SPX Spotlight 2014: Rachel Dukes Intro-View

Welcome to another entry in the 2014 SPX Spotlight series! For the next month, Panel Patter will be highlighting creators and publishers who will be at one of the best conventions, the Small Press Expo. You can check out all of Panel Patter's spotlights for SPX from both this year and prior years here.

Guy Thomas gives us another "Intro-view" before the show!

At SPX this year, I am super lucky to get to talk to some of my favorite creators. One of these will be Rachel Dukes, of Mix Tape Comics. She writes for Boom! Studio’s Garfield, Mitch Clem’s As You Were, her own Frankie Comics, and may or may not be working on her first graphic novel (among a million other things). Rachel’s pencils are some of my favorites, and I am pretty excited to get to do an interview with her. I asked her a couple of questions as a warm up for SPX.

Guy Thomas: What are your favorite comics to read?

Rachel Dukes: I don’t follow any ongoing series right now. I’m more likely to run out and get new books from my favorite cartoonists. Liz Prince’s Tomboy, Raina Telgemeier’s Sisters, the recent zine issue of Adventure Time from BOOM Studios (which had art from favorites: Liz Prince, Carey Pietsch, Jesse Tise, and many others) were all books I had to run out and buy right away. …I’m also enjoying Sam Alden’s comics (but who isn’t, right?).

Thomas: What are you working on right now?

Dukes: I’m working on a couple different project right now. At the top of my to do list, I’m working on a 10-page back-up story for an upcoming issue of Garfield for BOOM Studios, ten new Frankie Comics strips that will go towards Frankie Comics #3, and reworking the outline for my first graphic novel that’s slated for release next fall. In addition to that stuff, I’m also working on comic, cartoon, and children’s book pitches; to hopefully line up new work for next year; as well as reworking two smaller, personal comic projects.

Thomas: What can we expect to see from you at SPX?

Dukes: I’ll have copies of my self-published books Side A: The Music Lover’s Graphic Novel (and its accompanying record Winter Bloo), Frankie Comics #1 and #2, two different Frankie stickers, and three different Frankie-related posters (“Keep It Up Tough Stuff,” “Goodbye to Sleep,” and the “Life With/Out a Cat” comic). I’ll also have anthologies that I took part in: As You Were #1 through #3 by Silver Sprocket Bicycle Club, Maple Key #1 by Maple Key Comics, and SubCultures: A Comic Anthology by Ninth Art Press (which is debuting at the show). I might also have a new mini-comic or two but only time will tell.