Bobby Joseph and Abbigayle Bircham on My Dad Fights Demons!

We recently marked the North American release of My Dad Fights Demons!, the physics-defying and dimension-hopping new graphic novel by Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph and breakout artist Abbigayle Bircham.

We couldn't let that go uncelebrated, so here's an exclusive Q&A with the dynamic duo themselves!

Bobby Joseph is an acclaimed South London comic creator, whose early work includes the creation of cult comic classic Skank magazine, in which his best-known strip, “Scotland Yardie”, originated. He has written for The Guardian, Dazed and Confused, and Vice. A long-standing advocate for diversity and representation in comic books, his graphic novel, Scotland Yardie (Knockabout Comics, 2017), was the first diverse graphic novel to be studied as a module on an English Literature MA course. He is the fifth UK Comics Laureate, and the first comic book creator of Indian origin to be appointed to the role.

Abbigayle Bircham is a Norwich-based comic artist with a penchant for the weird and wonderful, who is probably scribbling away in her favourite tea shop at this moment. A LICAF [Lakes International Comic Art Festival] Breakthrough Initiative participant, she has published work with Soaring Penguin Press and the Rat Pack Collective, dreams of having her own cartoon show one day, and first met Bobby Joseph when taking his Writing Comics short course.

SelfMadeHero: The creation of My Dad Fights Demons!, as with many books, is a story in itself. The UK’s Comics Laureate and an up-and-coming graduate of the LICAF Breakthrough Initiative – how did the two of you come to devise this specific book, and why specifically something for younger readers?

Bobby Joseph: I had this really weird idea of writing about a wizarding superhero type character, but who also happens to be a weekend dad to a stroppy teenager. What conflicts could they have? Could they resolve their differences? I then convinced Abbie to come along for the ride, by promising her a world of biscuits and copious amounts of tea for interpreting this vision. She did. Our collaboration produced something quite magical. That said, I have not followed through on my promises of biscuits and tea. Hopefully, she will skim this part of the interview…

Abbigayle Bircham: Man, I wish I could read.

Anyway, Bobby was the mastermind behind MDFD really. He approached me back at the start of 2024 and asked if I'd be up for producing the first six pages of a graphic novel pitch he'd been coming up with, selling it to me as Rick and Morty with magic instead of science and describing Mantrikz as "Snoop Dogg crossed with Doctor Strange". From the get go, it was clear this was going to be weird and wonderful to create and he was adamant that my artwork was the best fit for this story he'd been coming up with.

SMH: It’s clear that middle-grade and Young Adult graphic novels have become increasingly prominent in recent years. When creating My Dad Fights Demons!, was it helpful to look at existing titles occupying similar spaces? Did you find anything unsaid that you thought needed saying, or unrepresented that needed representing?

Bobby: I have always pushed diversity and representation in comics since day dot.  When creating this work, I didn’t really look at anything, as I was coming off a good few years as a Secondary school teacher. During that time, I was a mentor to quite a few pupils. Their experiences helped shape the book. We have South Asian representation, and African-Caribbean representation, as well non-binary representation. I didn’t want to make characters as statements. These characters are not that. The story is the statement. The characters are people that are out there, recognisable in every city in the UK, but obviously, without all the magic, mayhem and rude goblins.

Abbigayle: Hard agree with Bobby here: I think the biggest inspiration for the book and its characters was reality. Speaking in terms of the artwork, I got some of the comments I usually get ("Wow this looks like [insert popular 2010s fantasy cartoon here]!”), but something new I noticed was how people responded to some of the characters, saying how they felt so much larger than life. Funnily enough, the characters were created with heavy influence from real life figures and the things they've been up to, and there's no prize for guessing who the inspirations are. We live in a world of characters, really – I just put them on the page!

SMH: For all its zany and unreal moments, My Dad Fights Demons! is obviously a socially-minded book, including many pressing themes from estranged parents to teen vaping. What were the challenges involved in presenting those ideas – visually and textually – in a way that balances fun and feeling?

