Had a great time at WonderCon 2022. I moderated a KidLit author panel and sold my books at a small press booth for the first time. Cosplayers were out in full force.
With fellow children’s authors (l to r): Tim McCanna, Ernesto Cisneros, Sam Subity, and Salina Yoon.
Stunning artwork inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chainsaw Man. Note the safety tags on the chainsaws.
Not sure who this guy is, but he’s summoning a purple fireball, so…
This is Goat Vs. Fish. He literally walks around interviewing people, asking which animal they prefer. Hilarious.
Grogu from The Mandalorian
Jinx from Netflix’s amazing Arcane series
Another Jinx!
Kim Possible – an oldie but a goodie
Krampus is always a pleasant surprise
Kuiil (and Grogu!) from The Mandalorian
Lady Thor
Lara Croft from Tomb Raider
Merida from Brave
Daenerys Targaryen on a dragon from Game of Thrones
Oscar the Grouch and the Mysterious Galaxy devil puppet
Pickle Rick, my favorite character from the Rick and Morty series
Planet of the Apes ape. Get your damn, dirty hands off me.
Remote-controlled R2-D2 from Star Wars
Rick and Morty-inspired artwork
A rider of Rohan from The Lord of the Rings
Hilarious Saint X artwork
An awesome Sister of Battle from Warhammer 40K
Family of superheroes
Is this what Joe Satriani meant by “Surfing with the Alien”?
Tetris Man
Thor
Vi from Arcane
Jinx and Vi from Arcane
Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher
A bashful young Wonder Woman
Stunning Callisto and Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess
Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including XANDER’S PANDA PARTY by Linda Sue Park, MARILYN’S MONSTER by Michelle Knudsen, and FLORA’S VERY WINDY DAY by Jeanne Birdsall. He is the author/illustrator of the picture books DRUTHERS and PIGNIC, as well as the graphic novels THE STORM IN THE BARN (winner of the Scott O’Dell Award), AROUND THE WORLD, BLUFFTON, the New York Times Bestseller SNOW WHITE, and most recently, IF WENDELL HAD A WALRUS by Lori Mortensen. Matt lives in Pennsylvania.
For what age audience do you write/illustrate?
I both write and illustrate picture books and middle grade novels (both graphic novels and prose).
Tell us about your latest book.
IF WENDELL HAD A WALRUS by Lori Mortensen is about wishing for a special friend and getting one (but not the one you wished for).
Henry: Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
What do you hope readers will get from reading that book?
I hope they laugh a lot and also care about the boys in the story. Finding good friends is an important part of life.
What aspect of writing or illustrating do you find most challenging?
Illustrating a book written by another author is a wonderful challenge. I feel a responsibility to “get” what the author was intending as well as to add something of my own to the mix.
What is a powerful lesson you’ve learned from being a writer/illustrator?
No matter how many books you have made, it always feels like the first time.
Henry: That makes sense. You’re creating art, not baking apple pie from a recipe.
What has been a memorable experience that you never would have had if you had not been a writer/illustrator?
I really enjoy visiting schools and talking to kids directly about the process of making books. It’s always a pleasure and a privilege. And maybe I’ve inspired a future author or illustrator.
Henry: With great power comes great responsibility.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors or illustrators?
Draw and write as much as possible. There are many factors to breaking into publishing that you cannot control. However, the one thing you have 100% control over is your work. And that is the key to breaking into publishing.
Henry: Hone. Your. Craft.
Do you have any favorite quotes?
“To achieve great things, two things are needed: A plan, and not quite enough time.” — Leonard Bernstein. I have that above the door in my studio.
Henry: That should be the illustrator’s credo. “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” — Woodrow Wilson
Do you have any strange rituals that you observe when you write/illustrate?
Is drinking coffee strange? How about a lot of coffee? I tend to stay away from rituals. But I take frequent breaks to play some kind of musical instrument in the studio.
Henry: Coffee is not a strange ritual unless you imbibe it intravenously.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Flying, because it has to be the most fun of the superpowers.
If you could have three authors over for dinner, who would it be?
Jeanne Birdsall (because she’s brilliant and funny), P.G. Wodehouse (same), and Isak Dinesen (because she could tell us all a fantastic story after dinner).
Henry: Wikipedia helpfully offers: Jeanne Birdsall is an American writer of children’s books. She is known mainly for the “Penderwick sisters”, whose third chronicle was published in 2011. The first, which was her debut novel, won the 2005 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse KBE (1881 – 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humourists of the 20th century.
Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (1885 – 1962) was a Danish author. She is best known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries, and Tania Blixen, used in German-speaking countries.
