Book Talk And Signing With Matt Braly at Fantom Comics With Erin Lisette


This will be updated as notices continue to come in. The list is an annual feature of the Comics Research Bibliography. Links to obituaries or information on most of these creators can be found in CRB posts here throughout the past year. Updates are marked with *
Deaths in 2024 (with thanks to Bruce Guthrieâs Wikipedia mining, Ramin Zahedâs Animation Magazine list, *DD Deggâs Daily Cartoonist list,) ) included *Lima Ohioâs monthly water bill cartoonist David Adams, Platinum Age comics scholar John Adcock, Thomas Nast biographer John Adler, Shamsuddin H. Akib aka Sham of Singapore, comic collector and Overstreet advisor Bill Alexander, Palestinian artist/cartoonist Mahasen al-Khateeb, *Thomas the Tank Engine producer Britt Allcroft, Brazilian comic artist Walmir Amaral, British comics consultant Irving Anderson, Hinako Arishara, YĆ« Asai, Italian comic book artist Sergio Asteriti, Graphic Policy podcaster Steven Attewell, G. Fawzi Baghdadli, Henson Shop creative supervisor David Barrington-Holt, shop owner Adam Barsa, Dan Dare fanzine âSpaceship Awayâ founder Rod Barzilay, Wildstorm editor Sarah Becker, animator and animation teacher Howard Beckerman, comic book dealer and historian Bob Beerbohm, American animator Peter Bennett, *comic book store worker and ICv2 columnist Steve Bennett, sports and editorial cartoonist Phil Bissell, occasional comics writer Terry Bisson, Sam Blanchard aka Shlepzig, Joyce Brabner, Jacques Bredy, Mark D. Bright, Chance Browne, animator Jan Browning, âBackyardigansâ creator Janice Burgess, British colorist John Michael Burns, British animator Emma Calder, Filipino comics artist Carlo J. Caparas, John Cassaday, Italian comics writer and historian Alfredo Castelli, Sergio Bonelli Editore secretary Ornella Castellini, Swiss cartoonist Daniel Ceppi, Marvel Studios art director and production designer Ray Chan, Pierre Christin, British comic artist Andrew Chiu, British comics writer Richmond Clements, co-founder of Bardon - a Barcelona-London comics artists agency Barry Coker, 1950s editorial and sports cartoonist Alex Cook, British comics writer Roger Noel Cook, Canadian animator Curtis James Crawford, British advertising comic Signal artist Roy Cross, *Tidalwave Comics writer Scott Davis, voice actor Diane Delano, Jose Delbo, Swiss animator Ătienne Delessert, French comics artist Fred Dewilde, Scott Donaldson the inspiration for Bananaman, Starhead Comix and Brownfield Press publisher Michael Dowers, animation artist Shigeko Doyle, animation background designer Maurice Edwards, editorial cartoonist Tom Engelhardt, Jerry Fearing, comic book cover painter Max Fellwalker, Charlie Hebdo webmaster Simon Fieschi, animation background artist Martin Forte, cartoonist and animator Bob Foster, Ramona Fradon, newspaper cartoonist Charles Fredrick, Italian cartoonist Massimiliano Frezzato, Oregon cartoonist Bill Friday, art collector Keif Fromm, Disney animation manager Randy Fukuda, Verotika #9 single issue comic book writer Ray Garton, Disney technical director Christopher W. Gee, *British comics fan Kenny Gibson, Peter Gillis, French cartoonist Christian Godard, animator Brad Goodchild, Ripleyâs Believe It or Not artist John Graziano, Adirondack Daily Enterprise cartoonist Phil âBunkâ Griffin, Marvel and DC marketing & licensing executive Francine Grillo, stop motion animator Mark Gustafson, editorial cartoonist Ed Hall, Superman Museum founder Jim Hambrick, Swedish editorial cartoonist Riber Hansson, British socialist cartoonist Alan Hardman, British cartoonist Merrily Harpur, TV animation writer Reid Harrison, anime voice narrator Doc Harris, co-founder of the D.C. Conspiracy Art Haupt, British comic book artist Jon