You might think that the recent demise of stand-alone book review sections in big city papers would be bad news for illustrators. In Ward Sutton's case, however, it led to what he calls "a dream job." How so? Barnes & Noble recently created its own online book review as a way of introducing readers to the best new publications in store for them [pun intended]. Among the talents they lined up was Ward. I caught up with him by email the other day, and here's the story:

Peggy Roalf: How did the Barnes & Noble Drawn to Read project come about?

Ward Sutton: A year ago the Village Voice called and asked if I would be interested in reviewing Philip Roth's new novel, "Indignation," in cartoon form. I loved the book and was happy with the way the review turned out. Almost immediately I was contacted by someone at GalleyCat, a literary criticism blog. They liked my review and wanted to interview me. I was flattered but busy and did not respond for over a month. Finally one weekend I wrote back. They posted the short interview on a Monday morning and before lunch an editor from Barnes & Noble called me and basically offered me the job. If only all freelance work could be so fortuitous!

Left: Panel from B&N review of "Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life" by Winifred Gallagher. Center: From B&N review of "The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Concert That Awakened America" by Raymond Arsenault. Right: From New York Times Business section cartoon, which comments on the GM bailout by way of AC/DC's "Back in Black."

PR: Were you looking for new avenues for illustration beyond editorial and advertising?

WS: Definitely. I find myself going through different periods creatively. I moved to New York in 1995 and was very focused on editorial illustration, but I simultaneously got into creating rock posters. I was passionate about that and was able to create posters for musicians like Beck, Pavement, Pearl Jam and Phish - even a music festival where Neil Young chose my designs. Then I became interested in animation, creating the opening for the Comedy Central series "Strangers With Candy" with JJ Sedelmaier and an HBO project with Curious Pictures. When Bush came into office I compulsively channeled my frustration with his administration into political cartooning, which yielded a book and book tour in 2005. But the political cartooning was so intense I began to burn out on it and decided to retire my weekly strip, "Sutton Impact," in 2007. By last summer I was itching for some new avenues artistically.

PR: How do you decide which books to cover? You've done such a wide array of fiction and nonfiction, art and politics, from Marian Anderson to the corporatization of America to the legendary author Thomas Pynchon.

WS: My editors at B&N graciously - and I think wisely - allow me to choose the books I review. They often make suggestions that I can accept or reject. We both realize that if I'm not interested in a book, it's not going to serve the review well. That said, I also want to point out that my editors in no way restrict me from criticizing what I read. One might think that Barnes & Noble, whose job it is to sell books, would only want glowing reviews of their products. This couldn't be further from the truth: the editors at the B&N Review take literary criticism very seriously - they're not a promotions department masquerading as book critics.

PR: What makes a book a desirable subject for you?

WS: I ask two questions: does the book look interesting in both content and the approach to its subject? And does the book lend itself to interesting visuals? The first book I reviewed was "The Women," which was about Frank Lloyd Wright, and I instantly thought of framing the whole piece in a Wright-like design. The Marian Anderson book, which came on the heels of President Obama's inauguration, seemed like the right story at the right time, and I immediately thought of depicting her in the style of Shepard Fairey's Obama posters.

PR: How do you approach your subjects for Drawn To Read?

WS: The whole idea is that I'm creating illustrated reviews of books that do not have images. That's what makes it such satisfying work: I read books and form my own interpretations visually. Depending on the book, I imagine what fictional characters look like, recreate scenes between historical figures, or come up with some way to illustrate abstract theories.

PR: Are you planning to review any crime thrillers? I ask because NPR recently reported that true crime is the most popular genre in American publishing today.

WS: My latest review, of Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice," falls loosely into that category. Pynchon has taken his first stab at the hardboiled genre and twisted it into a late-60s setting, creating what I call "Day Glo Noir." To be honest, a Pynchon novel is such an event in and of itself that it goes beyond any genre. I was thrilled to get the chance to review it.

I had previously considered some other crime thrillers but I am most attracted to cases where authors do something unique with a genre. I'd love to review a romance novel, for instance, but there would have to be something special or different about it beyond the typical Harlequin paperback. Or even a cookbook!

PR: Speaking of illustrated texts, graphic novels have become hugely popular in the last five years or so. Any idea why?

WS: I think people are looking for new, and more immediate, ways to receive information and entertainment. One can read a graphic novel much faster than a regular novel - and the artist does half the work for you by visually depicting the story. But graphic novels are their own art form - at their best they combine great writing, design, and cinematic imagery. In my mind, the question isn't "why are people suddenly interested in graphic novels?" as much as "why haven't people been interested in graphic novels until now?"

PR: As an artist who also writes, are you planning to create a graphic novel any time soon?

WS: When I lived in Seattle in the early 1990s, I was introduced to Fantagraphics and the whole world of alternative comics. I created a comic book of my own, "Ink Blot," that was published in 1995. But it was so labor-intensive for such little money and there seemed to be no audience at the time. I created half of a second issue and decided to shelve the project.

PR: How did you get from there to here?

WS: Last summer I went to the political conventions as a cartoonist-reporter for the Boston Globe. I took in the goings-on and created fairly large daily comics with my observations and commentary. But I knew time would be a serious factor and that writing and drawing a big strip each day while on the run might be nearly impossible. I brought my digital camera and decided to experiment with combining illustration with photo elements. I also brought a Wacom tablet that I was still learning how to use. I couldn't afford the time to scan so it was the first project where I drew everything directly on the computer - it was a real trial by fire!

PR: So what did the learning curve do for you?

WS: Covering the conventions was a thrill and I was very happy with the pieces (just finishing them at all by the early, daily deadlines was a feat), although looking back now they look crudely rendered. But I've been able to take that approach - combining drawing with the Wacom and photo elements - and develop it into a new style. It's been exciting and has emerged as the trademark look of Drawn To Read. This style also allows me to create big pieces faster; last month I created a feature cartoon for the front page of the New York Times Sunday Business section in about 36 hours.

PR: What's on your To Do list this summer?

WS: This new technique I just mentioned would lend itself well to graphic novel work. I have some different projects in the consideration phase. One I'm excited about, that seems likely, will be my adapting a classic short story now in public domain, in graphic novel form. This would appear in weekly installments on Barnes & Noble's website. It's a kick to think that I might return to this form of storytelling after 15 years.

PR: Have you always been a voracious reader?

WS: I've been a voracious reader of magazines, newspapers and websites, but I've always wished for more time to read books. Part of the appeal of this project is that I actually get paid to read -- and to read anything I want. It really is a dream job.

CORRECTION: The last issue of DART erroneously gave the date of August 19th for the MCNY Speakeasy party with live music and dance lessons. That will take place next Wednesday, August 26th. This week's party went on with recorded music from the Jazz Age. We apologize for any disappointment this might have caused.

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