HJ: Are you able to discuss a bit concerning the character design within the e book? What steps did you’re taking to keep away from lowering these characters to stereotypes and people characterizing their positions?
DC: That’s a nice query. And I’m undecided I succeeded! I believe some character design issues I attempted to do was make exceptions to the stereotypes a part of the rule of the character design. For example, an elder Indian-American mentor editor at NPR might be unlikely to personal a gun as a stereotype, however, right here she is. Or a queer interracial couple isn’tusually regarded as having robust Christian values, however, right here they’re. Which, when you stay in Los Angeles like we do, you typically discover that there’s super range inside range, so any of these examples aren’t that uncommon. I believe the hardest character design was the teenage pupil, David. He was initially named John White and was a White individual, as a result of potential college shooters are statistically extra more likely to be younger White males. Nevertheless, later within the drafting course of, I made a decision to alter his race to a mixture of Latino and White. His father was already absent within the narrative, however his mom stayed White. I additionally modified his identify from John to David. Which is my given identify. His final identify modified to one thing Latino, on this case, Gomez. Why the change? Effectively, to not smash the story, however thischaracter has a redemption arc. So I didn’t need individuals to assume that solely a younger White male may very well be redeemed on this method. I actually needed – and I believe this transformation got here after the taking pictures in Uvalde (which was by somebody with Latino background) – individuals to determine this redemption arc with any younger man. And the given identify change to David promoted semi-autobiographical identification, which basically says: reader, you or me or somebody we love might turn into wayward.
One other tough selection was, do I rewrite his dialogue, his characterization, his plot primarily based on this transformation to hisheritage? I talked to a buddy who’s of Latino background, and he suggested that he thought it could be even higher to not change any of it, moreover the literal shade of the character, as a result of altering him to suit some stereotype of what I believed may be totally different can be paradoxically stereotypical itself. So I believe that is a good distance of claiming that each character design selection was extraordinarily thought by means of, however I’m conscious that most likely anybody might take concern with any of them, however that’s okay!
HJ: I typically felt as if the author and readers had been rising together with the characters as they labored throughsome of the contradictions of their place. What was your occupied with the journey these characters are taking?
DC: Thanks for noticing that! I’d say that was undoubtedly true of the author, and I hope with the readers. The way in which the e book was remodeled 11 years – 7 as a screenplay and 4 as a graphic novel – was extraordinarily evolutionary. It might probably’t be overstated how a lot it developed as a written script after which once more as a graphic novel. The story went from a foolish motion comedy to a very pacifist progressive polemic, and that was earlier than it was even re-imagined as an open graphic novel.Inside the making of the graphic novel, there was a entire illustrated draft that nobody will see – and Gabriel can attest (generally to his frustration, LOL) – that the graphic novel stored altering primarily based on how I continued to work by means of the contradictions in my very own place, up till it was lastly revealed January 20, 2025. At a sure level it grew to become clear the objective wasn’t for me to search out a place, however to offer a method for readers to work by means of the contradictions of their place – and even to be open once more to not having a place, which is form of a arduous promote to make. However I believe there’s super utility in a e book that guides you to not know the way you concentrate on one thing once more, earlier than maybe you possibly can know anew.
HJ: How did you come to write down a comedian e book addressing this divide? What do you hope will occur as readers of various ideological backgrounds have interaction with this e book?
DC: This e book is private in that the couple was impressed by a relationship in my life that ended as a result of irreconcilable variations. These variations had been greater than this concern, however my hope is anybody who’s in a relationship with variations can discover one thing useful right here. I’ve been out promoting the e book on the road and assembly others to engagewith it. A number of individuals have confided to me they’re in relationships that might profit from this e book. As we attain a potential breaking level in society, I’m pleased (and privileged) to be in a area of interest function of selling not Proper reformation or Left resistance however private reconnection and societal reconciliation.
HJ: Inform us concerning the partnership which produced this e book. The author is liberal, the artist conservative. How did this influence the completed work?
