“How Mirka Got Her Sword,” page 54

“How Mirka Got Her Sword,” page 53

“How Mirka Got Her Sword,” page 52

The last panel, with the yarn nose and ears flopping around, is one of my favorites.

Hereville in Publisher’s Weekly!

On the website, at least. (There may be some spoilers there, so don’t click if you’re allergic!) Author Brigid Alverson was very patient with my babbling during the phone interview.

From Brigid’s article:

Hansen first saw Hereville at the Stumptown Comics Festival in Portland, Oregon, where Deutsch had a booth next to his friend Scott McCloud, acclaimed comics theory guru and author of Making Comics. “One of the first booths I saw was Barry’s,” she said. “He had this amazing banner, and he showed me his comic, and I thought it was delightful, but I don’t take new clients except by referral,” she explained. The next day she saw Scott McCloud, who is one of her clients. “The next day I went to see Scott McCloud,” Hansen says, “and he walked me to Barry’s table and said ‘You really should think about representing him.’”

After reading the comic, Hansen quickly agreed to represent Deutsch, but she told him the book needed to be filled out. Deutsch agreed, and the Amulet edition will be 130 pages long as opposed to the original 57-page story. The new edition will fill in the details of Mirka’s family and introduce some new characters, but it will end in the same place as the webcomic. […]

Although he signed a one-book contract with Abrams, the publisher has the option on future volumes, and Deutsch definitely sees Hereville as the first in a series. “I don’t know how many volumes there will be,” he said. “There may be comics focusing on characters other than Mirka who live in that community but I do know there will be several more Mirka stories, ” Deutsch says.

“How Mirka Got Her Sword,” page 51

I had this page in mind for soooo many years before I finally drew it.

By the way, folks, read this post for an important Hereville announcement.

Press Release: Hereville Graphic Novel To Be Published by Harry Abrams

Some good news that was finally publicly announced today. Here’s the press release:

Author Name: Barry Deutsch
Book Title: Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword
Category: Children’s / YA graphic novel

Book/Deal Description:

Amulet Books has acquired the publication rights to Hereville, Barry Deutsch’s fanciful adventure comic, currently scheduled for publication in Spring 2010.

Charlie Kochman Executive Editor of Abrams Comic Arts and Judy Hansen of Hansen Literary Agency negotiated the deal. Film rights will handled by Nick Harris of Rabineau Wachter Sanford & Harris for Hansen Literary Agency.

Hereville, portions of which initially appeared as a web comic on Deutsch’s web site www.hereville.com, chronicles the adventures of Mirka, an 11-year old Orthodox Jewish girl, whose dreams of slaying fairy-tale monsters conflict with her highly structured life in an isolated, religious town.

The Washington Post has described Hereville as "what you get when you cross Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Isaac Bashevis Singer."

About the Author:

Barry Deutsch grew up in Connecticut and studied under comics master Will Eisner at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Deutsch’s cartoons have won the Charles Schulz Award for college cartooning, and in 2008 Deutsch was nominated for the Russ Manning Award for outstanding new talent. Deutsch currently lives in Portland, Oregon, in a bright blue house with bubble gum pink trim.

I’ll be at APE in San Francisco This Weekend

What’s APE? It’s the Alternative Press Expo, a indy-leaning comic book convention.

If you’re in San Francisco, please stop by and say “Hi!” I’m alllll the way in back, and if all goes well there will be a big “Hereville” sign behind my table.

“How Mirka Got Her Sword,” page 50

Hereville Title Page Sketches (moon edition)

Remember, you can own a paper copy of “Hereville” of your very own!

For folks that pay extra, I do a sketch on the title page. Each sketch is different. Here are two sketches I did recently; you can see a bunch more here.

Continue Reading…

“How Mirka Got Her Sword,” page 49