Virtual Memories Show 346:

Ho Che Anderson

“I walked into Star Wars at 7 years old as one person, and I left as someone else. That movie introduced me to the idea of visual storytelling.”

Live from CXC – Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, it’s my Spotlight Session with Ho Che Anderson, cartoonist behind KING , Godhead (Fantagraphics) and plenty more! We get into the ups and downs of Ho’s career, his transition from “frustrated cartoonist” to “somewhat dissatisfied cartoonist”, his twin inspirations of Mister X and Black Kiss, and all the comic, writing and movie influences that went into his science fiction epic Godhead! We also talk about his being labeled an “openly black” cartoonist, how being Canadian gave him a different perspective on Martin Luther King when it came to tackling MLK’s biography, why he prefers writing a story to drawing it, the importance of world building in both his fiction and non-fiction work, and why you should never meet your heroes (unless your hero is Howard Chaykin)! Give it a listen! And go buy Godhead !

“I needed the mental real estate, so I had to get this story done, just so I could think about other things.”

“Even though most people think of me as an artist who writes, I’m more of a writer who draws.”

“My vision hasn’t been to be original per se, but to be good at what I do.”

Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!

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About our Guest

Ho Che Anderson is a Canadian cartoonist living in Toronto. Anderson was launched into the comics scene with the publication of his erotic story I Want To Be Your Dog in 1990. He next embarked on the project he is best known for, KING , his 3-part comic series on the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. His other works include the graphic novels Black Dogs , Miles from Home , Scream Queen and Sand & Fury . His newest book is Godhead , from Fantagraphics.

Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at CXC – Cartoon Crossroads Columbus on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 Microphones feeding into a Zoom H5 digital recorder. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Cloudlifter CL-1 and a Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2×2 USB Recording Interface . All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC . Drawing of Mr. Anderson by Mr. Anderson. It’s not on my instagram; it’s on his.

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