It Takes a Colony

My graphic novel TITAN is landing in stores this week, after many years of working, worrying, and waiting: I started the project way back in 2012! In the years since, I have had the help and support of so many amazing people, institutions, and communities, that I wanted to take a moment to speak to that gratitude. Most of these folks are thanked in the book itself, but I thought it would be worthwhile to take some more space to highlight more clearly their immense and varied contributions to the work (as well as to remind you of their own creative endevours). My deepest thanks to everyone.

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Grace Scheipeter was my fearless editor at Oni Press, and her attention to detail, thoughtful critiques, and steady organizational skills made all the difference in bringing this new edition of TITAN to life. Grace was open to all my wild ideas for changes we could make to the book, and full of wisdom and advice on how we could make the best version of the TITAN possible.

Hazel Newlevant was the original acquiring editor who brought TITAN to Lion Forge, and without their early and enthusiastic support for the book I am sure this would have never happened. Hazel had some important suggestions and ideas that had an outsized impact on the book’s fortunes. Hazel is also a very talented cartoonist and editor, their work is well worth seeking out.

Brett Warnock worked tirelessly with me to shape the book, refine my pitch, and shop TITAN around to various publishers. I don’t know what I would have done without his years of experience, unflagging energy, and rock-solid faith in the book. Brett has recently launched Kitchen Table Magazine, a lovely publication dedicated to community and cuisine, do check it out.

Zack Soto was my editor and publisher at Study Group Comics, which serialized TITAN online and in print. Zack was also my studio mate, publishing partner, sounding board, and overall “comics boyfriend” during the years of working on my book, from before I even officially started working on TITAN to being one of the very last people to read over the final proofs. The level of day-to-day, back-and-forth communication I had with Zack over the years is mind-boggling. He gave TITAN a home at a time when I was wracked with self-doubt and creative struggles, and there is absolutely no way I could have made it through this process without his support, wit, candor, intelligence, ideas, and feedback. Zack is also a very creative cartoonist and editor, and I had the pleasure of working with him on many of his own projects, well worth a look.

Luc Bossé is the publisher of Éditions Pow Pow, the Montréal comics press that published the initial, French-language edition of TITAN back in 2017. Luc took a tremendous risk in supporting me and my work at a crucial moment in my development as an artist. Based on the (very limited) strength of the first issue of TITAN (side thank you to the cartoonist Pascal Girard, who passed that issue to Luc in the first place), Luc offered to publish TITAN. To say that changed my career and my life is no exaggeration, Luc very much brought me into the community of creators here in Montréal and elevated me from a mini-comics creator to the rarified status of a published author. Luc had a torrent of great feedback and ideas for TITAN, and his editorial vision had a major impact on the final book. In addition to his tireless work as an editor and publisher, Luc is also a fantastic cartoonist, and I encourage you to seek out his work and that of all the Pow Pow gang.

Alexandre Fontaine-Rousseau was my translator for the French edition of TITAN, working for months to bring my story to life in another language, no mean feat. The privilege of working closely with Alexandre gave me deep insights not only into the extraordinary difficulties of translation, but also crystalized and improved my own understanding of my own writing and story. A key member of that Montréal comics community I mentioned earlier, Alexandre is a prolific writer in his own right, so his feedback and ideas on how to best bring TITAN to the page made a crucial impact not only on the French edition but also directly affected the new English edition as well. Thanks also go out to Judith Langevin and David Rancourt for proof-reading the French edition of the book.

Brandi Benkert is a brilliant set designer for film and television and one of my oldest friends. I approached her about collaborating with me on some of the settings in TITAN, and Brandi created the most amazing concepts and detailed 3D models for certain key locations in the book, including the Titan hall, Cyrus’ gym, and Phoebe’s quarters. Without Brandi’s inestimable talents TITAN would be a far-less rich and fully realized world. Her work also had a major effect on my approach to comic creation in general, I feel like my work is so much the better for this collaboration.

