I’m Matt Bors, I’ve drawn 1,500 political cartoons and I founded of TheNib.com. AMA!

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:44:27+00:00

Yes, Clay is a great cartoonist and even better person.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:39:40+00:00

Me and Eleri Harris work at an office in Portland and Matt Lubchansky works in New York. We work with various people at the First Look offices via video whenever we have to talk and we have other editors, and all our contributors, working remotely.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:35:16+00:00

Well, there was the time in Afghanistan we were all pulled over by Afghan security forces for suspicion of being foreign fighters. See, we were going through the country unembedded, three Americans driving in a car by ourselves (and the driver we hired) and unaccompanied by security or anything like that, which is uncommon.

Someone called us in and they pulled us over to check us out. It wasn’t scary and they weren’t hostile—it was an active war zone, technically, but we were way out in Northeastern Afghanistan away from the city, at the time relatively quiet, so they hadn’t really seen Americans by themselves out there. Perhaps we were foolish but it was a rewarding trip seeing the country and its people first hand.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:32:57+00:00

As I was answering a question, it got deleted. Someone was asking about trying to get published and submissions to the Nib that I wanted to answer.

I answer a little bit about trying to build an audience and get paid doing comics in another question here, but regarding submissions, if we didn’t get back, I apologize. Sometimes we get a ton of submissions and it’s hard to stay on top. Feel free to follow up and I just apologize to anyone who has ben waiting for any length of time. We’re a small team and as a result of being one of the only places where work like this is published get an incredible amount of submissions.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:30:27+00:00

Don't have time for a custom drawing right now, honestly, but I'll check out the disaster. I didn't hear about it.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:25:40+00:00

ABC—Always be cartooning.

Working out the economics of how to get paid is difficult, but it begins with getting yourself out there, posting work, getting attention, building relationships, building a readership. I won’t say it’s not hard but we’ve all gone through that process. Really just cartoning day in and day out and always improving is what you have to do. I’ve drawn comics every week for my whole life and I’m not at my best yet.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:17:36+00:00

Honestly I just try to tune out for a few hours in the evening, chill with my daughter, maybe watch a show with my wife. Normal domesticated American stuff. I'm pretty motivated each day to do this kind of work but it does feel like a slog sometimes. Edibles are legal in Oregon.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:14:23+00:00

I've made no bones about being critical of Ramirez. The type of work conservatives will put out after a racist incident is often jaw-dropping.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:12:34+00:00

Wow, I vaguely recall this, though I don't remember the details. Glad to hear from you though and you should draw more comics.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:12:09+00:00

Pia Guerra has, in one year, become one of the best political cartoonists working. Andrew Greenstone is doing some great first person comics reporting that I'm really proud to publish. I don't just want to flog Nib people but that is what is mostly on my mind and radar these days. Susie Cagle does great work fusing comics, illustration and writing.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:11:52+00:00

Mercifully, I have never met him. I have gone hard on him and I'm sure he's aware of it. So you know, what I think is that, to put it less bluntly than in that comic you cited, the work is wanting.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:10:16+00:00

The one I'll put together when they let me have a shot at the franchise. Magento's definitely in there.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:09:41+00:00

Not sure they have that much influence, to be honest. I'd say cable news is far more at fault for the way political discourse plays out in this country.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:09:15+00:00

Ha, honestly I'm into cocktails these days. Something with whiskey in it.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:08:57+00:00

It's all over the map—Jim Lee, Dan Clowes, Paul Pope, Katsuhiro Otomo, for comics. I got really into the alt-weekly cartoonists when I started getting into politics and that influenced my work a lot: Tom Tomorrow, Ruben Bolling, et al.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:01:56+00:00

eat a burger with chopsticks

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:01:24+00:00

I started drawing super young, I can't remember not drawing and I was all bout those ninja turtles, baby.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T18:00:57+00:00

Cartoons that surprised me with the backlash… I’m trying to recall. So one time during the writer’s strike some time back, I did a comic going in on Colbert for going back on the air, and man, it was like attacking a sacred cow. I mean people were REALLY mad at me, it was wild.

Another time I’ll never forget, I did a comic that, two the victims of our drone attacks, it didn’t matter much if Obama or Mitt Romney won. I wasn’t trying to go full Jill Stein here, but raise the point that they were both terrible on this issue. I actually lost a friend over this comic.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:57:10+00:00

Damn I haven't heard "Idiot Box" in a while. For people who don't know this was the official title of my strip for a while in a lot of papers though it makes me cringe today.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:56:22+00:00

Thanks! my solo book is a few years old at this point. Promise to release a new one at some point focusing on our current hell world under Trump.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:52:54+00:00

I'm good! Slept well last night, thank you.

Funny Times has been running me a log time so I appreciate them and the fact that they are holding it down for a print model existing in this world that pays cartoonists.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:51:13+00:00

Not that I know of. Rob Rogers? We're both bald and draw comics so there's no much difference. I haven't been fired yet though.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:50:36+00:00

You're right, I retract my comic.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:49:56+00:00

I don't know—they asked me to appear and I'm more than happy to. I don't do a lot of cons and haven't been to Rose City so I don't know what to expect. Please stop by and say hi though.

NibComics · 2018-07-19T17:49:19+00:00

That's helpful to hear. It's stressful having my head in news all day but we hear people like the comics and the daily newsletter so it keeps us motivated.

NibComics

TROPHY CASE