Comics Interview — Issue #108

Interviewed at the Miami Book Fair shortly after MAUS 2 hit the New York Times bestseller list, Spiegelman discusses the artistic influences behind MAUS (Kurtzman, Krigstein, Chester Gould, Winsor McCay), his refusal to adapt the book for film, and his concerns about the comics direct market being dominated by "purveyors of mass fantasies." He reflects on the future of RAW magazine and the broader promise of comics as a personal, literary medium.

De Vries recounts the origins and rise of The Southern Squadron from its satirical beginnings in Australian OZ COMICS to its eventual U.S. publication, crediting covers by Jerry Ordway and Mike Grell with overcoming local snobbery toward Australian comics. He discusses recent DC work on Star Trek, the importance of an Australian perspective in storytelling, and his ambition to write mainstream American characters.

Lumsden talks about the collaborative dynamic with De Vries, arguing that Australian comics' blend of larrikin humor and realism distinguishes them from both American and British work. He addresses the changing audience for comics, the "Raw Deal" trucking strip's adaptation for a new magazine, and why comics should be treated as a serious commercial and artistic medium.

(int. Richard Pachter) — A lengthy profile of veteran Legion of Super-Heroes fan Broertjes, copy editor at the Miami Herald, covering his role co-founding The Legion Outpost fanzine in 1972, his instrumental part in tracking down a retired Jim Shooter and facilitating Shooter's return to DC and eventual rise to Marvel editor-in-chief, and his detailed opinions on the current Giffen/Bierbaum Legion relaunch.

DAK presents a selection of reader survey responses explaining why fans read Comics Interview, gathered from the survey run in the lead-up to issue #100.