Jesse Lonergan Catches the Uncatchable in Drome

We chat with cartoonist Jesse Lonergan about Drome, his new OGN about the agony and ecstasy of creation.

Toward the end of this week’s episode, Jesse Lonergan says, “With Drome, it feels like I’ve done...something.” Since he arrived on the scene, the cartoonist has bashed upon the medium, seeing if he’d be the one to break comics. The art form didn’t shatter; it became stronger under Lonergan’s pressure. Books like Hedra, Faster, Planet Paradise, and Man’s Best electrified readers, showcasing what could only be done in comics. Now, in Drome, Jesse Lonergan whales harder upon the medium than he ever has before, and the result is a smashing celebration of comics and creation. Jesse Lonergan has done...something. He is not the artist who started Drome. We are not the readers we were before the first page.

A quick flip through Drome and you’ll witness a civilization with champions of order raging against champions of chaos. The visuals recall Jack Kirby and Robert E. Howard. Gods watch their toys in their sandbox. Violence everywhere because life is a violent act. It’s the best-looking, sword-and-sandal fantasy adventure you can find at your local comic shop.

To begin and end your conversation about Drome with its plot is a catastrophic mistake. With Jesse Lonergan, process is the theme. The color story matters. Form is the point. So, let’s get real damn nerdy about it.

On this week’s episode, we excitedly welcome back Jesse Lonergan and, together, tear our way through one of the year’s best comic books. We discuss the first images that eventually became Drome. We talk about the CMYK color model. We embarrassingly reveal the names we gave his characters, and celebrate those other artists, such as Geoff Darrow and Matt Lesniewski, who seem to give everything they have to comics.

Drome is now available from 23rd St Books. Make sure you follow Jesse Lonergan on Blue Sky, Instagram, Patreon, and his Website.

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Podcast logo by Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.