Haward, voice actor and director Dan Hennessey, editorial cartoonist Jack Higgins, Greg Hildebrandt, animation effects and visual development artist Sean Pin Ho, gag cartoonist Wayne Horne, anime and game artist Mutsumi Inomata, African American cartoonist Tim Jackson, animator Jean-Guy Jacques, Heritage Auction vice president Ed Jaster, Galaxy Of Comics comic book store founder Warren Jaycox, Yakari co-creator Job aka AndrĂ© Jobin, Boston Globe sports cartoonist Larry Johnson, AndrĂ© Juillard, Belgian colorist Dina Kathelyn, Disney layout artist Karen Keller, Congolese cartoonist Yves Kulondwa alias Kayene, David Kunzle, pioneering Japanese indie animator YĆji Kuri, Michael Leunig, Washington Post architectural cartoonist Roger K. Lewis, voice actor Rachael Lillis, voice actress Morgan Lofting, colorist Tom Luth, editorial cartoonist Bob Lynch, Simpsonsâ Spanish-language voice actor Nancy MacKenzie, British cartoonist Ed MacLachlan, Playboy cartoonist Don Madden, Peter Maddocks, Spanish cartoonist MartĂ aka MartĂ Riera Ferrer, Japanese voice actor Taiki Matsuno, Fantagraphics book designer Ryan McCardle, English cartoonist Ed McLachlan, National Lampoon and Mad writer Brian McConnachie, Maryland fan historian Stuart McIntire, animation producer John McKenna, animator Bob McKnight, Disney animation painter Harlene Mears, animation sculptor Kent Melton, Scottish cartoonist John G. Miller, CG animator Mike Milne, animation model designer and storyboard artist David Mink, Canadian animation layout artist Chris Minz (aka Dr. Minz), Bernie Mireault, Canadian editorial cartoonist Ron Moffatt, Karl Moline, animator Don Moore, Razor comic book writer James A. Moore, South African comic book artist Karl Mostert, *manga scholar Tomohiko Murakami, Japanese voice actor Yasuo Muramatsu, writer of âThe Girl Who Sangâ Estelle Nadel, Israeli web cartoonist Revital Bornstein known as "Navy Bird", Paul Neary, San Diego Comic-Con volunteer Clydene Nee, clay and sand stop motion animation pioneer Eli Noyes, comic book writer Wes Ochse, âDoraemonâ Japanese voice actress Noriko Ohara, Spanish comics artist Jose MarĂa Ortiz Tafalla (aka Jaimie Ortiz and J.M Ortiz), Japanese voice of Doraemon Nobuyo Oyama, the Latino Comics Expo co-founder Ricardo Padilla, animation checker Gloria Palter, *Lowell Sun sports cartoonist Leo Panas, Don Perlin, Canadian animator Don Perro, Polish animation director Andrzej Piliczewski, Ed Piskor, Marvel Comics artist Brian Postman, Comicstorian YouTuber Ben Potter, Johnny Mutton creator and animator James Proimos, voice actor Peter Renaday, Disney animation producer Daniel Ridgers, Trina Robbins, Enric Badia Romero (aka Enrique BadĂa Romero), Comics Journal news editor turned comics scholar John Ronan, French cartoonist StĂ©phane Rosse, animator Harry Sabin, Russian animation director Vladimir Samsonov, Top Cow VP Elena Salcedo, Japanese manga artist Nanae Sasaya, animator Marty Schwartz, British comics artist Dave Shephard, Disney animation music writer Richard M. Sherman, anime art director and background artist Yukihiro Shibutani, animation assistant director Adam Somner, North Dakota editorial cartoonist Steve Stark, Elena Steier, SILENCE! comics podcast host Mark Stewart aka Amy Poodle, Latvian animator Roze Stiebra, Montrealâs Librairie Astro store owner Paul Stock, British cartoonist Bill Stott, comics writer Frank Strom, animation storyboard artist Michael Swanigan, British âBlackâ comic autobiography writer Tobias Taitt, Haruo Takahashi, Shojo manga pioneer Macoto Takahashi, Japanese voice actress Atsuko Tanaka, Japanese comics-inspired artist Keiichi Tanaami, anime lyricist and Peanuts translator Shuntaro Tanikawa, Japanese voice actress Tarako, cartoonist turned childrenâs book creator Mike