Nov 22, 2022
Tom Devlin is a key figure in the world
of graphic novels. His career mimics the evolution of the genre. As
founder of Highwater Books, a publishing house he set up in the
early 2000s, he treated alternative comics audiences in North
America to their first book-length exposure to future star
cartoonist/authors John Porcellino, Marc Bell, Ron Rege Jr., Brian
Ralph and others - many of whom subsequently joined him at Drawn
and Quarterly, the Montreal-based publishing house founded by Chris
Oliveros. Tom now works at D&Q as executive editor (and
co-owner) alongside his wife, publisher Peggy Burns. His early work
- its high production values, thoughtful design and
'bookshelf-ready' formats, plus experience earned as a comics
retailer and distributor - presaged, one could say, an explosion in
the popularity of graphic novels, one that was amply fueled by the
impressive stuff he put out with various artists over the years at
D&Q.
I talk with Tom about his early love of comics, his work in comic
book stores and his experiences publishing graphic
novels; about his life with cartoonists and his work
helping to build D&Q, plus the struggle
experienced by the medium itself to be taken seriously.
Drawn and Quarterly: Twenty Five Years of Contemporary
Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels serves as our
guide.
We met underneath the well-walked wooden floors of La Petite
Librairie D+Q, the company's children's retail bookstore outlet in
the Mile End district of Montreal.