Magazine cartoonist Will McPhail has a new book out and is making the rounds.
Which was scarier? Sending your first cartoon to the New Yorker or sitting down to work on your debut graphic novel?
Definitely The New Yorker. I had no idea that I was supposed to be scared of doing the graphic novel and I had lots of help from some incredibly smart people, so I just tore into it without a backward glance. Whereas I had been aware of the lore and the legend of The New Yorker for years. For cartoonists it really is the Everest, and so sending off my first batch of rubbish jokes by post from my mum’s house felt like a big step.
What was the origin of In?
A person called Heather Karpas, my saviour and guardian angel, emailed me one day to ask if I’d ever thought of doing a book. I lied and said “Of course! I never stop thinking about it. I’m thinking about it right now!”. What I was actually thinking about was how we don’t give parrots enough credit for having mastered the power of language.
Will tells all some to The Herald of Scotland.