Interview: Kazu Kibuishi

On May 4th through 6th, while attending the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, I ran around to as many of my favorite kids comics creators as I could and asked them all the exact same questions. Keep in mind, exhibit halls are crazy loud and crazy busy (even when they’re held in a library), so there is a lot of background noise. Let me know in the comments if you have trouble hearing anything and I’ll translate for you.

Jeez, what do I say to introduce Kazu Kibuishi? For kids, all I have to say is, “Amulet.” For adults it’s, “Flight.” When I say, “Daisy Kutter,” long-timers will nod sagely and possibly even reference this Horn Book article on how to read comics (pdf). (Good news for Daisy Kutter fans: a new edition will be coming soon after a very successful Kickstarter campaign.) Kazu’s work, both as a creator and as an editor, has been so good for so long that, really, no introduction is necessary. Instead, take a look at the video below. Kazu does a fine job of introducing himself.

Books mentioned in this video:

• Anya’s Ghost, by Vera Brosgol
• The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
• The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway