Underground comix legeend and TOON Books author Jay Lynch (Otto’s Orange Day, Mo and Jo) is interviewed in three parts by the Daily Cross Hatch website. Among other topics, Jay discusses his collaborative process with Frank Cammuso on Otto’s Orange Day:

Did you do any artwork for these books?

I actually drew the musical notes in the beginning of the book, when Otto sings. And I did the lettering on the note that Aunt Sally wrote him, but that’s only because Frank was out of town, and they couldn’t reach him [laughs]. I did roughs of the whole book. That’s how I submitted the book. But I don’t draw as cute as Frank, so my cats come out looking more like Fritz. So I just did that for facial expressions and positions and stuff. That was just the first draft. Frank added a more dynamic movement to it.

TOON Books series advisor and author Art Spiegelman contributes poster artwork for the 25th annual Miami Book Fair International. The poster features the titular character from Art’s forthcoming TOON Book Jack and the Box, and is available for purchase online. Art will discuss Jack and the Box and his new book Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@?*! as part of a slate of comics-related programming scheduled to take place at the event.

Dean Haspiel with his book Mo & Jo

Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Bennett, Dean Haspiel, Eleanor Davis, Françoise Mouly, Art Spiegelman, and Geoffrey Hayes

Eleanor Davis with Stinky

Photo credit: Yvonne Brooks

TOON authors Geoffrey Hayes, Eleanor Davis, Dean Haspiel, and Art Spiegelman

Young fan.

Tall fan.

Dean Haspiel

Special Saturday Storytime: Comics for Kids with TOON Books
Saturday, September 06 2008, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
McNally Jackson Books
52 Prince St.
(b/t Lafayette & Mulberry)
New York, NY 10012
212.274.1160

Eleanor Davis, author of Stinky

Dean Haspiel, co-creator of Mo and Jo

will be introduced by TOON Books editor Francoise Mouly and Advisor Art Spiegelman

McNally Jackson Saturday Storytime ends its summer hiatus with its second comics edition! Eleanor Davis will show pictures on the big screen to tell her story of a boy and a monster. Artist Dean Haspiel will share his story and pictures about squabbling siblings with superpowers. Afterward kids and artists will draw their own comics together. The authors will be introduced by the publishers of TOON Books: Art Spiegelman (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus) and Francoise Mouly (art editor for The New Yorker.)

A special encounter with the artists and eye opener to the pleasure of books and comics for kids 4 and up.