Thaler, Spanish cartoonist Trini TinturĂ©, science fiction/fantasy artist and underground/overground cartoonist Larry Todd, Akira Toriyama, *animator Mike Toth, production director for Disney Publishing Marybeth Tregarthen, Italian comic artist Giorgio Trevisan, Dutch comics artist RenĂ© Uilenbroek, Japanese voice actor Hideyuki Umezu, Kazuo Umezu, BenoĂźt van Innis, Dutch editor and StripNieuws author Peter van Leersum, comic book cover artist Jeffrey Veregge, Russian animator Marina Voskanyants, Comix Connection co-owner Bill Wahl, Toronto fan artist Taral Wayne, first Marvel UK manager Raymond Wergan, Belgian cartoonist Ătienne Willem, lesbian underground cartoonist Mary Wings, editorial cartoonist Don Wright, comic book artist John Wycough, animation writer and voice actor Tom Wyner, Japanese voice actor Eiji Yanagisawa, Japanese manga artist Kazu Yuzuki, Michael Zulli âŠ
Some episodes of the video game-inspired anthology series feel like extended ads. But even ads can make for good storytelling.
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Self-portrait (all images from Gabriela's website) |
by Mike Rhode
Gabriela Epstein spoke recently about her 2023 graphic novel, Danny Phantom: A Glitch in Time at Fantom Comics. Unfortunately I missed the talk, which I'm told was great, but I did get there in time to buy signed books and ask about an interview. Gabriela obliged with both, and I think this fairly in-depth interview is a good introduction to her work, except for her animation career which I forgot to ask about (now corrected!). I thoroughly enjoyed her two most recent books, Invisible, and Danny Phantom and recommend them.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
So far, Iâve done adaptation work, graphic novel illustration and now some writing. Running the full gamut!
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
I draw everything digitally. The first several books I drew for Scholastic were drawn with an old Wacom Tablet and my laptop, but now I draw exclusively on my iPad. It mimics the feel of using a Cintiq at my old job and is a bit more portable.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
I was born April, 1993, in Pennsylvania. Spent time in central PA and Philly growing up.
What neighborhood or area do you live in?
I live in Austin, TX, now.
What is
your training and/or education in cartooning?
Technically speaking, I donât have much. Although I studied at two art schools (PAFA and RISD), I never managed to snag a single comics course. All my comic making is self-taught.
That said, comics is an amalgamation of different skills like figure drawing, color theory, perspective, etc. so for those things Iâd credit my two years at PAFA for giving me my fundamentals in drawing. All the digital tools I use now I taught myself via online tutorials artists would post on Tumblr and Twitter.
So how did you get into animation?
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do until my final semester of school. I cobbled together a 2D character design portfolio in my final class (thanks, MJ!) and submitted it to every studio until I got a call-back from Powerhouse Animation.
What did you work on there?
I worked as a character and prop designer on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Kid Danger.
Why did you leave for graphic novels?
I'd been getting recruited for lots of comic gigs while I was trying for a career in animation. I'd keep taking smaller ones just to create content, but as it turns out that just made more people think I was a cartoonist. I figured I should lean into that because the competition for jobs in animation is so tough there was no way I'd make it full time. At least, not without my body and soul intact.
Who are your influences?
