Virtual Memories Show 672:
Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino
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With REAL LIFE COMIX: ONLY IN NEW YORK (Cosmic Lion Productions), editors Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino bring together 66 fantastic cartoonists and writers to tell 51 autobiographical comic stories about NYC . . . and I’m among them! We got together to talk about the book & its publishing history, the incredible lineup Dean and Doug have assembled (including ~20 of my past pod-guests — like Roz Chast, Drew Friedman, Jonathan Ames, Karl Stevens, Jennifer Hayden, Ben Katchor, and Moby — and a ton of other great cartoonists!), why no one’s made a New York City-centric autobio-comics anthology before, what makes for an “Only In New York” story & why I went with a tough one for my 2-page comic, and why YOU NEED TO SUPPORT THE KICKSTARTER (ending May 8, 2026) to help bring it all into print! (Yes, we talk about other stuff, like My Joe Franklin Story, what I’ve learned on hiatus, what Doug & Dean have learned about editing, the challenges of bringing non-comics-writers into the book, why I don’t ‘think’ comics, my favorite Deadly Sin, and more.) Give it a listen! And go support REAL LIFE COMIX: ONLY IN NEW YORK!
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About our Guests
Dean Haspiel is an Emmy & Ringo Award-winning NYC cartoonist, playwright + Yaddo fellow. He is the creator of Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, Covid Cop & Chest Face. Dean has worked for Marvel, DC, Archie, Image, Webtoon, etc., and is currently making the one-man comics anthology, ANTIMATTER.
Doug Latino is a short story writer, visual artist, and photographer, based in Brooklyn, NY.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at Dean’s studio in Brooklyn on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 microphones and a Shure Beta 58A feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4 digital recorder & interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of Doug & Dean by me. It’s on my instagram.