New York Comic Com 2024: Ten Speed Press Interviews

By Chad Burdette

on October 28, 2024

This year at New York Comic Con, Penguin Random House’s imprints Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic, and Clarkson Potter showcased over 12 authors and exciting panels, signings, con-exclusives, and a Harvey award nomination.

Comic Watch had the honor of sitting down with the creators of Watership Down, Big Jim and the White Boy, and Nothing Special to discuss the following graphic novels:

Watership Down with Joe Sutphin, James Sturm, and Rosamond Mahony

Since it’s original publication in 1972, Watership Down, the world-famous novel by Richard Adams, has never been out of print, been translated into more than 40 languages, sold millions of copies, and been adapted for film and television multiple times, is now a graphic novel.

The new, Eisner-award winning graphic novel adaptation from Ten Speed Graphic, adapted by James Sturm and illustrated by Joe Sutphin, was nominated for a 2024 Harvey Award in the “Best Book of the Year” category.

In the interview Joe Sutphin (illustrator), James Sturm (adaptor), and Rosamond Mahony (daughter of Richard Adams, discuss the graphic novel adaption of this classic.

Big Jim And The White Boy with David L. Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson

Big Jim and the White Boy is a radical retelling of this American classic, centering the experiences of Jim, an enslaved Black man in search of his kidnapped wife and children, along with his cheeky sidekick, Huckleberry Finn. Jim and Huck’s high-stakes adventures take them on an epic voyage across the antebellum South and Midwest, through Confederate war camps and runaway safe houses, into Old West standoffs, and on the road as covert Underground Railroad agents. Intertwined into the story of Jim and Huck are the stories of Jim’s descendants in the 1930s, 1980s, and 2020s, making this a multigenerational family epic as well as an adventure story. Big Jim and the White Boy takes readers on a journey through Jim and Huck’s past, present, and future, delving into their incredible friendship and years of adventures—a bond that transcends the gruesome racism of the Civil War era.With compelling artwork and riveting storytelling, David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson push the boundaries of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in this incredible graphic novel, exploring the triumphs and tribulations of Jim and his family, and finally giving his due as a hero of American<https://youtu.be/f83FSgEsYvU?si=Wzew7OnXslaX7YZC

Katie Cook Chats NOTHING SPECIAL VOL. 1 & 2

Katie Cook is the creator of the Nothing Special webcomic on Webtoon and the oldie-but-goodie webcomic Gronk: A Monster’s Story (which was one of the first webcomics archived by the Library of Congress!). She spent several years as one of the primary writers on IDW’s My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic comics to the point that they made her a pony on the show (really). Then there’s all those books she has illustrated and written for a tiny franchise called Star Wars. Maybe it’ll take off one day. Time will tell. She has also written and drawn comics for Marvel, Disney Publishing, Boom!, and many other publishers.

In the grand scheme of the worlds at large, Callie thinks she’s nothing special. Sure, she’s friends with the ghost of a radish and her dad owns a magical antique shop—but she’s spent her life in the human world. Her dad won’t let her join him on his collection trips in the magical realm “for her own protection,” so she’s only caught glimpses of that world through the gates of the town where her father’s store is.On her seventeenth birthday, Callie goes home with her friend Declan to find her home in disarray and her dad missing. Signs of a struggle point to the portal to the magical realm and when there are signs, you follow them. Now it’s up to Callie, Declan, and Radish to band together and bring him home. As they face creatures good and bad, and all sorts of adventure, Callie and Declan may just find out that they are both special in their own ways after all.The first season of mayhem, magic, vegetables, and adventure from Katie Cook’s beloved Webtoon, Nothing Special, is collected in this gorgeous graphic novel, which also features exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Nothing Special, Volume One: Through the Elder Woods

After defeating her neurotic wood nymph mother, all Callie wants to do is help her dad with his magical antique shop, tease Lasser about his newfound romance novel addiction, and—most important—spend time with her boyfriend, Declan. But when Declan’s injured fairy wing starts shooting sparks and causes him to collapse in pain, Callie decides to take matters into her own hands and find a way to heal him.

She knows where to start, at least—with her dad’s boring friend, Professor Larkspur, who in addition to serving the grossest cup of tea in history, is a fairy himself and incredibly knowledgeable about his kind. Armed with new information, Callie, Declan, Lasser, and Radish set out to find a fairy healer. But what starts as a simple four-day journey to visit a particular enclave of fairies ends up becoming a much more profound exploration of not only what Declan is, but exactly who he is to the fairies

Nothing Special, Volume Two by Katie Cook

She knows where to start, at least—with her dad’s boring friend, Professor Larkspur, who in addition to serving the grossest cup of tea in history, is a fairy himself and incredibly knowledgeable about his kind. Armed with new information, Callie, Declan, Lasser, and Radish set out to find a fairy healer. But what starts as a simple four-day journey to visit a particular enclave of fairies ends up becoming a much more profound exploration of not only what Declan is, but exactly who he is to the fairies….