interviews – SMASH PAGES

Picture + Panel | Štěpánka Jislová + Sofia Szamosi on ‘the lies the TV told me’

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

We continue our interview series on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — for September, Štěpánka Jislová and Sofia Szamosi will discuss “the lies that TV told me” about body image, women and relationships.

Next Monday, you can join the creators and moderator Rebecca Hains, Ph.D. for the discussion at the Boston Figurative Arts Center. You can find more details on it here.

Štěpánka Jislová is an award-winning comics artist based in Prague and the cofounder of the Czech branch of Laydeez do Comics, an international organization that promotes female comic artists and their work. Jislová collaborated with Czech writer Tereza Čechová on the 2021 Muriel prize–winning Bez vlasů, later published by Graphic Mundi in English as Bald. Srdcovka (the original Czech edition of Heartcore) received the Muriel Award in three categories in 2024, including the main prize.

Sofia Szamosi is an artist and author originally from New York City. In addition to making books, she enjoys painting and creating art in analog photobooths. Along with her debut graphic novel, Unretouchable (Lerner/Graphic Universe), she is the author of BAD KID: My Life as a Troubled Teen (Little, Brown Ink, forthcoming Spring 2026), a graphic memoir exploring her adolescence in and out of the troubled teen industry. A third graphic memoir is currently in development with Street Noise, focusing on healing from eating disorders and the journey of recovering fertility. Szamosi now lives in a small town in Massachusetts—just the right distance from New York City—with her husband, two daughters, and their elderly Pomeranian, Breakfast.

Check out the interview below, and big thanks as always to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

Smash Pages Q&A | Mike Del Mundo on his new art book from Clover Press

The innovative artist talks about his process and approach to creating some of Marvel’s most striking covers and artwork.

Mike Del Mundo has left a bold and imaginative mark on the world of comics through the use of vivid color palettes, surreal compositions and really cool, concept-driven covers.

Since his breakout run of covers for X-Men: Legacy, he’s brought his distinctive storytelling style to interiors on Elektra, Thor, Avengers and more, earning multiple industry nominations and awards along the way. Now, his career-spanning body of Marvel work is being collected in The Marvel Art of Mike Del Mundo, the latest high-end release in Clover Press and Marvel’s boutique art book series.

The Kickstarter campaign, which is now live, offers the 224-page hardcover alongside exclusive prints, posters, a special sketchbook showing his creative process and other collector’s items.

I caught up with him on the release of the book, his innovative approach to covers, the Three Worlds / Three Moons project and more.

Picture + Panel | Mattie Lubchansky + Denali Sai Nalamalapu on resistance and resilience

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

We continue our interview series on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about resistance and resilience.

On Aug. 4, Mattie Lubchansky and Denali Sai Nalamalapu will discuss how their work captures “the spirit of defiance and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds” in an event hosted by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center.

Denali Sai Nalamalapu is a climate organizer from Southern Maine and Southern India. Denali lives in Southwest Virginia. They have written for Truthout, Prism and Mergoat Magazine, and their climate activism has been covered in Shondaland, Vogue India, Self, The Independent and elsewhere. They studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia. You can find them at @DenaliSai on Instagram.

Mattie Lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator. She is also an Ignatz winner, a Herblock Prize finalist, and the author of Boys Weekend and The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook. She lives in beautiful Queens, New York, with her spouse.

Smash Pages Q&A | Craig Hurd-McKenney on ‘Curse of Dark Shadows’

The writer of the new graphic novel that dives back into the world of the cult classic supernatural soap opera discusses the project, which is currently up on Kickstarter.

Dark Shadows was a supernatural-themed daytime soap opera that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971, but still holds a place in the hearts of many fans. Barnabas Collins and his brood have lived on in books, movies and through streaming services over the years, bringing new fans to Collinsport, Maine — a city inhabited by vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, warlocks and more.

Hermes Press has kept the story alive through a series of novels and reprints of previous comics, but now they’re returning to the world of Dark Shadows with an original graphic novel that moves the story into the present. Craig Hurd-McKenney, writer of the recent Station Grand from Oni Press, and Jok, artist of the under-appreciated In Hell We Fight with John Layman at Image Comics, are bringing these characters back to the forefront and continuing the drama that made the show so popular.

Here’s the description of Curse of Dark Shadows:

Carolyn Stoddard-Hawkes made a deathbed promise to her mother. But, in order for Carolyn to complete that promise, she must rely on the one person in the world she doesn’t want to see: vampire Barnabas Collins. His return home after an extended period away sets in motion a chain of events that will change the Collins family forever. Can Carolyn and her cousin David survive the newly-awakened CURSE OF DARK SHADOWS, or will Barnabas be the end of the Collins family line?

