middlegrade/teen nonfic-- interviews with a diverse bunch of leading artists/illustrators in the graphic book/webcomic format. I was expecting this to be told through more of the artists' work, in graphic format, but I guess they've probably already told a lot of those stories. Instead, we get to sit down and read conversations/interviews between the artists and the writer/editor (with samples of each artists' work). Recommended for kids/teens who are considering a similar career in this expanding publishing field. ( )

Great line-up of creators interviewed in this book - started to get very same-y after a while though. I wish the questions were a little more idiosyncratic. ( )

A great group of creators, though I hope there's a sequel focusing on some of the creators conspicuous by their absence: Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, Matt and Jennifer Holm, Cece Bell, Noelle Stephenson, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, James Kochalka, Faith Erin Hicks, etc. Some of the editing on the interviews made them read a little awkwardly, but young readers probably won't care because they'll be too excited to be reading about their favorite creators. ( )

Appealing, engaging, and educational, this book is a compilation of interviews with thirteen graphic novelists. The cover invites the reader into the book with colorful artwork, everything from the backdrop to the title type to the cartoon images of the thirteen writers interviewed. The title – Comics Confidential – makes the reader feel as though he is part of a selected audience entrusted with valuable information. The cartoon drawings representing each artist are mostly colorful and playful and hint at what is to come in the interviews. The end pages are a solid green, allowing the reader to focus on the inside dust jacket summary. The aesthetic beauty of this book lies in not only the color scheme and art but also in the organized table of contents. The interviews are arranged alphabetically by last name of the graphic novelist, showing no preference to any given writer based on age, gender, or background.

The chapter titles hint at a common thread that ties these twelve interviews together: original comic strips from each artist. When interviewed, the artists were given the topic “city” and asked to create original two-page spread comics. The result is a collection of twelve original comics (two artists collaborate) that inform the reader just as much as the interviews do, which also speaks to the power of the juxtaposition of text and picture on the page. The titles of the chapters are also the titles of the original strip included with the interview, which encourages readers to read this book for entertainment as well as for informational purposes - the chapter titles are vague enough to create suspense and promote interest in the original comics included, and the interviews are informative enough to give the reader an understanding of contemporary graphic novelists.

Because graphic novels are visual books, including work from each artist makes sense in a book about graphic novelists. Not only are readers able to get a sense of each writer’s style, but they are also able to expose themselves to a variety of comics which – ideally - leads to further reading in the genre. The strips included are interesting because they can’t be found in any other text, and they serve as advertisement for the author interviewed and his or her publications. This book is inviting to veteran comic book readers, but is not intimidating to novices like myself. I have only read one graphic novel and had not heard of most of the authors interviewed. I found myself enthralled with this book, interested in each interviewee, intrigued by some comics more than others, and determined to read more graphic novels soon. ( )