Comics Interview — Issue #107

Main Topics: Cerebus the Aardvark, self-publishing and creator rights, letterhacking and fan participation in comics

Contents
  1. Dave Sim
  2. Elizabeth Holden, Malcolm Bourne & Mark Lucas
  3. Editorial: Up Front (David Anthony Kraft)
  4. Letters: The Last Word
interview Dave Sim
Interviewed by Steve Bissette
Dave Sim Writer/Artist/Publisher, Aardvark-Vanaheim Working on: *Cerebus* #151+ (*Mothers and Daughters* arc)
A wide-ranging conversation covering Sim's creative process on Cerebus, his collaboration with background artist Gerhard, the thematic structure of the 300-issue storyline (Power, Faith, Love, Death, and Birth as successive arcs), and his commitment to self-publishing and autonomy. Sim reflects on the completion of Melmoth and the upcoming Mothers and Daughters, discussing how long-planned story beats feel like transcription rather than invention when the time comes to draw them.
interview Malcolm Bourne
Interviewed by Charles Novinskie
Malcolm Bourne Writer, Dark Horse Working on: *Tales of Ordinary Madness* (4-issue mini-series)
A group interview with three prolific letter-column writers, discussing why they write letters, which publishers have the best letter columns (Karen Berger's DC books and Dark Horse are praised), the strange fan mail they receive, and how letterhacking leads to other creative work. Malcolm Bourne announces his debut professional series for Dark Horse.
article Editorial: Up Front (David Anthony Kraft)
Presents reader survey responses from around issue #100 on the question of interview length and format, with fans divided between preferring longer in-depth interviews versus more shorter pieces per issue.
article Letters: The Last Word
Includes a lengthy letter from Warren Reece detailing professional grievances about uncredited work and unfair treatment across multiple publishers; also a letter from Bill Kieffer explaining and apologizing for an editorial mix-up in his Nancy Collins interview in issue #102.