In many ways Tom Devlin's career mirrors the evolution of the graphic novel. As founder of Highwater Books, a publishing house he set up in the early 2000s, Devlin treated alternative comics audiences in North America to their first book-length exposure to well-known cartoonist/authors - including John Porcellino, Marc Bell, Ron Rege Jr., Brian Ralph - many of whom subsequently joined him at Drawn and Quarterly - the Montreal-based publishing house founded by Chris Oliveros - where Tom now works as executive editor (and co-owner) alongside his wife, publisher Peggy Burns. Tom's early work - its high production values, thoughtful design and 'bookshelf-ready' formats, plus experience earned as a comics retailer and distributor - one could say, presaged the explosion in popularity of graphic novels, an explosion that was amply fueled by much of the stuff he's done with artists at D&Q over the years.
I talk with Tom about his love of comics, comic stores and the publishing business, about his life with graphic novels and D&Q, and the long struggle to be taken seriously. Drawn and Quarterly: Twenty Five Years of Contemporary Cartooning, Comics, and Graphic Novels serves as our guide.
We met underneath the well-walked wooden floors of La Petite Librairie D+Q, the company's children's retail bookstore outlet in the Mile End district of Montreal.