“Hybred” is an immediately engrossing, deeply bleak graphic novel about a powerful, little boy named Johnny James that grows up in relentless and oppressive poverty. Although it’s presented as fiction, it’s sourced from writer Jamie Mustard’s own traumatic childhood.
Each page, illustrated beautifully by Francesca Filomena, holds the gaze for longer than comfortable. The story is filled with heart, pain, sorrow, and a sweetness that comes and goes.
We had the opportunity to chat with Mustard about the book (available for purchase now) and the arduous, fulfilling journey it took to get it from ideation to completion.
Interview Highlights:
- Going in the weeds of the art process
- The worldbuilding details in the novel
- Mustard’s family history
- How his childhood and past fuels his writing
- Touching on religion, science fiction and imagination
“Hybred” is the story of nine-year-old Johnny James, who lives in the poorest neighborhood in Greater Angeles, where he shares a one-room apartment with his mother, stepfather, two brothers, and an army of cockroaches. He spends his days in the sweltering heat of the neighborhood, at the movie theaters, playing tackleball, or drawing — but there’s no money for him to go to school. As death, addiction, and violence swirl through the neighborhood, Johnny grows up with friends, adventures, and magic around him. And he discovers how to use art, beauty, and personal strength to transcend the forces destined to hold him back.