrettable? Not in the least. 

How was the experience? How does it compare to SPX or other local cons?

This was my first international con. I tend to stick with local cons and festivals, so this was by far the furthest I've ever traveled for one—and probably the biggest con I've ever tabled at. Imagine SPX times ten. It's frankly overwhelming how much talent is on display. I wish I had more time to walk around and admire all the incredible work.

How were your sales? Did you reach a new audience?

I did pretty well! But because this was my first TCAF, I have no previous experience to compare to. For what it's worth, I heard some people who exhibited in the past say that sales were slower this year compared to previous years. 

I saw a couple of familiar faces, and I met a whole lot of new people. Plus, I finally got to meet some artists I've been mutuals with for years but have never met in person. Definitely one of the highlights. Another highlight: meeting kids and their parents who'd borrowed Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology from the library and stopped by my table to tell me how much they loved reading it. 🥺

How did Canadians react to Americans in light of the current administration's misbehavior to our ally?

With sympathy, when it came up, which it rarely did. People generally assumed I was Canadian, and when they found out I wasn't, the most frequent response was a nod of commiseration before we went back to the thing we showed up for: comics. 

A post-SPX chat with Angela Hsieh

 by Mike Rhode

Angela Hsieh and I first met at Fantom Comics in summer 2023 at a booksigning, and then again as she tabled at SPX in 2023 and 2024. We talked about doing an interview all three times. Her first book was illustrating Antarctica: The Melting Continent, a picture book written by Karen Romano Young. Finally her graphic novel is coming out and she's answered my usual questions.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
Graphic novels take up most of my time, though I've been known to do a short comic or two on the side. For the past three years I've been working on my debut graphic novel, Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology. It's finally coming out in May 2025. You can even preorder it!

Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology is a middle grade fantasy story about two friends who travel across the fantastical land of Lirrin in search of Lu's missing ah-ma (grandma). All they have to guide their way is Ah-ma's journal. One major problem: Ah-ma wrote it in her native Cylian language, which Lu can barely read. As Lu and Ren follow Ah-ma's footsteps and encounter incredible geofauna such as colossal axolotl-like ambystufa and adorably massive guinea pig-shaped cavioliths, they find out more about the complex relationships between geofauna and people—and between each other.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
I write scripts in Scrivener, or in Google Docs, or on a piece of paper if that's what calls to me at that moment. I thumbnail on paper and sketch/pencil in an iPad app called Comic Draw. Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology was colored in Procreate. Procreate really isn't designed for comic pages, though, so I'm looking to other programs such as Clip Studio to improve my workflow.

Why are you in Washington now?
I moved to DC in 2018 when I got an internship at NPR. Said internship turned into a contract gig, and when that year was up I'd put down roots in DC and didn't want to pack up my life yet again and move to another city. Now I freelance from here.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I took a grand total of one (1) sequential art course at my alma mater, RISD. I went through art school thinking I'd make a career as an editorial illustrator—which, to be fair, I did for a few years—so I focused on that and didn't seek classes in comics or cartooning. I wish I took more comics classes when they were more easily available to me, but I'm not going to be too hard on myself for making decisions that made sense at the time.

Who are your influences?
It changes depending on what I'm working on at the moment. While I was making Geozoology, for example, I found inspiration in Kay O'Neill's Tea Dragon series, Tim Probert's Lightfall books, and Shaun Tan's The Arrival. More broadly, nature, science, and history are core influences in my work. The world is vast and very, very interesting.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
I would float backwards in time and rasp ominously into 12-year-old Angela's ear, "Your spine will never be the same again if you don't sit your ass in a chair with proper back support starting NOW."

What work are you best known for?
Probably these Bulbasaur Brassica cultivars or this mini comic I made about my cat staring into a hole in the bathroom wall.

What work are you most proud of?
Finishing an entire graphic novel. That's 256 pages!

What would you like to do or work on in the future?
I have another graphic novel I'm working on with Harper, so that'll keep me busy for the next two to three years. There isn't much I can say about it at this point in time except that it'll be in the fantasy genre, but tonally a bit darker than Geozoology. Because I always need to have multiple irons in multiple fires, I'm also working on a pitch for yet another graphic novel in collaboration with a writer. If you like gays in sports, you'll like this one.

 

What do you think will be the future of your field?
I don't know what I'm going to eat for lunch tomorrow, much less what the future of comics will be.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Awesome Con, or others? Any comments about attending them?
DC Zinefest and Small Press Expo are my favorites! I table at them if the lottery is kind to me. I had a great time last year at Graphic Novel Fest in Baltimore—it was their first year, and I'm looking forward to seeing it continue!
 
What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? 
Recently, I've been really into DUNGEON MESHI by Ryoko Kui. She lands every single joke. Her expressions are priceless.

Do you have a local store?
Fantom Comics!! They always have some fun event going on, and the folks that run Fantom are the best.

What's your favorite thing about DC?
That cliche-but-true characterization of it being a big city with small-town vibes. It's walkable, it's green, the buildings are short enough that I can actually see the sky, and more than once I've bumped into friends while running errands.

Least favorite?
The rent. :'|

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?
I always take visitors to that most respected of DC institutions, the Q Street Barbie pond.

How about a favorite local restaurant?
It's so hard to choose! Chercher (Logan Circle) is my go-to for Ethiopian, and Sharbat (Adams Morgan) has a honey cake that's, in a word, divine. If sushi's your thing, Umai Nori (Downtown) has fantastic hand rolls.

Do you have a website or blog?
My website is www.angela-hsieh.com. My newsletter, currently the most reliable source of updates, can be found at angelahsieh.substack.com.

In today's edition of her newsletter, Angela writes, B&N is doing a 25% off member pre-order sale today through Friday (Feb 5-7)!

WHY’RE AUTHORS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT PRE-ORDERS?

In short, pre-orders help increase the chances of the book’s success. They signal interest in the book to publishers and retailers. Pre-orders help build “buzz” around a book, which can lead publishers to adjust print runs and encourage retailers to make larger orders. If you pre-order from an independent bookstore, not only does it help the creator, they help independent bookstores by guaranteeing sales for their stock.

Pre-orders also count towards first week sales numbers, which is how books end up on those bestseller lists when they’ve only been out in the world for less than a week. I’m not saying that I’m anticipating bestseller status for Geozoology, but I’m not gonna say no to the possibility. ;)