S T O R I E S  w i t h  V I T A M I N S

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your favorite picture books?

Find out on a Goodreads bookshelf I started, called "Masters of the Picture Book" which I'll keep updating.

What are your favorite graphic novels?

Find out on my Goodreads bookshelf called "Beloved Graphic Novels" which I'll keep updating.

Do you believe in a storytelling method? Do you have any favorite books on writing?

Over time I've become cautious about falling in love with any particular method. I believe each of us has to assemble their own toolkit, much of it from one's own trial and error—experience. But there are a good many tools to be picked up from skilled creators. As for my favorite books on writing, I invite you to check out my Goodreads shelf "Favorite Books on Writing" which I'll keep updating, too.

What does "First Second" mean?

At the founding of First Second, Macmillan's graphic novel publishing house, I couldn't find a name for the longest time. Then one day, it turned up—and afterwards, its meanings revealed themselves. At the start of anything, from a project, to a mariage, or the universe itself—the very first second is the most prime, full of potential and potency. So it's about things fresh and new. It's also the start of a sequence—First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth—and comics are sometimes called The Sequential Art. There's more but mostly it's a reminder to stay close to first principles, and remember to return to the core, and not get lost in declensions.

How do you balance your creative life and your job as an editor?

Can I get back to you when I do?