Today is a big day for one of the coolest and best creators in comics – Sina Grace – as his autobio comic “Self-Obsessed” hits its final order cutoff date today (get those orders into your shop if you haven’t put it in yet!). It is part of a big year for Grace, who – besides “Self-Obsessed” just wrapped the first volume of “Burn the Orphanage” with Daniel Freedman and is set to roll out the second one, subtitled “Reign of Terror” later this year.
Besides that, Grace is upping his game and his workload, promising all kinds of sneaky awesome things for your reading pleasure this year, and we really think he’s got a big year in front of him. To highlight that, we have a countdown of the five reasons why this is Sina Grace’s spring, mixing a preview, interview and highlight of why he’s one of the best into one feature. And don’t forget – order “Self-Obsessed” using Diamond code FEB140508! You’ll be happy you did.
1. Sina Goes Monthly
While Sina Grace comics have regularly been something we’ve come to expect since he left his post as the Editorial Director at Skybound Entertainment, with books at Image like “Li’l Depressed Boy” and his graphic novel “Not My Bag” earning him acclaim and an adoring fan base, 2013 was a bit more quiet for him than we’ve come to expect. Really, the only thing we saw from him was the video game influenced “Burn the Orphanage: Born to Lose” with writer Daniel Freedman, which was very well-liked around these parts, but just made us want more from him.
“I spent a lot of 2013 scrambling, trying to figure out what was the best balance between random freelance gigs, creator-owned comics, and whatever else it takes to pay the rent,” Grace shared.
“This sounds stupid, but Burn the Orphanage wasn’t supposed to be as successful as it’s become! If we knew there was a following waiting for this book, I’m sure Daniel and I wouldn’t have had such a fair weather ship schedule, but that’s how we plotted the first arc.”
That success they found has driven Grace to push for more.
“With 2014, I felt like doing 2013 better: comics full-time, monthly,” Grace said.
“Self-Obsessed” has come a long way from its original state, as it once was just a 20-page supplement to “Not My Bag” sold through ComiXology to further the Sina fun. When Grace was developing his follow up to NMB, the idea just wasn’t coming together, before inspiration hit at a con.
“I got the idea to supe up ‘Self-Obsessed’ and release it as a bigger, badder version of itself after doing a panel with Mari Naomi and missing the world of autobio comics,” Grace said.
Given the hugely different feels to much of his work – going from “Li’l Depressed Boy” to “Not My Bag” highlights the significant diversity to Grace’s work – he’s hoping that this book will help reconcile that difference.
“My desire is that after people read Self-Obsessed, they get a better understanding how a guy who draws The Li’l Depressed Boy and Burn the Orphanage are the same person. My “must-have” comic collection consists of four comics: A Ghost World limited edition hardcover, my original Fathom hardcover Top Cow did of the first nine issues, Stephen King’s Creepshow, and Uncanny X-Men #137. I don’t feel like I’m conflicted because I love the indie, modern, and classic comics, and that is definitely a newfound confidence I’ll be bringing to the book. It’s like: love it or hate it, this is the Sina Grace you’re getting.”
He added that, for those who follow him on social media, one big question is addressed in this book as well: “Oh, and there’s a page dedicated to my Sarah Jessica Problem.”
“So long as I don’t get the flu or the whooping cough, I’m gonna make sure ‘Reign of Terror’ ships monthly. I think I like the Hellboy model of publishing for me: a series of mini-series. I can build up material, release monthly, take a break, rinse, lather, repeat.”
This follow up will, according to Grace, find the “Burn the Orphanage” cast “back on their home turf,” but with shit hitting the fan since we last saw Rock and his crew.
“The city is under siege and experiencing some pretty forceful form of martial law. Rock and friends have a little rebellion group and a lot of moxie. We’ve got some great stuff planned for the characters — fight scenes, group conflicts, the works!”
With two big releases slated, you’d think that Grace would find it difficult to schedule anything else. But he does suggest we could see the return of a Multiversity favorite soon.
“Li’l Depressed Boy is coming back this year. For folks who’ve gotten to hang out with me at cons, they’ve seen some pages in my art binders. I’ve missed the familiarity of the characters, and talking to Struble daily.”
New LDB, Burn the Orphanage AND more Sina autobio comics? That sounds like the recipe for a banner year for Grace, and one we’ll all be lucky to see come to be.
2. Ante Up
For as much as he’s done, Grace has only been active in the creative side of the industry for the past few years. In that time, though, we’ve seen significant growth for him as a creator, pairing clean lines with storytelling that can be wonderfully simple to Craig Thompson-esque in its gorgeous complexity. It’s something Grace has worked at that, trying to infuse his work with art that he feels is really representative of him as a creator.
His mantra and phrase that drives him as he pushes to develop is “You Are Better Than You Think You Are”, something he reminds himself of regularly with a print created by Hannah Nance Partlow that he has framed in his living room.
A lot of artists you’ll see emulate their influences, creating something that looks good but sometimes is lacking in a real sense of identity that represents them. That’s something Sina doesn’t want for himself.
“A lot of my inertia comes from trying to prove I deserve my place in this industry. The only way I’m gonna be worth my heroes’ attention is if I’m doing something that isn’t derivative of their work.”
To push his work, he hasn’t just been looking in comics to inspire him, instead finding it in other mediums as well.