My early comic influences were Todd Nauck (Young Justice, Teen Titans Go!) and Sean Galloway (Spider-man). Now I look a lot to Mitsuru Adachi (Cross Game) and Haruichi Furudate (Haikyuu!) for paneling and composition, and Satoru Noda (Golden Kamuy, Supinamarada!) for comedic drawing.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
Iâd probably take a break before attending art school to get myself situated mental health-wise. Iâve learned the hard way that no matter where you go, youâre stuck with yourself. If youâre not happy foundationally, youâre not gonna get the full experience of whatever program or job youâve got going on. I burnt myself out majorly, and that kind of work/life balance is simply unsustainable. I eventually did take a year off in 2015 and it was the best decision of my life. Helped me recenter and see what I actually wanted to do with my time rather than chase ghosts of what I could/should be.
What work
are you best-known for?
Haha, probably my Baby-Sitters Club adaptations.
How did you get the job illustrating the Babysitter's Club graphic novels?
I had been recruited for the book Invisible, which led to me signing on with my first agent back in 2018. In my talks with Scholastic, the opportunity to test for BSC came up and I gave it a shot. Considering that my predecessors were Raina and Gale, I didnât think I had a good chance of getting the job, but I figured the testing would be valuable practice. Iâve learned so much from my experience working on that seriesâmore than I can put into words.
How did it feel to follow Raina on that series?
I hadnât read any of her work before signing on, so I went to the library and checked out all her books and read them all in one day. Her style is clear, concise, yet emotive. This is an extremely difficult skill to master, and something I greatly admire. She is a cartooning god, and Iâm so humbled to learn and benefit from the creative decisions she made on the first four books of the series.
Invisible, the book you illustrated with Christina Diaz Gonzalez, is the story of five Latin American school kids who are all from different Latino backgrounds. The story deals with racism, classicism, homelessness and the immigrant experience. How did you get this assignment?
Scholastic reached out to me and several other Latine artists to test for the project. Funny enough, I was originally going to decline because I am a white Latine and didnât feel qualified to tell a legitimate Latine story. My mom (first gen Chilean immigrant) disabused me of that notion and encouraged me to at least test for the job.
For my test, I took a design pass at the core group of kids and illustrated several pages of comics based on a short test script I was given. Christina opted for my test, and weâve stuck with my designs with little change.
Did you and Diaz Gonzalex work together, or was there an editor in between you?
Unfortunately, the project was a long game of telephone, haha. I would talk to my agent, who would talk to the editor, who would talk to Christinaâs agent, who would talk to her. I think things wouldâve moved much easier had we simply been allowed to do direct Zoom meetings. That said, Christina was very chill and graceful with all the changes I brought up to the story and potential designs for characters and locations, and for that Iâm very grateful.Was this just a job, or could you relate to the underlying story and issues?
Yes, I do connect with the charactersâ struggles with identity and the unique experience of living with a parent/parents who are immigrants. There is a sense of otherness that is pervasive and isolatingâone is not quite American, and yet I could never be thought of as Chilean, either. I think working on the story has made me more secure in my identity and much more aware of my own unique privileges within both worlds.
How was the book received? I was very impressed with it and enjoyed it.
The book has gotten many starred reviews and awards for which Iâm grateful. However, those things donât mean much to me in comparison to what it means for the kids who read it. As long as it helps kids feel like their experiences are validated, I consider the book to have been a worthwhile endeavor.
Additionally, Iâm very happy with how the bilingual aspect of the lettering worked out and am hopeful this will be used for more ESL books in the future. [editor's note: When a character speaks in Spanish, it's shown first, and then in English in a second balloon. It works well. I don't know if it's colloquial to each character's country, but I would guess it is not.]
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Danny Phantom wrap-around cover art |
What work are you most proud of?
The Danny Phantom books. It was my first foray into writing, drawing and art directing all in one go, so theyâre always gonna have a special place in my heart.