Bobby: When writing a satire, there are two problems, the first being the risk of someone else doing it first. The second is when the satire is no longer relevant or impactful, because society has moved on. Satire moves on very quickly and you have to strike while the iron is hot. Then there is the production of graphic novels, of creating a piece. A graphic novel needs to be written, drawn and edited. That takes time. Then there is the whole thing of adhering to a distributor’s schedule, which roughly takes 8-10 months of notice. And the printing of the book takes more time as well. By the time all this is done, society could have gone in a different direction and your satirical book could be dead in the water. So, as a writer, I had to have the foresight to see what was still going to be relevant when the book was eventually printed up. And one of the things that teenagers (not all, but some) tend to do is vape. So that felt right to satirise, especially with the government ban on disposable vapes.

Abbigayle: If you strip back the absolute absurdity of the Partay Puffaz, it boils down to a very real problem of substance abuse in teens and the harmful way vaping was marketed without restrictions before the ban. Sure, under 18s couldn't buy vapes, but come on - did that really ever stop kids from smoking actual cigarettes either? Anyway, I think there's a certain irony in how vapes were coming in bright candy flavours that are very marketable to teenagers and how this book now comments on that with bright vibrant colours and a cartoon smile to keep the story light and fun for that particular appeal.

SMH: Similarly, but in terms of craft and technique, were there any challenges when it came to (for Bobby) devising and describing the book’s more surreal moments and then (for Abbigayle) translating those into illustrations?

Bobby: The only challenge I had was trying to create gags to make myself laugh, as I am a notoriously tough taskmaster when it comes to my writing. As a writer, I want it to be at its best at any given moment. Luckily, I can read My Dad Fights Demons! and find parts that still make me laugh. I don’t tend to read my work after it is printed, so this is a new experience!

Abbigayle: Bobby's scripts are a joy to work with, which is great for me. Once, in his I took on writing graphic novels (which is how we met!), he showed me the dreaded first page of the Watchmen script. I think if he'd given me something like that I might've cried. But no, he made the script easy to read and left me a good amount of space to explore how to present the narrative beat of each panel. I'd always read a page or two ahead, then thumbnail knowing where things were leading. That way, I could get all my references in the right place and all the continuity in the gags would work across every page.

SMH: With your respective creative histories, how did your respective processes have to change for the making of My Dad Fights Demons!?

Bobby: In all honesty, this was my easiest collaboration. I have worked with artists in the past where the collaboration didn’t click. However, with Abbie we worked really well together. We trusted each other. We trusted each other’s processes. I have nothing but positive praise for her. This mutual trust helped us build this universe. Abbie deserves her flowers.

Abbigayle: Alright, this was my first big BIG graphic novel. I'd never done anything over 30ish pages with the timeframe for that being roughly a year, so 100 pages in 7 months was a jump in difficulty. So, you'd think it'd be responsible to schedule a certain number of pages per week leading right up to the deadline, to really stay on top of everything and keep production running smoothly. I like working loosely with as little pressure as possible so I don’t rush things and can finish a project within a comfortable amount of time.

Because of two errors – a technical mishap that lost me one month, and my brain replacing "1st" with "31st" – I had two less months to complete MDFD than I initially thought. I ended up spending the last couple of months knuckling down 24/7. This was my time to learn what happens if I don't manage my time well. NEVER AGAIN! LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES, ASPIRING ARTISTS! USE A CALENDAR!!!

SMH: What are the main things you have learned from putting this book out into the world?

Bobby: That if you trust your process, it will work out in the end. Also, if you work with someone who is amazing, then the work becomes amazing and a lot of fun. That said, Abbie might have a different perspective as she did have under six months to draw the book!

Abbigayle: That I can actually do it! Now that I've proven it, I can do it again. Same as Bobby though, I've been so very fortunate to work with him on this. We make a great team that makes great comics, turns out!

SMH: What are you hoping people will take from My Dad Fights Demons!?

Bobby: That it is a fun little read. It is a magical realism story with social commentary. It is an urban comedy with streetwise sorcerers, ghetto goblins and privileged social influencers. It is about families and how we accept them, regardless of how we see them, or how they treat us. There is more to this book than meets the eye. Not everything is all that it seems. A throwaway line, a gag in the background will show you something else in the book. So, have fun! Explore!

Abbigayle: I only want two things: I want people to have a laugh with it, and I want everyone to know that everything involving feet and foot-related incidents in this story was 100% Bobby's idea. I just drew what was in the script. Do NOT let him lie and tell you otherwise. I will not be silenced with any amount of tea and/or biscuits… But I am open to offers.

Thank you for reading! My Dad Fights Demons! is out now in both the UK and North America!
- The SelfMadeHero Team