Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide for Graphic Narrative

Former The Nib editors Mirk (Guantanamo Voices) and Harris (Be Gay, Do Comics) deliver a handy-dandy how-to for aspiring and established creators of fact-based comics. The various types of graphic nonfiction are helpfully broken down: graphic journalism, history comics, personal essay, etc. Each chapter offers spot-on tips and advice on topics including time management, research, and interviewing subjects, including that “all sources are fallible” and to “think about whether your sources represent the diverse reality of the world.” There’s also plenty of space devoted to the nuts and bolts of drawing, layout, and page design. Among their nuggets of wisdom, Mirk and Harris urge artists to use visual metaphors to jazz things up: “Just because it’s nonfiction doesn’t mean it isn’t creative... push yourself not to be literal.” Interviews and sidebars include an expansive array of expert viewpoints from more than a dozen accomplished creators, including Thi Bui, Malaka Gharib, Sarah Glidden, Maia Kobabe, Joe Sacco, Whit Taylor, and Josh Trujillo. Harris’s appealing—and not-overly-literal—drawings keep the proceedings lively. Full of sound advice and brimming over with energy, humor, and passion, this will make an indispensable addition to the bookshelves of comics creatives of all stripes. (Nov.)