Comics Alternative Interviews: Back with Peter Bagge

The Two Guys are pleased to have Peter Bagge back on The Comics Alternative. His new book Fire!! The Zora Neale Hurston Story comes out this week from Drawn and Quarterly. It is another in Bagge's recent series of historical and biographical comics, following his brief biography of Isabel Paterson (appearing in Reason in 2010), Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story (2013), and Founding Father Funnies (2016). In this interview, Derek talks with Peter about the genesis of this project, what brought him to the writings and personality of Huston, the socio-political contexts surrounding Hurston's work, and his research efforts in compiling the graphic biography. Fire!! is, in many ways, a companion piece to Woman Rebel, in that both focus on iconoclastic female figures, and their stories are told through an episodic, almost snap-shot, manner of narration. Although Peter and Derek spend the majority their time discussing Zora Neale Hurston, they also cover some of Peter's other works, such as his Founding Father Funnies collection, last year's Neat Stuff boxed set, and the possibilities of a similar treatment with Hate and other Bradly family stories. Be sure to check out Peter Bagge's other appearances on The Comics Alternative: the 2015 interview at Dallas Fan Expo the 2013 interview for the blog the 2013 interview at HeroesCon