Jeff Tweedy and Margo Guryan are some of my all-time favorite musicians and song writers, and I am deeply honored that they both agreed to allow lyrics from their work to be reproduced in TITAN (special thanks also to Jon Rosner for his work with Ms. Guryan). I was so happy to have these moments of music in my book, I think they add immensely to the narrative.

Ezra Claytan Daniels had some of the most clear, honest, thoughtful, and helpful advice about TITAN and the world of publishing I have ever received. Without his succinct, distilled wisdom I feel like I wouldn’t have known what the hell I was doing over the last couple years. Ezra has also been extraordinarily supportive of the book and my career for a long, long time. He is also a remarkable talent and a must-read creator as well.

Ben H. Winters has been unflagging in his enthusiasm and support of the book, going so far as to host me for the official launch event with Librairie D+Q (more thanks to the team there) and more. Ben has emerged as one of my favorite prose writers of the last decade, I strongly recommend you check out his work.

Cory Doctorow, Malachi Ward, and Jason Shiga, like Ezra and Ben, all did me the honor of blurbing my book. The thoughtful endorsement of these creators, some of the most brilliant minds working in science fiction and comics, means the world to me.

Jonathan Hill has long been a favorite cartoonist, and I am so delighted that the coincidence of his new book Odessa coming out at the same moment as TITAN has allowed us to get to know each other better. Jon did a fantastic talk with me earlier this year and has been indefatigable in his boosting of my work.

Mackenzie Schubert, Ben Sears, Brandon Graham, and Matthieu Cousin all created amazing back cover art for the mini-comics editions of TITAN. Such a pleasure to see my creations filtered through the creative visions of such talented minds.

Jason Leivian, Jason Fischer, and Shanna Matuszak were absolutely central to my experience as a creator for many years. I spent countless hours in their company, goofing off and endlessly workshopping ideas with them. Thoughtful, creative, and caring, they were and remain an ongoing inspiration to me.

Hannah McDevitt was tremendously supportive of my creative work over many, many years, and there is absolutely no way TITAN could have gotten off the launch pad without her aid. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Jonas Madden-Connor was my first creative collaborator, and he’s never stopped being a force for good in my work and my life. His influence can be felt in a million little ways throughout TITAN, and the work is all the better for it. One of my favorite cartoonists, I can’t encourage you enough to check out his work.

Patrick “Pato” Hebert was my professor at Reed College, and TITAN was born in his class (thanks as well to my fellow classmates (including cartoonist Lucy Bellwood) for their workshopping of TITAN in its earliest stages). Pato’s feedback, encouragement, and general advice really helped me launch this project. He is a very kind man, a thoughtful teacher, and a powerful multi-disciplinary artist, and I feel very lucky to have intersected with him, and thankful for his never-ending support for my work.

I don’t have the space to thank the many people in the press who have reviewed TITAN or interviewed me over the years, but I do want to take a moment to specifically express my deep appreciation for Tom Spurgeon’s support of my work over the whole of my time in the comics community. Tom passed away almost exactly a year ago and I miss his warmth, wit, advice, and mind tremendously. He was one of a kind.

There’s also no way I can thank everyone at Oni Press and Lion Forge who had a hand in making this book a reality, there were so many people involved from the marketing department to the designers to the proof readers right on up to the publisher. Many thanks to the entire team at Oni, I’m so happy to be part of the family.

I also would be remise if I failed to thank all the readers, booksellers, and friends who have been with me over the years, and each and every one of the patrons who supported me on Patreon. Many thanks to them all.

Finally, and most importantly, I have to thank my partner Carine Deland for being the most supportive, critical, brilliant, and inspiring person I could imagine spending my days, months, and years with. Any success I have had in my personal life and creative work over the course of the last five years is due in no small part to her. I try to let her know every day, but you can never say it enough. TITAN is dedicated to her.