GRAPHIC NOVEL CLUB: DELICATES’ Brenna Thummler on pacing and emotion

“Give your readers a reason to turn the page.”

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Content Warning: This clip includes brief discussion of sexual assault portrayed in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.

The Beat is a proud sponsor of Comix Experience’s Graphic Novel of the Month Clubs, which bring comics fans a curated mix of the best of new release graphic novels and conversations with the creators who make them.  Each month, the staff of Comix Experience votes on two sets of upcoming books they are most excited—one gets presented to adults and another to middle readers. Each club provides swag like original signed custom bookplates for adults or buttons and magnets for the kids (in this case, the former, to support the featured book, Delicates).

delicates

Most excitingly, the Graphic Novel Clubs bring in the creators of selected books to talk exclusively to GNC members in interviews conducted by Comix Experience owner Brian Hibbs, who brings 30 years of experience in comics to the table. These talks are livestreamed to members all over the country and are a fun and informative mix of conversation on craft and form, as well as on the business of making comics. The Graphic Novel Clubs make a point of being inclusive, inviting creators from a wide variety of age, race, sex, and cultural perspectives to speak to members.

Membership is what propels these conversations, so if you like what you see, please support these discussions of comics, and the creators who make them, by joining the club.

Today: Brian Hibbs talks to author Brenna Thummler about her recently released graphic novel, Delicates. In this clip, Thummler goes in depth on how she approaches pacing and emotion; the balancing act between giving the reader a reason to turn the page, dealing with the physical amount of space on the page, and the calculus of which page turn is the most important one.