Blixen is best known for Out of Africa, an account of her life while living in Kenya, and for one of her stories, Babette’s Feast, both of which have been adapted into Academy Award-winning motion pictures.
What is your favorite creature that exists only in literature?
Medusa is a good one. I’ve always like the Minotaur, too. The Greeks were great at mixing a bit of tragedy with their horrors.
Henry: I’ve always been struck by how flawed their gods were.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing/illustrating?
Ben Hatke is an author and artist of graphic novels and picture books. His notable works include the ZITA THE SPACEGIRL TRILOGY, the Eisner award-winning LITTLE ROBOT, and the picture book JULIA’S HOUSE FOR LOST CREATURES.
For what age audience do you write, and in what genre?
My comics are mostly classed as “middle grade” but I really try to write for everybody. I also make picture books which are even more for everybody. As to genre, I tend toward fantasy and science fiction. I tend to add swords and robots and goblins to just about everything I touch.
Henry: You complete me. Fantasy makes everything better. And cowbells.
Tell us about your latest book.
MIGHTY JACK is a two-book, modern-day, graphic novel retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk story.
Henry: Fun! I’m a big fan (and writer) of fractured fairy tales.
What do you hope readers will get from reading that book?
A sense of wonder.
Henry: Wonder at the world you created, or wonder at what goes in inside your head?
What aspect of writing or illustrating do you find most challenging?
It’s all challenging, and really, the challenges are the best part. Except for drawing cars. That’s just terrible no matter how you look at it.
Henry: Conversely, I can only draw cars. Ha! Let’s collaborate on a fantasy picture book: DON’T LET THE DRAGON DRIVE THE BUS.
What is a powerful lesson you’ve learned from being an author/illustrator?
You never know who will be touched by your books, or how. It’s incredibly humbling to see both kids and adults connecting to some crazy story you made up.
Henry: Right! Which is why it is so important to weave a positive theme in one’s story.
What has been a memorable experience that you never would have had if you had not been an author/illustrator?
There have been many. In 2014, I was invited by my French publisher to the big comic festival in Angoulême. It was such an amazing week that I cried at the end.
Henry: Oo la la! Not only do they host the Angoulême International Comics Festival, but “the commune has been awarded four flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.”
What advice would you give to aspiring authors/illustrators?
Make things and share things all the time. Creativity is a habit, and the more you do it the better your work will become.
Henry: For example, Ben posts sketches on Facebook.
Do you have any strange rituals that you observe when you work?
You know, I honestly can’t think of anything…
Henry: Uh huh. Really? A guy who teaches his daughter to shoot flaming arrows has no strange work rituals?
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The ability to know with certainty, once a day, when and where something terrible was going to happen. Everything else can be planned for.
Henry: Coupled with the power to NOT BE THERE.
If you could have three authors over for dinner, who would it be?
C.S. Lewis: because I feel like he’s my fairy godfather, my Serious Black.
Neil Gaiman: because very early on I modeled many of my career goals after his career, and boy do I have questions for him.
Jane Austin: because she has hilarious insight into human nature that make me think she’d be lots of fun at dinner, and because my street cred would be through the roof.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Rothfuss, because we got to be friends while arguing in front of a full room at Comic-Con last year.
Extra Honorable Mention: Cory Doctorow, because he’s fun and I think my wife would get a huge kick out of arguing with him.
Henry: By the way, I was in that room at Comic-Con (as was Laini Taylor) when you and Patrick spoke. I watched the bromance bloom in person. You guys were great.
What is your favorite creature that exists only in literature?
That …whew, that can change from day to day. Goblins, though. I think Goblins are my steady. I love those filthy little guys.
Henry: Didn’t see that coming AT ALL from the author/illustrator of NOBODY LIKES A GOBLIN… I loved the wink at Dungeons & Dragons.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
It’s really hard for me to distinguish my hobbies from my work. Even when I’m hiking, I tend to bring a sketchbook. The closest thing I had to a pure hobby was skipping rocks. I also really have a deep love of archery. Gosh I love arrows.
Henry: Especially exploding arrows! How do you feel about trebuchets?
What would you like it to say on your tombstone?
I guess if I live a life of legend, my tombstone could say “Yes, THAT Ben Hatke.”
Oh! Or how about “Here lies Ben Hatke: shit got real there at the end, didn’t it?”
Henry: Also consider, Ben Hatke: Teller of Tall Tales and Drawer of Dark Domains. You’re welcome.
Where can readers find your work?
At the library! (and online at BenHatke.com, Instagram @heybenhatke, Twitter @benhatke)
henryherz.com 