The project is currently up on Kickstarter, and Hermes Press has a small number of limited edition copies at the San Diego Comic-Con. They’ll also host a panel this afternoon at 3 p.m. Pacific at the con, featuring Hurd-McKenney and actress Kathryn Leigh Scott, who played Maggie on the show and will join the conversation remotely.

I spoke with Hurd-McKenney about the project, his history with the show and working again with his longtime collaborator Jok.

Picture + Panel | Mike Curato + K. Wroten on queer communities

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we continue our spotlight feature on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about queer communities.

On July 7, Mike Curato and K. Wroten will join Scott Knox from Boston’s Equality Fund for a discussion on belonging, identity and connection, while exploring how both artists bring LGBTQ+ experiences to life through their distinctive visual voices. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

Mike Curato’s debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult and the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Middle Grade/Young Adult. It has gone on to be one of the most banned books in the United States these days. He’s also the author and illustrator of the children’s book series Little Elliot and illustrated What If… by Samantha Berger, All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, The Power of One by Trudy Ludwig, and If I Were a Fish by Corook and Olivia Barton. Publishers Weekly named Mike a “Fall 2014 Flying Start.” Gaysians is his adult debut.

K. Wroten is an award-winning comics author and illustrator. They are originally from the Midwest and currently live in Brooklyn, New York with their pet snake, Jules. They are the author of the acclaimed graphic novels Cannonball and Eden II; their latest book is Everyone Sux But You.

Check out the interview below, and big thanks as always to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

Guest Q&A | Melissa Chan + Badiucao on ‘You Must Take Part in Revolution’

The graphic novel from Street Noise Books is a near-future dystopian story about technology, authoritarian governments and fighting for freedom.

Today we’re pleased to present a guest interview with Melissa Chan and Badiucao, creators of You Must Take Part in Revolution, conducted by Street Noise Books publisher Liz Frances.

If you’re not familiar with the graphic novel, it features a near-future dystopian story about technology, authoritarian government and the lengths that one will go to in the fight for freedom. The graphic novel is available now.

by Liz Frances

Melissa and Badiucao, this is your first graphic novel! What made you two decide that you should go from journalism and political cartoons to making a graphic novel — why this format?

Melissa: I’d been a journalist for almost two decades — writing articles and also as a correspondent for broadcast and video reports. It started to feel as if whatever I reported on didn’t really matter — that so much of it was reaching audiences who kind of agreed with me already about human rights and democracy. I’ve enjoyed graphic novels over the years, and it kind of dawned on me that this was the book I’d always wanted to write.

Badiucao: Yeap, graphic novels take serious topics like human rights and geopolitics and make them more accessible to groups who might not know the subjects well. I’d always want to break through the circles of my usual readers and speak to younger groups who are comics readers, gamers — basically to leverage the power of pop culture. You know that famous “tank man” from the Tiananmen Square student protests? How about making figures like that as cool and as popular as Spider-Man!

Picture + Panel | Peter Kuper + Allison Conway share the buzz on insects

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Whether you find bugs to be fascinating or just creepy, you’ll likely enjoy today’s Q&A with Peter Kuper and Allison Conway. We continue our new interview series in conjunction with the Boston Comic Arts Foundation as the creators of Insectopolis and A Pillbug Story talk about their big love for some of the world’s smallest creatures

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series that brings fantastic graphic novel creators to the Boston area. Each conversation explores a specific topic, ranging from the fun and exciting to the strange or serious — like demon possession or monsters. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

On June 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern, Kuper and Conway will be at the Boston Figurative Arts Center in Somerville, Massachusetts for a discussion on all things bug-related with Whit Farnum from the Farrell Lab at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. You can find more details on the event’s website.

Big thanks as always to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

Smash Pages Q&A | Taki Soma on ‘Alienated’

The creator of ‘Sleeping While Standing’ and more discusses her newest miniseries from Comixology Originals.

Taki Soma has shown her mastery of comics several times over in her career, working as a writer, artist and colorist — and sometimes all three. Her previous works include titles like Rapture, The After Realm, Sinergy, The Old Guard: Tales Through Time, Iron Man, the autobiographical Sleeping While Standing and Bitch Planet, for which she was nominated for a Hugo Award back in 2018.

Her most recent work is Alienated, a digital miniseries she’s writing that Comixology Originals launched last month. For Alienated, Soma is working with artist John Broglia, whose most recent work includes Nice Jewish Boys.

Alienated is a different take on the alien invasion story, one that’s less about shady government officials and wide-scale panic, and more about how a specific set of characters — which include a retired teacher and his grandkids — react to finding a live alien.

I spoke with Soma about the title and what to expect from it. The first and second issues of the six-issue miniseries are available now.

Smash Pages Q&A | Corinna Bechko on EC Comics’ ‘Blood Type’

The accomplished writer talks about writing the first-ever continuation of an EC Comics anthology short, which gets a preview this weekend on Free Comic Book Day.

