Maybe you're not even in a position to really judge how good your kid is at that endeavor.

The experience of reading a comic should not be the time it takes to turn each page.

I wanted it to be as readable as possible. I had the ambition of reaching a broader audience.

And with this sort of increased visibility, there's more money going around in the industry, and it changes a lot, in terms of who gets into the business as a creator, who sticks with it, and who gets pushed out. And I do think it's sort of too bad that what once was a safe haven for truly eccentric, outsider artists is no longer that thing. But there are definitely pros and cons. You could also look at it as bringing in a more diverse crowd.

The first time I did a reading/signing thing at Cody's, the woman who did the introduction said something like that, and I wasn't the only one cringing. I remember looking out into the audience and seeing people's faces and people whispering to each other, and thinking like "Ugh, can we just cancel the whole thing? I can't go out there after she said that."

There were certainly some people who wanted me to do a feel-good story that affirmed a lot of very commonly held beliefs.

Maybe you're not even in a position to really judge how good your kid is at that endeavor.