In this premiere of The Truth In This Art, the guest on this episode is Lonnie Millsap!

Who is Lonnie Millsap: Lonnie Millsap is an award-nominated (Thurber Prize, Reuben Award nominee) Los Angeles-based cartoonist. He is known for his work in the New Yorker Magazine, where he's word has been pushlished over 90 times, his synicated cartoon 'bacön' and over publishing over 13 books including his most recent, 'My Pockets Are Juicy!', The juiciest collection of cartoons ever drawn. Millsap is known for his unique illustration style and humor. Also, Millsap has earned the praise of cartooning legends like Keith Knight, Gary Panter, Sergio Aragones, Dan Piraro and Jim Benton.

In this episode, Lonnie shares his story. In it, Millsap describes turning his childhood passion of drawing everything into a carerr of publishing books as well as welling them. Millsap shares some of his inspiration from Gary Panter and Charles M. Schulz. Millsap also provides some background on 'The juiciest collection of cartoons ever drawn.', My Pockets Are Juicy!' and his syndicated comic 'bacön'. Lonnie shares his thoughts on the community within indie comics and cartooning. (Lonnie and I met during in the indie comics loop - initially at Small Press Expo and then I had the chance to interview Lonnie at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus in 2025, it was great!)

This was a great way to start off the new season and I hope you enjoy.

Lonnie's website is https://lonniemillsap.com/

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Ben Passmore closes out this season of The Truth in This Art.

Ben Passmore (DAYGLOAYHOLE, Your Black Friend, Sports Is Hell, BTTM FDRS; contributor to The Nib) joins Rob Lee to discuss his new book, Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance.

An award-winning cartoonist whose work ranges from the fantastical to the autobiographical, Passmore brings sharp, often humorous social commentary on politics, activism, white supremacy, sports, and the Black American experience.

In this episode, Passmore shares the story behind Black Arms to Hold You Up—why he chose graphic nonfiction, how he approached making it, and the care required when drawing real people and histories. He breaks down craft decisions that make complex ideas legible without flattening them, and how he balances clarity, intention, and voice.

The conversation also digs into audience and context: making art in rooms where you’re often the only Black person, how perception shifts outside community, and what cultural moments reveal about how we frame Black artists. It’s about how comics can carry culture, memory, and critique—connecting personal storytelling to broader histories while inviting readers to keep learning.

Topics Covered:

• Exploring intent, process, and responsibility in nonfiction comics with Black Arms to Hold You Up
• Working across fantastical and autobiographical modes with social commentary
• Navigating audience, context, and perception in art spaces
• Making complex ideas accessible without losing nuance

Make the conversation count: buy Black Arms to Hold You Up. Passmore’s new graphic nonfiction holds contradiction with care, keeps the humor respectful, and carries history without flattening it.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Kayla E. joins The Truth In This Art to discuss Precious Rubbish.

Kayla E. (award-winning artist, Creative Director at Fantagraphics, 2023–2024 Princeton Hotter Fellow) joins Rob Lee to discuss her debut full-length graphic memoir, Precious Rubbish.

An award-winning artist whose practice spans comics and fine art—textiles, sculpture, video performance art, painting, and drawing—Kayla E. brings candid, instinct-driven storytelling about life, family, and making work on her own terms.

In this episode, Kayla E. shares the story behind Precious Rubbish—why she made it for herself with no plan to publish, how every decision was guided by pure instinct, and how the book’s distinctive color palette was lifted from vintage “Komic Kards.”

The conversation also digs into audience and context: setting aside what’s proper, traditional, or would sell; focusing on truth over convention; and connecting the memoir to a broader art practice across mediums. It’s about how comics and fine art can hold difficult life stories while inviting readers to look closer.

Topics Covered:

• Making a memoir with no intent to publish—letting instinct lead form and content
• Lifting the color palette of Precious Rubbish from vintage comic cards
• Collecting ephemera and old stuff as an aesthetic engine
• Balancing honesty and care when depicting a terrifying family history
• From comics to fine art: textile, sculpture, video performance art, painting, drawing

Make the conversation count: read Precious Rubbish—grab it from your library, Amazon, or thriftbooks.com. Kayla E.'s graphic memoir stays true to lived experience, trusts instinct, and turns memory into art without sanding off its edges.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble