Justin Madson is a self-taught cartoonist who has been telling stories through comic books and graphic novels for nearly two decades. Over the years he has created a number of graphic novels, including the post-apocalyptic tale Breathers, and Carbon, a supernatural mystery. Madson’s forthcomic graphic novel with Abrams/Amulet Books is Tin Man, a young adult graphic novel about unlikely friends—a tin man seeking a heart and a high schooler trying to come to terms with the death of her grandmother. He resides in a small town in Wisconsin with his wife, two kids, two dogs, and a slew of backyard chickens.

What do you feel the comic book medium affords creators that other forms of storytelling cannot accomplish? 

The ability to use words and pictures to tell a sequential story is what sets the comic book medium apart from any other. It’s that magic combination that results in a fully immersive reading experience. When we read comics, we’re actually using both sides of our brains at the same time, the left side to digest the images and the right to decipher the letters, which is really quite remarkable. I find myself getting lost in a comic book or graphic novel much more easily than if I were reading a straight-up, nothing-but-words kind of novel. I’m a very visual person, though, so that makes sense, but there’s definitely something to it, I’d say. 

“It’s that magic combination that results in a fully immersive reading experience.”

The comics medium not only allows a creator to tell a story with words and pictures, but also to utilize a lot of the same techniques that are used in film, such as shot angles and pacing and time-lapse. I think of comics as films that are told one page at a time. But, unlike filmmaking, creators can tell stories through comics without needing loads of people and expensive equipment to make it happen. It’s very accessible in that way. All you need is an idea, something to draw with and something to draw on. 

How did you get started in creating graphic novels? 

I was really into reading comics when I was in high school, devouring every comic book I could get my hands on. Eventually, the lure of the comic-making siren song was too much for me to resist and I decided to try making my own. I didn’t have a great deal of drawing abilities, but I did it anyway. I absolutely loved being able to craft my stories as comics, so I just kept right on making them and now, many years later, I’m still at it. And I can even draw a little bit better now. 

What is your creative process like? Any special practices, rituals or habits? 

I have notebooks and notebooks and loose sheets of printer paper with notes and lines of dialogue and page thumbnail sketches on them lying in piles next to my drawing table. It is a seemingly unorganized mess. And, on more than one occasion, I have found myself searching through these piles of paper for a small story note or character name or something that I know I’ve jotted down, but cannot locate. It’s not the best system. I should really be more organized, but that is my process and I cannot seem to escape it. The end result is all that matters. It doesn’t really matter how you get there. 

“The end result is all that matters. It doesn’t really matter how you get there. “

What has it been like in working with Charlotte Greenbaum and the team at Abrams/Amulet Books on your book, Tin Man? 

Tin Man was my first time working with a publisher, having only self-published my work in the past. Charlotte and the team at Abrams have been great to work with. It’s been amazing having their feedback and encouragement along the way. Graphic novels take years to make, and it’s very easy to get burned out or lost in the process, so it’s nice to have someone, or a team of someones, checking in and keeping the train moving. 

What is it about the different aspects of storytelling for children that appeal to you? 

Tin Man is my first attempt at crafting a graphic novel for a younger audience and I really enjoyed it. There’s something about tapping into those feelings we associate with childhood, like wonder and excitement about the world, that keeps the process fun and lighthearted. And, even when dealing with some darker themes, like death and loneliness, it’s refreshing to look at them through a kid’s point of view and come back to a central feeling of hope and innocence. And I get to tap into that feeling of being a kid again, which I enjoy immensely. Of course, having kids of my own has definitely ignited my desire to create stories that they can enjoy. 

Do you feel as though book publisher are only just waking up to the potential of graphic novels as a meaningful story medium? 

It does seem that way. Graphic novels have definitely worked their way into a lot of publishers’ catalogs in the last few years and it only seems to be growing. A lot of the success of graphic novels in the mainstream has to do with getting a younger audience reading them, which is wonderful. It will be interesting to see if these young graphic novel readers continue reading them as they get older. One can hope. 

Are there any good books on your nightstand at the moment? 

I am currently working my way through Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth comic series. I am a huge fan of all of his work and, aside from enjoying the story, learn a lot from how his unique page layouts and storytelling abilities. 

How did you find your way to the Trident Media Group literary agency and go on to get published? 

Oddly enough, Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group reached out to me, after seeing my graphic novel, Breathers, and inquired if I needed representation. Signing with Mark Gottlieb and Trident Media Group was a definite game-changer for me. Mark Gottlieb has a lot of knowledge and connections in the publishing world and was able to find a home for my Tin Man graphic novel, which I couldn’t be happier about. 

Any advice for hopeful comic book creators looking to become published authors? 

Keep on creating a lot of work and get that work out into the world in any way you can. Get it into as many hands as possible. You never know who will see it and where that can lead. 

“I get to live in another world for part of my day and I just love that.”

Can you finish this sentence? I love reading because…

…it offers an escape and, honestly, we all need that from time to time. That’s also why I create comics. I get to live in another world for part of my day and I just love that.