Eric Orchard is creating fanciful, fable-like children’s books in a style inspired by Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, and I had the opportunity to talk to him about Bera the One-Headed Troll, his latest book. In addition to the story and the art, we also discussed another running theme in his work, his struggles with mental illness—both his own depression and anxiety and his experiences growing up as the child of a schizophrenic mother. I interviewed him a year and a half ago when his first graphic novel, Maddy Kettle and the Adventure of the Thimblewitch, came out.

And don’t miss my coverage of the Pokemon Adventures creators’ panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, where there were plenty of hijinks and some serious Pokemon talk (if there can be such a thing).

At School Library Journal, I talked to Gene Luen Yang, Dan Santat, Vera Brosgol, and others about writing graphic novels that reflect their experiences as the children of immigrants. And SLJ commissioned a great header illustration by Marguerite Dabaie!

Also at SLJ, Raina Telegmeier talks about her new graphic novel, Ghosts, which is due out in September.

BBC Radio celebrated 70 years of Classics Illustrated with a special program featuring actor Bill Patterson (a CI fan) and others; there’s a link to listen to the show online.

Reviews

Drew McCabe on Archie: Back to School Annual (Archie Double Digest #271) (Comic Attack)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Bedtime for Batman (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Edgar on Bera the One-Headed Troll (Paste)
Josh Hem Lee on Child Soldier: When boys and girls are used in war (Guys Lit Wire)
Ardo Omer on Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling (Women Write About Comics)
Mark Dickson on Dungeon Fun (Panel Patter)
Elizabeth Bird on Kid Beowulf (A Fuse #8 Production)
Joe Hennes on the Labyrinth 30th Anniversary Special (Tough Pigs)
Mark Dickson on Rikki (Panel Patter)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Science Comics: Volcanoes: Fire and Life (Comics Worth Reading)
Shelley Diaz on Snow White, by Matt Phelan (School Library Journal)