I thought I had a great opportunity when I started doing my comic book in 1972. I thought there was so much territory to work in.

I think you can find all the elements that you can find in great literature in mundane experiences.

I realize that I'm pretty flawed, but you know - I haven't killed anybody yet.

Am I a guy who writes about himself in a comic book, or am I just a character in that book? If I die, will that character keep going, or will he just fade away?

I felt more alone that week than any. Sometimes I'd feel a body lying next to me like an amputee feels a phantom limb. All I did was think about Jennie Gerhardt and Alice Quinn and all the decades of people I had known. The more I thought, the more I felt like crying. Life seemed so sweet and so sad, and so hard to let go of in the end. But hey, man, every day is a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something's bound to turn up.

I try and write the way things happen. I don't try and fulfill people's wishes

You do not pursue potential conflict unless you hold power over your foe.