An Interview with Graham Nolan of Compass Comics
From my perspective, Graham Nolan, born in Jersey, raised on Long Island and the Space Coast, and trained in Dover, I could tell the artist has a very tidy office. I could plainly see that as I interviewed him twice in one week this past winter, a conversation conducted via a Zoom-like “videotelephony” software program. Maybe he cleaned it up for the chat but, after spending three or so hours learning about him, I’m inclined to believe he’s a remarkably organized person. Graham’s career also indicates a pragmatic and methodical creator, one with a keen eye on advancement and heart yearning to take on a challenge. And you’ll learn that for
yourself reading this transcript, as you discover the man completed three years of studies in two while at the Kubert School, steadily advanced at DC Comics to become an important Batman artist, produced for numerous years daily and Sunday newspaper strips, and now completely navigates his own future by creating exciting and fun comics for his own company, Compass Comics, by appealing directly to his audience, one that crowdfunds his output, which includes Joe Frankenstein. My first question refers to a savage winter storm the city of Buffalo suffered in December, when nearly 50 people died. Graham lives only 20 miles east of New York’s second largest city. — Jon B. Cooke
Comic Book Creator: You live near Buffalo. What happened with the big storm? Graham Nolan: Well, I live in Buffalo because my wife is from this area, and we settled here rather than in “my” Florida, but I’ve been trying to get back there ever since. [laughs] As far as the storm goes, it was bad, it was heavy, but we didn’t get it where I’m at as bad as the city did. I’m about 20 minutes south and east of Buffalo, and that’s the snow belt, so typically we get more snow than they do, but this time it hit the city a lot worse than us, and that’s why 40 someodd people ended up dying. CBC: One of the most interesting little facts I just learned was you very specifically wanted to work on Detective Comics, but not only because it was Batman, but it was because your dad was a detective. Graham: Yeah, my dad was a homicide detective on Long Island. My whole family was in law enforcement, and Detective Comics was the first Batman comic I ever bought, it was the masthead of DC Comics, that’s where “DC” comes from — “Detective Comics.” At one point, Chuck [Dixon] and I were offered
Batman, which always sells better than Detective, but both of us wanted to stay on Detective just because of its history. CBC: You were born on Long Island? Graham: Technically, I was born in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. My dad at that time was working for U.S. Steel, and we were right across the Hudson. It sits right on the bluff, but I was only there for a few months before we went back to Long Island, where he was from Long Beach. CBC: I was talking to Greg Goldstein… Graham: Oh, yeah! CBC: And he, out of the blue, mentioned a bar that you’re somehow connected with…? Graham: Nolan’s Pub! It’s still there. Yeah, my dad opened up the pub and then decided to go into the police department and had to sell the pub because of a conflict of interest. So, I think around 1964, he sold it and the new owners kept the name, and it’s been that name ever since, Nolan’s Pub. It’s a typical “lifeguard and cop bar” on the east side of Long Beach…
50
#31 • Summer 2023 • COMIC BOOK CREATOR