In your Fantom Comics talk, you spoke of your liking for the Danny Phantom animated series. Can you go into that a bit here?
I was a huge fan of the show since its premiere in 2004. I was just going through some old sketchbooks at my dadâs house and was blown away by the style change in my drawings before and after watching a season of Danny Phantom. I think a lot of the angularity of my style can be attributed to Stephen Silverâs designs on that show.
Danny Phantom was also my first foray into the fandom experienceâlurking on forums, reading fanfiction and making fan art, so it would always be special to me in that sense. Itâs been a comfort show Iâve rewatched many times and despite its extremely y2k humor, still holds up well!
How did you get this job? Did you pitch the publisher, or did they seek you out?
Abrams gave me a call to see if Iâd be interested in illustrating a continuation of the series in comic form back in early 2020. Iâd just published a charity Danny Phantom zine with some friends the year prior, so I think that may have had something to do with it, but I honestly donât know. Looking back, a lot of my portfolio at the time was made up of Danny Phantom fan art, so that couldâve also been a factor.Is this your first major writing assignment? How does that differ from illustrating someone else's script?
Yes! This was my first time being asked to write and draw a book for an existing IP. I was extremely nervous because Iâd never written something that long before and hadnât taken any formal classes in writing, either. To prepare, I read a few books on the subject and wrote some spec scripts for different shows to get the gist of writing out a full story.
That was the biggest hurdle for me. When Iâm adapting books like the BSC, or illustrating for Invisible, I can make many edits and change the story for the better, but the bones of it are already in place. To start from scratch was more daunting, but the team at Abrams was very happy to walk me through everything. The nicest part was getting to draw it, too, so if I thought of better gags or more dramatic ways to stage a scene, I could just go ahead and do it without worrying if the writer would approve. That elasticity in the process made for a fun time!
Is it the first of the series? Wikipedia says it is, but what is your plan / involvement?
Yesâright now Iâm working on a sequel book that is due out in 2025. Future books would depend on how well it sells, but I would love to continue contributing to this franchise. Iâve got some story arcs in mind that would be nice to bring to fruition, so I have my fingers crossed. Even if that doesnât come to pass, though, Iâm so happy to have had this opportunity. Itâs truly a dream come true!
What
would you like to do or work on in the future?
Iâve wanted to make my own sports comic for years now, but for various reasons it has never felt like the right time. Hopefully that will change soon. I want to make a hockey series!
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
I take a break. Often, consuming other media can spark ideas to solve your own story solutions. Like, âMan, I forgot how much I hated how x show handled this topic. Iâd do it this way!â and all of a sudden youâre running for your notebook with bits of ideas that can totally restructure your story.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
Hard to say, considering how unstable the entertainment industry is right now. I think the market for graphic novels will continue as is, if not get larger. With comics now being used more and more in educational settings, I canât imagine theyâd lose popularity.
That said, I donât know how this will translate to the creation of said comics. Publishers are already expressing interest in AI, and the labor force that creates comics is already woefully underpaidâboth contractors and salaried editors and designers. This post-Covid cloud economy is a shambles. Could this lead to a breaking point in labor relations within the publishing industry? One can only hope. As it is, the contractor model for graphic novel creation in the US is abysmal and only affords those with baked-in financial stability the freedom to create. Thatâs a recipe for a lot of books that look and sound the same.
What cons do you attend? Any comments
about attending them?
I donât attend cons too much. I would love to go to NYCC again, though, and SDCC if theyâll have me for Danny Phantom 2!
What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?
The current series Iâm following are Witch
Hat Atelier and Dungeon Meshi. Iâm mostly discovering old comics for
myself now. My favorite local comic shops in Austin are Dragonâs Lair and
Tribe!
Do you have a website or blog?
I have a portfolio site where I will post the occasional events that I do. www.gre-art.com
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Check Please! postcard art |