One of the unexpected pleasures of sharing stories about your own creative life is discovering where they might lead.

After publishing my article Sending a Comic Book to Robert Crumb Is Like Sending a Mixtape to Mozart and sharing it on LinkedIn, I heard from Jonathan Sandler, a London-based writer and the creator of GraphicMEMOIRBlog.

Jonathan was intrigued by the story of my friendship with Robert Crumb in southern France, and particularly by the handwritten feedback Crumb had given me on my graphic novel Marvin. He invited me to talk about it in more detail, and our conversation became an interview published in December 2025.

But what I would really like to highlight here is Jonathan himself—and the wonderful publication he is building.

A genuine curiosity about comics and their creators

Jonathan is the author of The English GI, a graphic memoir based on his grandfather Bernard Sandler’s experiences during the Second World War. His own involvement in telling a true story through sequential art has clearly given him an appreciation for the challenges facing artists and writers working in the medium.

What I find so appealing about GraphicMEMOIRBlog is that Jonathan isn’t simply promoting new releases. He takes a genuine interest in the people behind the books: their backgrounds, influences, research, creative choices, difficulties and occasional unexpected discoveries.

His interviews feel like conversations between people who care about storytelling, rather than a succession of standard publicity questions.

Over time, Jonathan has built an increasingly impressive archive of conversations with more than 100 comics creators from around the world. Among them are Mimi Pond, whose books include Over Easy and The Customer Is Always Wrong; Barbara Yelin, creator of Irmina; and Jordan Mechner, creator of Prince of Persia and author of the graphic memoir Replay.

He has also spoken with Amy Kurzweil, author of Flying Couch and Artificial, and Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, a cartoonist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker. It is a fascinating range of voices, from internationally recognised creators to independent artists whose work might otherwise be less widely discovered.

And that is one of the things I particularly admire about the blog: Jonathan clearly enjoys discovering artists as much as speaking to those whose work is already well known. He also welcomes independent authors and small presses, giving space to voices beyond the best-known names.

It is the sort of publication that rewards browsing. You arrive to read one interview and find yourself discovering several other artists along the way.

Our conversation: from Google Doodles to Marvin

Although my encounter with Robert Crumb was the starting point, Jonathan took our conversation in several interesting directions.

We spoke about my earliest published cartoons, my years creating some of Google’s first Doodles, and the process of writing and illustrating Marvin: Based on The Way I Was, my graphic novel adaptation of composer Marvin Hamlisch’s autobiography.

We discussed the challenges of transforming a life into a visual narrative, researching historical details, and making the countless editorial decisions involved in telling a story through pictures.

Jonathan was particularly interested in the creative process and the experiences behind the finished work—something I always enjoy discussing with people who understand the language of comics.

And, of course, we returned to Robert Crumb and his memorable handwritten critique of Marvin.

I won’t repeat that story here, as I have already told it in my original article. Jonathan’s interview approaches it from another angle and places it within the broader context of my work as an illustrator and cartoonist.

Read the interview—and explore GraphicMEMOIRBlog

I am delighted that a personal story shared on LinkedIn led to such an enjoyable conversation, and grateful to Jonathan for the time and thoughtful attention he brought to it.

Between the conversations, reviews and features, there is a wealth of material for anyone interested in comics, graphic novels and the remarkable variety of people creating them.

Jonathan’s authentic enthusiasm for the medium—and his interest in the creative lives behind the books—makes it a publication well worth following.

Thank you, Jonathan, for reaching out, for the conversation and for the work you are doing to give comics creators a voice.

Interview by Jonathan Sandler · GraphicMEMOIRBlog · Published 18 December 2025