Nick Drnaso Q&A

What’s it like being the first graphic novel to make the longlist? 

I feel uncomfortable with the attention. I don’t know what to say about it. The publishers are happy, so I’m happy for them. I worry that including a comic book is just detracting from the other authors on the list, not to mention frustrating the people who feel it doesn’t qualify. They’re pretty different forms of art, so I totally understand. Again, I don’t know what to say. I’m happy as a cartoonist. There are a lot of good cartoonists working right now, so I don’t know why this book was singled out. 

How did you get into creating graphic novels? Were there any specific graphic novels that inspired you? 

I was in community college with no plans for the future, so it was nice to discover something I enjoyed doing at a time when I was pretty directionless. Then I transferred to art school and took classes with Ivan Brunetti, who has become one of my best friends. He let me borrow a lot of books when I was a student. 

Where did the idea for the story come from? 

At the time, about four years ago, I was pretty reclusive and afraid to go outside. I just couldn’t stop these horrific images from popping into my head, so that somehow turned into the basis for this story. At some point, I started thinking about an old friend of mine who was in the Air Force in Colorado, and invented this scenario where two friends reconnect after a tragedy. I visited him in 2014 to take reference photos for the book. A lot of the visuals and interiors came from that trip. 

Favourite Man Booker-winning novel? 

This is pathetic, but I’ve only read Lincoln in the Bardo, so I guess that is my favourite. 

What are you working on next? 

I’ve written and drawn a few short stories, really more like chapters of another book. It’s unformed at this point, so it’s too early to say much about it.