Gale Galligan is the creator of the New York Times bestselling Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adaptations of Dawn and the Impossible Three, Kristy’s Big Day, Boy-Crazy Stacey, and Logan Likes Mary Anne! by Ann M. Martin. They are also the creator of Freestyle, an original graphic novel that they both wrote and illustrated. When they aren’t making comics, Gale enjoys knitting, drumming, and spending time with their family and adorable pet rabbits in Pearl River, New York. Gale is a founding member of the Comics Advocacy Group, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that is dedicated to making careers in comics more accessible and sustainable.

I had the opportunity to interview Gale, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome back to Geeks OUT! For those who might not be familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you for having me! I’m Gale Galligan (they/them): graphic novelist, shrimp chip enthusiast, rabbit friend. You might know me from my four graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-Sitters Club, or from one of my Garfield fan comics?

One fun update from last time: I am now also learning the drums! I can do bonk bonks!!

What can you tell us about your new graphic novel, Fresh Start? What was the inspiration for the book?

Fresh Start is about a girl named Ollie who moves around a lot – and loves it! Any time something embarrassing happens, any time she gets into a fight with a friend, she gets to flee the country and pretend it never happened. Consequences? No thanks!!

Then she moves to Northern Virginia and finds out she will be staying there forever, just in time for middle school. This may or may not be loosely autobiographical, depending on whether or not you know my middle school art teacher.

As a creatives, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially graphic novels/comics?

I was a voracious reader of prose and comics as a kid! I moved around, but stories were always there – and so many of them made me feel things that I wanted to figure out how to make that happen myself. I discovered that I could use stories to show an experience or share a feeling, or even create stories with my friends. They became a powerful way for me to connect with other people.

Plus, like, it’s fun.

How would you describe your creative process?

Enthusiastic, messy, and visual. I take a lot of notes and draw a lot of little plot diagrams. I use one billion colorful pens. I do the murder suspect post-it wall thing. I always have so many ideas that I want to cram into a book and then realize that I would have to draw all of those ideas and then I end up doing a ton of cutting and rearranging so the book won’t be one billion pages long. It’s chaos, in a fun way.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing/illustrating? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult? 

I love when everything comes together and I can ink a big, impressive, fun double-page spread with lots of interesting panels and overlapping elements. I love finding interesting ways to make pages flow and capture the energy of a moment.

And I haaaaaaaaate when that means that I have to figure out how to draw a really complicated architectural element from a weird angle. What, is this work? I signed up for work???

As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest artistic and creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

Oh no, I have so many. Last time, I said “Jen Wang, Fumi Yoshinaga, and ✨my friends✨,” so this time I will say: artists who are unabashedly themselves. Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes? Went all-in on making something fun and wry and weird, decided when he was done, logged off forever. I still haven’t played Metal Gear Solid but can’t get enough of Millionfish’s super-conceptual experimental Metal Gear Solid fancomic Yellowcake; I think about it all the time. Also my friends.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

Did I mention the drumming thing? It is so much fun. I was the only grownup who played at my music school’s recital and it was exhilarating. It’s okay to be bad at things! Let’s all be bad at things together!!

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

“Hey, Gale, I’m a large comics publisher / for-profit art school / Adobe(R). I know that comics is a difficult profession to get into and an even harder one to stay in. This is a problem, because I profit off of creative labor. I would like comics to be a more sustainable industry. Is this a problem I can throw money at?”

Yes, absolutely! I am a founding member of a grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Comics Advocacy Group. Your money will help fund free resources and grants for emerging comics professionals. Thank you for asking, Mr. Adobe(R).

What advice might you have to give for aspiring storytellers/graphic novelists out there?

Take the time to think about what you really want and what will make you feel fulfilled. If you want to make a book, what do you want from that book? Validation, money, to share something important? There are no right or wrong answers, but knowing how you feel will help you understand where to put your energy – and when you might need to find other outlets to fill a creative need.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

It’s all secrets at the moment! What I can say is that I’m excited to be working with a collaborator for the first time, and it’s so fun having someone to bounce ideas around with. Please look forward to our very exciting secret book.

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

Oh boy. Oh boy. Ballad For Black Cassandra by Olivia Stephens. Please Be My Star by Victoria Grace Elliott. You should preorder Ngozi Ukazu’s Flip immediately, like right now, and read Bunt! – her collab with Mad Rupert – while you wait. Also, the Murderbot books, because they are perfect and a mood. Thank you.