The Cartoon Fiend is a cartoonist whose blog has a simple premise: ask other cartoonists the same set of questions and publish their answers. In April 2006, the Fiend grilled me. I recommend the blog not just for my answers, but as an interesting look at how similar questions can elicit very different responses from different subjects.

 

In March 2006, I was interviewed on the "Mornings on 2" program on KTVU-TV (Oakland, Calif.). I thought host Ross McGowan did a nice job preparing for our conversation, putting me at ease, and drawing out good information. This was my first television appearance for the book and I think it went very well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Associated Press writer Colleen Long interviewed me for a March 2006 story titled  "Drawing from Life Experience." The article, which has appeared in at least a few newspapers, also highlights cartoonist Miriam Engleberg, whose book, Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person, comes out later this year. Although some quotes and details left me slightly dissatisfied, I think it's a pretty good article and I appreciate it.

 

In March 2006, CNN Internet beat reporter Jacki Schechner spoke with me as part of her network's coverage of the sad death of Dana Reeve. Mom's Cancer was featured in two brief reports about online cancer communities. A transcript of the latter report during "The Situation Room" program is available  HERE.

 

In December 2005 I was interviewed for an Internet radio program by Jon Filitti of Out of This World and  psychjourney.com. Jon is a therapist and mental health counselor who uses comics as a tool to reach troubled adolescents. He was very well prepared and I thought we had a great conversation. The interview, which is about 55 minutes long, is available at the
Therapy Toolbox Internet Radio Show or can be downloaded by clicking  HERE.

 

Melissa Block of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" interviewed Miriam Engelberg and me in 2006. It was a great experience and tremendous recognition, for which I'm very grateful. This was a big deal.

 

The Web magazine Sequential Tart published an interview with me conducted by MK Czerwiec, whose background as an oncology nurse gave our interaction a unique texture, I thought. I really appreciated MK's introduction, part of which reads: Brian Fies's  Mom's Cancer outdid my most ambitious hope for such a narrative comic. It is a groundbreaking work. In the book, Brian chronicles a family journey through his mother's lung cancer. Just that — a sensitive observer's account of the ways in which serious illness consumes not just the person who receives the diagnosis, but an entire network of people, told in comic art, astonishes enough. But Brian documents this journey with humor, honesty and creativity.

 

The German magazine  Die Zeit Wissen recently ran a story about Mom's Cancer for which I was interviewed several weeks ago. My high school Deutsch has proven sadly inadequate; I hope it's good.

 

In May 2006, USA Today ran a feature cover story titled"Laughing in the Face of Cancer" that featured me and cartoonist Miriam Engelberg. The story prominently highlighted artwork from Mom's Cancer and, with more than two million readers, probably provided my book's biggest exposure to date.

 

 

In August 2006, Abrams sought to build on the great reviews and pressMom's Cancer had received since its release by putting out a new one-page "sell sheet" summarizing some of those appearances. Click here to see a PDF.

 

As 2005 closed and the publication date for Mom's Cancer approached, Abrams began releasing catalogs and placing ads to promote the book. The two links below lead to large images of some of those materials.

 

Abrams Books created a new imprint called Abrams Image, for which Mom's Cancer is the flagship project. It's quite a responsibility and honor. In December 2005, Abrams Image released its spring catalog, a slim, gold-covered listing of upcoming publications. Mom's Cancer was the first book in the catalog and given this two-page spread.

 

Diamond Comic Distributors is the major distributor of comic books and graphic novels, genre magazines, trading cards, etc., and puts out a monthly "Previews" catalog of work due to be released in a few months. Abrams took out this advertisement in the December issue (thanks to D.D. Degg for the scan).  

NEW! An excerpt from Mom's Cancer, along with an author's note I wrote, has been published in the Fall 2006 edition of CR magazine. The publication's mission is to "strengthen collaborations and communications among cancer survivors, patient advocates, physicians and scientists, with the goal of accelerating the prevention and cure of cancer." Click on the image below to see a large version.