Interview: Jason Shiga

On Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24, while attending the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, 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, 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.

If there are any librarians left out there who haven’t yet read Bookhunter, by Jason Shiga, man, are you missing out. Not only is it a crack mystery, it takes place in a library, gives away one of librarydom’s greatest secrets, AND has what is possibly the world’s greatest chase scene all in one book! It’s crazy! (Can you tell I like this book a lot?)

For those of you who are thinking, “Sure, Jason wrote the super-awesome Bookhunter, loved by librarian and non-librarian alike, but what does that have to do with kids comics?” here’s what I have to say to that: not much (except that I know several teens who also think Bookhunter is awesome)! BUT! Jason Shiga has also written Meanwhile, which IS a kids comic! And it, too, is awesome.

While it’s possible to purchase books by Jason at your local bookstore, or check them out of your local library (or buy them online by clicking on the links above), the absolute best way to buy Jason’s books is at comic book conventions, because it’s there that you can also purchase his handmade mini-comics, which blow awesome out of the water. Seriously.

Books mentioned in this video:

• The Drifting Classroom, by Kazuo Umezu
• The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbooks

Filed under: Interviews