DC: We met through my godson being pre-school mates together with his son and I favored him and his work. I didn’t know his politics. Our partnership can be attention-grabbing as a result of Gabriel is work-for-hire. It’s considerably hierarchical within the sense that I’m the writer and author (and financier). He’s the illustrator who’s executing, paid per web page. It’s not a partnership the place he may say I wouldn’t draw that as a result of that’s not what I believe it ought to be. However then once more, I don’t assume Gabriel is like that as a individual at this level in his life. And I used to be additionally at a level in my life the place I wasn’t likethat in my maturity. So, the influence is considerably intangible and it was within the many telephone conversations across the work at hand. It was the informal texts of a hyperlink to a podcast from him. Or the present of a e book from me to him. Truthfully, it’s arduous to even use proper/left labels generally. I do know he’s illustrated for a very conservative publication. However he may also say the left itself has moved since he as soon as thought of himself. I believe the fantastic thing about the partnership and the e book is that it dissolves labels. Sure, it would begin with that as a gross sales pitch, and the characterizations, however the objective is to transcend the polarizations. I believe we had been in a position to do this for ourselves and hopefully others.
Gabriel Wexler: That is the one query I really feel certified to weigh in on. The easy reply to that is that I used to be working for Dave, and I don’t assume it’s the artist’s job to form the narrative or let his opinions have an effect on the work. If I had deep ideological variations with the e book, I wouldn’t have mentioned sure to illustrating it. Dave entered this with morequestions than solutions, which is a humble and trustworthy strategy to make artwork. Actually, it’s the one method. After all, you possibly can write a lecture however it received’t make for very enjoyable studying.
HJ: Do you could have a sense of how individuals have used your e book to assist spark discussions round these points?
DC: I believe we’re within the very early phases of that, which is why I really feel very lucky to attach with an authority like your self. No strain (LOL) however I’d like to be invited to my alma mater USC the place you educate to make use of the e book to spark discussions. Perhaps we are able to determine a subsequent step, Henry 😉 However greater than something particular like that, I hope, usually (and to make use of your form of terminology), that this e book turns into a part of our civic creativeness, not nearly weapons, however about how the collective can extra civilly relate to one another, so we’ve got a higher world.
Biographies
Dave Cowen has written for The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Factors In Case, amongst many, and his work has been featured in The New York Occasions and on NPR. His graphic novel debut SHOULD WE BUY A GUN? unites a provocative, heartfelt story with easy, enchanting artwork. Written by a politically left writer and illustrated by a politically proper artist, it goals to assist heal our polarized divide. Cowen has additionally revealed six comedy Haggadahs, parodies on Trump, Seinfeld, Biden-Harris, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Kanye West, and Mel Brooks. His different books embrace an experimental stream-of-consciousness memoir THIS BOOK IS THE LONGEST SENTENCE EVER WRITTEN AND THEN PUBLISHED. The satire FAKE HISTORY! And a remix of memes SPIRITUAL INSTAGRAM. He additionally has a Substack, Shuffle Synchronicities, which teaches how one thing larger communicates with us by means of the music we love. A second Substack, SerioComics, are enthusiasms for graphic literature that’s severe and comedian as he debuts his.
Gabriel Wexler has made storyboards for movie and TV, drawn for newspapers and magazines, taught artwork at colleges, and illustrated a e book for younger adults.
Henry Jenkins is the Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Training on the College of Southern California. He arrived at USC in Fall 2009 after spending greater than a decade because the Director of the MIT Comparative Media Research Program and the Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities. He’s the writer and/or editor of twenty books on varied facets of media and common tradition, together with Textual Poachers: Tv Followers and Participatory Tradition, Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Fashionable Tradition, From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Laptop Video games, Convergence Tradition: The place Outdated and New Media Collide, Spreadable Media: Creating Which means and Worth in a Networked Tradition, and By Any Media Needed: The New Youth Activism. His most up-to-date books are Participatory Tradition: Interviews (primarily based on materials initially revealed on this weblog), Fashionable Tradition and the Civic Creativeness: Case Research of Inventive Social Change, and Comics and Stuff. He’s at present writing a e book on adjustments in youngsters’s tradition and media in the course of the post-World Struggle II period. He has written for Expertise Evaluate, Laptop Video games, Salon, and The Huffington Submit.
