The Process of Making Comics with GB Tran

GB Tran made some major waves with his 2010 debut, Vietnamerica. A master of framing, Tran creates a visual voice that’s both instantly recognizable and filled with meaning. He makes his long-awaited return to comics with “The Believer,” in which he reevaluates what it means to be an artist post-fatherhood. 

—Kristen Radtke

THE BELIEVER: How did this comic start?

GB TRAN: LOL: extreme navel gazing.

BLVR: What’s your process like?

GT: My stories always start in my sketchbook. That first spark of an idea and—more importantly—many iterations of that idea scribbled out. Carving with chicken scratches and half-thoughts to determine whether it’s something really worth making into a comic. Making comics is all uphill. If I think there’s a meaningful ending, satisfying middle, and interesting beginning then I’ll start paper thumbnails, bouncing between pictures and words. After that, if I’m even more excited and challenged by it then when I had that initial spark, it’s early mornings and late nights hunched over my Cintiq bringing it to life.

BLVR: Was any aspect of making this work particularly challenging? 

GT: Every part: deciding on the visual style, trying to write compelling dialogue, wrangling the emotions of doing a story that announces a major shift in my life’s current direction, etc. But that’s how I know the process is working—the more difficult it gets, the more vital it is to complete. And the most challenging aspect was the same as for all my stories: keeping my second-guessing to a minimum and having faith that the finished work would emotionally resonate with a reader.

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