The revival of EC Comics has been one of the most interesting and fun things to happen in comics this past year. Oni Press has done a tremendous job of paying tribute to the notorious publisher while also making it feel fresh and different.

Speaking of which, their revival will take another turn this summer as they debut Blood Type. Following the various anthologies Oni has released under the EC Comics banner this past year, Blood Type is the first-ever continuation of an EC Comics anthology short, “picking up the thread of how one lone vampire lost at sea will soon wash ashore on a tropical isle, where she is not the only creature with a taste for flesh and blood,” according to Oni Publisher Hunter Gorinson.

Ada, the lone vampire in question, made her debut in Epitaphs from the Abyss #3, in a story by Corinna Bechko and Jonathan Case. That story will appear in EC Comics Presents Blood Type #0, a Free Comic Book Day offering that’ll be available this Saturday. Bechko, in fact, has a store signing at Collector’s Paradise in Winnetka, California on May 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., signing alongside creators Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia) and Patrick Horvath (Free For All, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees).

For the miniseries, Bechko is working with artist Andrea Sorrentino and colorist Dave Stewart to continue the story of Ada. It will kick off on June 18.

I spoke with Bechko about the new series, its historical significance, her love for the horror genre and more.

Picture + Panel | Anna Meyer + Michelle Fus discuss the draw of demonic possession

We continue our new interview series in advance of a question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we continue our new feature that brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about demonic possession.

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series that brings fantastic graphic novel creators to the Greater Boston area. Each conversation explores a specific topic, ranging from the fun and exciting to the strange or serious. Produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

We’re happy to bring some of that discussion online in advance of each session. On May 5, Anna Meyer and Michelle Fus will visit the Boston Figurative Arts Center in a Q&A moderated by Jordan Harris. You can find more details at the event’s website.

Anna Meyer was born in Northeast Ohio. She enjoys climbing, congregating in the kitchen, and coffee made by a loved one. Anna currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner, Bryan, and their two cats, sweet Ysif and not-so-sweet Oscar. Saint Catherine is her first graphic novel.

Michelle Fus graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2011 for Computer Art and Animation, interned at Pixar, worked at Dreamworks, changed careers, and has dedicated the past 13 years to working on the sci-fi/fantasy comic called Ava’s Demon. She is a fan of aliens, horror, magic and all the fantastic things in-between.

Big thanks to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

Introducing Picture + Panel | Tina Lugo + Marjorie Liu reveal why their favorite things are monsters

We kick off a new interview series in advance of a question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we introduce a new feature here at Smash Pages featuring two comic creators talking about specific topics –like, in today’s feature, monsters.

We’re happy to bring some of that discussion online in advance of each session. Next Monday Tina Lugo and Marjorie Liu will visit the Boston Figurative Arts Center in a Q&A moderated by author Sara Farizan. You can find more details on the event here.

Tina Lugo is an international tattooer and illustrator living in Providence, Rhode Island with her dog, Lou. She is the creator of The Changeling graphic novel series, published by Silver Sprocket. Tina’s work is heavily influenced by 90s manga and anime with a focus on queerness and Taíno representation.

Marjorie Liu is an attorney and New York Times bestselling novelist and comic book writer. Her work at Marvel includes the series X-23, Black Widow, Han Solo, Dark Wolverine and Astonishing X-Men. She is also the co-creator of Monstress from Image Comics, which has won multiple Hugo Awards, British Fantasy Awards, Harvey Award and five Eisner Awards, making Liu the first-ever woman—and woman of color—to win an Eisner in the Best Writer category.

Big thanks to Gina Gagliano and Jason Viola, who organize the monthly series in Boston and brought this Q&A series to Smash Pages!

Smash Pages Q&A | MK Reed + Jonathan Hill on ‘Budding Crisis’

The creators of ‘Americus’ reunite for a new fantasy series from Comixology Originals.

MK Reed and Jonathan Hill are no strangers to collaboration. Having previously joined forces on graphic novels like Americus and Science Comics: Wild Weather, they’ve established themselves as a formidable creative duo. Now, they’re venturing into new territory with their latest digital comic series, Budding Crisis, for Comixology Originals.

This fantasy epic plunges readers into a world where the Onamanthe plant—whose seeds possess the extraordinary power to grant wishes—has become extinct. When the remaining seeds aboard a ship called The Eclipse are stolen in the Bay of Cygnus, the Dureni people must race against time to recover this irreplaceable treasure. As they hunt for both the magical seeds and the thieves who took them, they stumble upon a conspiracy far greater than they could have imagined.

I spoke with Reed and Hill about the origins of this new series, their creative process and the unique challenges of crafting a fantasy world where the most precious resource is rapidly disappearing. The second issue arrived on Amazon today.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: