Shay Mirk in conversation with Lucy Bellwood at Bart’s Books
Making Nonfiction Comics is an accessible guide to nonfiction comics perfect for graphic novel readers, writers, and of course, aspiring comics artists.
Shay Mirk and Eleri Mai Harris, award-winning graphic journalists and longtime editors of the critically acclaimed graphic journalism site the Nib, have compiled the perfect field guide to graphic journalism while showcasing valuable skills and practices for creating nonfiction comics.
Mixing comics, prose, infographics, illustrations, and interviews with some of the world’s most influential nonfiction comics creators, Harris and Mirk introduce readers to nonfiction visual stories while also articulating the standards and ethics around blending traditional journalism with the visual language of comics.
Featuring interviews with 40 nonfiction cartoonists, including Joe Sacco, Thi Bui, Derf Backderf, Box Brown, Nicole Georges, Malaka Gharib, Nate Powell, Kristen Radtke, and more.
Sarah Shay Mirk (they/she) is a graphic journalist, editor, and teacher. Shay is the author of Guantanamo Voices (Abrams, 2020), an illustrated oral history of Guantanamo Bay prison. Shay is also a zine-maker and illustrator whose comics have been featured in The Nib, The New Yorker, Bitch, and NPR. In 2023, they became a volunteer editor of the collective Cartoonists for Palestine and are helping manage the publication of collective’s print anthology. In 2024, Shay launched the nonfiction comics press Crucial Comix, with collaborator Audra McNamee, where they teach classes editing and memoir comics.
Lucy Bellwood is a professional Adventure Cartoonist based in Ojai, CA. Her documented expeditions include rafting trips through the Grand Canyon, cutting-edge oceanography in the Pacific, and an expedition aboard the last wooden whaling ship in the world. Her talks and essays explore the intersections of community, authenticity, and financial sustainability for creators. She is the author of Baggywrinkles: a Lubber’s Guide to Life at Sea, an educational memoir about her time working aboard tall ships, and 100 Demon Dialogues, a helpful guide to living with imposter syndrome.
Praise for MAKING NONFICTION COMICS
“Wow, this book blew me away! I wish I’d had this book when I started making comics! Making Nonfiction Comics dissects a major expansion in the medium, democratizing knowledge of comics-making directly from the experiences of cartoonists themselves. It is absolutely essential reading, claiming a spot next to Understanding Comics on everyone’s shelves.” — Nate Powell, National Book Award-winning artist of March and Save it for Later
“I learned so much from this book! Making Nonfiction Comics is packed with pro tips, expert interviews, and, best of all, drawings! Any comics artist, from beginner to seasoned professional, will be glad to have this on their shelf to reference for years to come!” —Aubrey Hirsch, author of Graphic Rage
“Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk’s soon-to-be indispensable guide to nonfiction comics is a triumph of metanarrative that both adores and articulates how the intertwining of reporting, writing, and drawing elevates those media into something powerful, exciting, and relevant.” —Washington Post, Hari Raj
“An insightful and inspiring how-to on the power everyone has to create comics about our world. When it comes to making nonfiction comics, Harris and Mirk are the best of the best. We need comics now more than ever!” —Matt Bors, founder of The Nib