Uploaded January 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Conversation begins at 7:45
With his graphic novel, BLOOD OF THE VIRGIN (Pantheon, bookshop.org/a/4669/9780593316696), cartoonist Sammy Harkham (https://www.sammyharkham.com) tells a story of personal and professional disintegration, against the backdrop of exploitation movies and the Iraqi Jewish diaspora in '70s L.A. We get into the obsessions and family lore that drove him to make the book, why it took him 14 years to complete it, what it means to focus on the 'novel' part of 'graphic novel', and how craft is always trying to catch up to ambition. We talk about the need to get past the cliches of the 'inside Hollywood' story, what he learned about his process over the course of making this book, why he didn't read the earlier chapters until he finished the story, and the John Steinbeck advice that got him over the finish line. We also discuss his comics upbringing, his religious upbringing, his thoughts on the late Joe Matt, the Jim Woodring panels that have haunted him for decades, the joyful anxiety of not knowing what his next project will be, and a lot more. Follow Sammy on Instagram (instagram.com/samharkham) • More info at chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-572-sammy-harkham • Support The Virtual Memories Show via patreon.com/vmspod and via our e-newsletter, https://buttondown.email/vmspod
Conversation begins at 7:45
With his graphic novel, BLOOD OF THE VIRGIN (Pantheon, bookshop.org/a/4669/9780593316696), cartoonist Sammy Harkham (https://www.sammyharkham.com) tells a story of personal and professional disintegration, against the backdrop of exploitation movies and the Iraqi Jewish diaspora in '70s L.A. We get into the obsessions and family lore that drove him to make the book, why it took him 14 years to complete it, what it means to focus on the 'novel' part of 'graphic novel', and how craft is always trying to catch up to ambition. We talk about the need to get past the cliches of the 'inside Hollywood' story, what he learned about his process over the course of making this book, why he didn't read the earlier chapters until he finished the story, and the John Steinbeck advice that got him over the finish line. We also discuss his comics upbringing, his religious upbringing, his thoughts on the late Joe Matt, the Jim Woodring panels that have haunted him for decades, the joyful anxiety of not knowing what his next project will be, and a lot more. Follow Sammy on Instagram (instagram.com/samharkham) • More info at chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-572-sammy-harkham • Support The Virtual Memories Show via patreon.com/vmspod and via our e-newsletter, https://buttondown.email/vmspod
