Meet Dan & Jason, creators of Blue, Barry & Pancakes!
What initially drew you to comics?
We’ve always loved comics! We absolutely love the form and everything it has to offer – words, pictures, pacing, and design. But what really makes comics special for us is that feeling when you sit down with a great comic and get completely lost in the story. That feeling of visiting old friends. We want to share that feeling with our audience. Jason and I started drawing together in high school and have been super close friends ever since. So friendship is totally key to the books. That said, Blue, Barry & Pancakes came out of this one period of our lives where we lived together in Brooklyn in no joke, an old coffin factory.
What was your inspiration behind Blue, Barry & Pancakes?
At the heart of Blue, Barry & Pancakes is friendship. Jason and I have been dear friends and working partners for a long time and the support and joy we get out of being there for each other is amazing. We want to tell stories that show how friendships are built, grow, and change. Blue, Barry, and Pancakes each represent an aspect of our own personalities and it’s not always flattering. But real friendship is about overcoming obstacles and conflict and coming back to what you love about each other. Sometimes it feels like the whole world needs a reminder of what being a good friend is, right now. We’re hoping to help with some super silly laughs and high stakes adventure!
What scene or panel sequence did you most enjoy drawing?
Jason: It’s funny, we both share drawing and color duties, but it’s like cooking for yourself, I guess, I just always love the pages Dan draws the best. He really breaths so much life into his drawings. It’s awesome! There’s a spread in the first book where everyone is getting launched out of a volcano. It’s so fun and weird and only makes sense if you read the story. I love it!
Dan: Jason draws great! He’s always saying silly stuff like that. He did an amazing spread in Book 2 where the whole gang is looking out at a sprawling Balloonion Landscape. It’s beautiful. And what’s fun is Barry and Blue feel the same. Pancakes made that world and her friends are totally blown away.
About the Book
Blue, Barry, and Pancakes are best friends, but sometimes friends make mistakes.
One day, when the gang goes to the beach, Barry and Pancakes lose Blue’s beloved beach ball. They come up with a plan to get it back, but things go way off course. Now, these pals will have to go inside a giant whale’s stomach, crash a pool party on an alien spaceship, and survive Duckzilla’s volcanic birthday bash if they ever hope to see Blue’s beach ball again!
