This year’s my twentieth anniversary of becoming a comics critic, and a culture critic more generally. And the one thing that’s remained true, you know, amongst these two decades is that drawings are dope. And seeing behind the scenes, seeing how and why people drew things, is even doper.

It’s interesting to see what kinds of choices people are making behind the scenes, and what kind of things they’re studying in order to, you know, get their reps, the experience to make those choices. Every great stays in the gym. Whether they’re putting up three point shots or doing sketches for fun just to keep their sword sharp.

Chris Ware’s ACME NOVELTY DATE BOOK is a dream project for me. I love seeing behind the scenes like this, seeing all the prep he made for his projects. Original art is a thrill, and if you’ll walk with me for a little bit, I wanna talk with you about how art progressed from opaque to enthralling for me, especially the work of Steve Dillon.

I’m David Brothers, and this is No Relation. The Greatest Show on Earth.

I asked a few friends how they felt about original art because, you know, I know how I feel, but checking myself against others is always fun. Before we get into the mix, here’s Chip Zdarsky, creator of PUBLIC DOMAIN, writer of BATMAN, DAREDEVIL, and co-creator of TIME WAITS on original art.

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