Creating a comic from scratch can be a long and lonely business. One of my most faithful companions through this process has always been music. Right at my side as I work is my favorite musical delivery system, a vintage 1970’s turntable. Here I often spin discs that help to “cast the circle” in which I keep the pencil and ink moving across one page after another. I try to choose artists that represent to me a strong and unique voice and hope some of that seeps its way into my own work. The good news is that they are always out there if you look for them. For me, at any given moment it might be anyone from Howlin’ Wolf to Florence and The Machine, but anyone who knows me knows that my touchstone for this has always been Bob Dylan, whose music continues to evolve as he follows his own particular flawed and glorious creative human impulses. Following folks like this on their own journeys makes for excellent company along the road.