Andy Runton's Owly: The Power of Cute and Cuddly

This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on Oct. 4, 2005

By Kai-Ming Cha -- Publishers Weekly, 10/4/2005

With one Harvey Award under his belt (and two more nominations) and an Ignatz Award from last month's SPX convention in Maryland, Andy Runton is on the verge of bringing the comics world to its knees. His not-so-secret-weapon? A fuzzy round owl with big eyes and a tiny beak. Owly, the lonely, kind hero of Runton's two graphic novels, may just be the first all-ages series to bring tears to the eyes of the hardened comics fan.

PW Comics Week:What's the story behind Owly?

Andy Runton: Owly started out as a little tiny owl that I would draw for my mom because I'd stayed up really late. I'd write these notes and say, "I was up late last night so don't worry about me. I'll get up at 2 today." She'd call me a little night owl. I kept leaving note after note, and soon he started doing things, sleeping, being cute. Over time he got some friends and that's how he got his start.

PWCW: What made you want to draw an all-ages comic?

AR: I always read comics growing up. I never imagined being able to do comics as a career. I was a graphic designer and I wasn't getting satisfaction out of that. I started drawing comics to find more fulfillment, but when it came to the fight scenes, I couldn't do it. I don't believe in violence. I'm a vegetarian. So when it came to the fight scenes, it just came off as silly. Then I found Top Shelf and they weren't doing superhero comics. They were doing real stories with real human emotions. I had characters to do that with but it wasn't working. I had Owly all that time but never thought of using him. When I did, it started out as a kids' book and then I pulled in other comics influences. I never thought of it as all ages, it was just something I needed to do. I was a graphic designer and my company got downsized after 9/11 and I lost my job. I kept drawing Owly because it made me happy and, in the end, it all came together.

PWCW: Why does Owly appeal to readers of so many different ages?

AR: When you really care about something, it can come out in the work. Owly is me and I really care about these stories. I hope readers can see that and that it's honest and real.

PWCW: Owly is a wordless comic. Why forgo the words?

AR: The main reason is that I don't really consider myself a writer. I never went to school to be a writer. When it came to writing dialogue, it sounded clumsy. It didn't fit. In the end, I left it out. I wanted something they could use to communicate what they couldn't convey in body language, so I pulled in the icons.

PWCW: Readers are taken by the innocence of Owly and they say "Owly" and "Winnie the Pooh" in the same breath.

AR: That is amazing. Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, the Rescuers, those are the things I loved when I was growing up. The thing about Owly, the nature aspect, you're trying to connect to these animals. You want to be part of their world but you can't. I guess the innocence is part of the way I want to see the world. It's a world I'd like to exist. It's definitely not the world that exists right now and Owly is too innocent for the world right now, but hopefully he learns more with each passing story and maybe he can change the world with each passing story as well.