THE CON ARTISTS - MY INTERVIEW WITH LUKE HEALY

On the 2nd of June, 2022, Faber released a 160-page graphic novel written and illustrated by the cartoonist, Luke Healy. The novel's called, 'The Con Artists', and what now follows are a few questions Luke kindly answered in order to tell us about his life and his work. Please enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, cartoonist, comedian, and Pringles-eater.

2) What inspired you to create the graphic novel, 'The Con Artists'?   'The Con Artists' was inspired by events from my own life, and even though it's fictionalized, many of the characters and happenings are largely true. To some extent, this is my attempt to process a big, scary event (my friend getting in a terrible accident), which happened when I first arrived in London and tried to break into the comedy scene.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   'The Con Artists' tells the story of two childhood friends, Frank and Giorgio, who reconnect as adults when Giorgio is hit by a bus. But as they reintegrate into each other's lives, Frank starts to suspect that Giorgio has been lying about himself online for years, and because of this, realizes that he may be getting sucked into a world of lies and scams that he didn't sign on for.

4) What song would you say best represents your graphic novel and why?   To answer this question, I'd like to select a song sung by Fiona Apple, named, 'I Know', as it's about choosing to be there for someone, even though you know they're hurting you.

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Well, if I want to get the most out of the endorsement, I should probably choose the most famous person of all time! Someone like Shakespeare, for instance, or even Jesus, as I reckon they'd move a lot of units.

6) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   Having a good sense of humor is important because it's tough to make money and break into the comic book field. So, being able to laugh is essential, especially when you've got to spend a lot of your time dealing with boring 'poverty' problems.

Priced at £16.99, 'The Con Artists' is a 160-page hardcover graphic novel written and illustrated by Luke Healy and published by Faber (on the 2nd of June, 2022). To find out more, please feel free to check out Luke's Website and Instagram account. Or if you prefer, you can visit Faber via their official Website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

*** Photo of Luke by Dashiell Silva.