“In all honesty, I have been reading more, watching movies and documentaries I wouldn’t immediately run to, and also listening to classical music…anything that changes my own approach to art,” before jokingly noting that hard drugs have been a major influence.
Whatever he’s doing is clearly working, at least in my eyes. From what I’ve seen in art he’s shared both to me directly and on Instagram, Sina’s work continues to grow from the already charming, truly unique feeling base he had when I first discovered his work. There’s a real sense of confidence that has come with time, and his bold choices and always strong storytelling has helped make books like “Burn the Orphanage” some of the finest work of his career, with what’s on the horizon looking to push that growth to even higher heights.
3. He’s Like You and Me
It’s kind of cliche to say something like that, but with so many fans out there nervous about meeting creators they like – as you can see in this Tumblr question to Bendis – it is always reassuring and amazing to meet a creator like Sina Grace.
Under that very cool surface – I mean, look at this guy –
Continued below
is a guy that is tremendously friendly and genuine, and driven by the same types of things that we are.
That insecurity has never been something to make Grace more abrasive to other creators or fans, but has instead been pushed into him developing his craft and finding ways to put more of himself into his work, including his passion for music and fashion.
“The fashion and music stuff is a lot of making myself more excited about a page, or finding a new layer to add to the art, and I didn’t recognize that it was an asset until recently,” he shared about his work. Even with his obvious affection for those elements, those aren’t what he most enjoys bringing to life.
“My favorite thing to draw is people, so if I can, I try to make them look as unique as possible, and it’s a quick way to communicate the character’s personality to the reader, too.”
Expanding that further, Grace suggests that when it comes to some projects, its about his relationship with the people that he works with that helps bring a project to its fullest potential. “Burn the Orphanage”, for example, is something he said is ultimately connected and driven by his friendship with Freedman.
That just underlines that, even with a veneer that some would associate with one of the cool kids on the block, Grace is just a regular guy with a passion for the things he loves in life. Those things very much inspire him, and it makes him one of the more relatable and friendly creators you could ever meet.
I know from experience. Once upon a time, when my only experience with his work was as the editor of “The Walking Dead” and “Li’l Depressed Boy” #1, I exclusively referred to Sina as a woman on the video podcast 4 Color News & Brews I co-hosted for Multiversity. Needless to say when Sina commented and said that he was in fact a “he”, I felt like an idiot, and was ready to meet him with shame on my face at Emerald City Comic Con.
Instead, not to be too on the nose, he was completely gracious and understanding, instead focusing on the positive things I had to say about his work and reassuring that this was most certainly not the first time this had happened. He even gave me an LDB sketch, which quickly erased any shame I may have had. Easily one of the nicest and friendliest people I’ve met in comics, to this day.
4. He Learned From the Best
As I – and he – previously mentioned, in another life, Grace was the Editorial Director at Skybound Entertainment, working closely with Robert Kirkman to bring his stories to life. For years, he was the voice of the letters column for both “The Walking Dead” and “Invincible”, and in that time, he learned a lot about both how to make his comics the best they could be, but also how to best behave as a comics professional.
“Working with Robert taught me a lot about respect,” he said. “I have a mouth and an attitude on me, and being involved with Team Skybound helped me learn when to run my mouth, and when I should respect my colleagues, retailers, higher-ups, readers, volunteers, friends, family, etc.”
Continued below“I did not deserve my last name before that job.”
Creatively, working with people like Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Charlie Adlard likely taught him a thing or two as well. While none of them are obvious influences, given the sheer production and quality of work they put out, they undoubtedly are inspirations of pure professionalism and best business practices.
That type of thing is something younger creators like Grace needs to pay forward, and as part of the Image Comics family, Grace is already starting that with a back-up he’ll be running in the second volume of “Burn the Orphanage”. The issues will feature of a preview of “Liberty Justice”, a new comic coming from Image employee Tyler Shainline and artist Andy Suriano.
“Tyler was one of the most patient and enthusiastic individuals I have ever worked with, and has been one of my biggest cheerleaders, to boot,” he shared about Shainline. “When people do you a solid, you gotta hook them right back up. Plus, the book looks effing cool, so I’ve got to help promote this new title for a slew of reasons.”
It works both ways, and Grace undoubtedly deserves his last name now after his experiences with the team at Skybound.
5. Because His Comics Are Awesome
And I mean that in a very Lego Movie sort of way, where everything really is awesome.
All of what I have had to say wouldn’t matter if his work didn’t rock, and rock it does, as he’ll deliver at least two great and unique books in 2014 alone. “Self-Obsessed” will give us a personal, amusing and poignant look into who Grace is as a person, and “Burn the Orphanage: Reign of Terror” will give us a rollicking, 90’s inspired passion project with some next level Sina art to boot.
“With Burn the Orphanage, Daniel and I are happiest when we take risks and pursue unexpected routes. We’ve had a blast working with some of the top names in action books, and we wanted to try something new and use some folks that would bring fresh takes on the characters.”
Fresh takes on highly lovable characters? In-depth, insightful self-analysis of a burgeoning star of a comic creator? Maybe the return of a well-loved favorite of ours? Is there any doubt why this spring will be owned Sina?
Not by me. I think the main question is how much more awesome he’ll have in store for us in 2014, and if what we’ve seen is any inclination, the answer is most certainly “a lot”. Take a look at some more art from his upcoming projects below, and make sure to pre-order “Self-Obsessed” today!
