Say Hello to Leslie Stein

In the world of geekdom, music and comic books might possibly sit side by side on the highest thrones. "Comic Book Guy" from The Simpsons or Jack Black's record-store-Nazi character Barry in the film High Fidelity certainly fit as honest parodies to these cultures.
The images of crate nerds, digging through countless boxes of Tijuana Brass and Barbara Streisand albums to find a single piece of gold, and the zit-faced minions discussing the influence of Alan Moore-derived story lines on The Dark Knight stand out when conversing about these somewhat similar cultures.

Enter Leslie Stein. The 26-year old Brooklynite (by way of Chicago), has just published the third installment of her comic series Eye of the Majestic Creature; she also spends her time playing guitar in the band Prince Ruperts Drops. Leslie is neither the character from The Simpsons or High Fidelity. She is instead part of a new generation of artistic multi-taskers that spend their time with pens and instruments in hand.


In her latest self-published offering, Leslie (through her comic alter-ego "Larrybear") lays bear (no pun intended) certain moments and points in her own life, drawn up in a clean comic style. In this issue, Larrybear goes home to the suburbs of Chicago, and spends time looking at people and places in her life that seem to have become a world away through both distance and time.

At some times absurd and funny, at other moments achingly honest, Stein has an uncanny ability to pull you into a world that is entirely her own, but seems strangely familiar.
While using talking guitars and glass-eyed characters to take you on a trip through her hometown of Evanston, Il. might not seem like a trek through somebody's idea of reality, a close inspection brings you face to face with the fact that Stein is possibly one of the finest, and mature storytellers of any artistic medium today.

Leslie and I sat down at East River Bar in Williamsburg, and had ourselves a conversation.

Hex. Ed. Journal: I guess it need's to be asked for documentation purposes, do you consider yourself a "graphic artist" or a "comic book artist?"

Leslie: Comic Book artist, because I draw comic books.
I don't really understand why people are hell-bent on the diference between the two because they are basicly doing the same thing. Telling stories with words and pictures. I think "graphic novel" just sounds a lot fancier.
To me, I love the idea of doing a serialized comic. They are dying out, and people arent making money off them, so soon they will stop publishing them.

Hex Ed. Journal: It seems that all the comics in the newspapers now are like "Classic Peanuts" or "Classic Beetle Bailey."

Leslie: For me, I put stuff in newsprint so it can be more accessable to more people and cheaper, but it still has all the hard work put into it.


Hex Ed. Journal: How did you first get into drawing comic books?

Leslie: I really loved the cartoons in the paper.

Hex Ed. Journal: Which ones?

Leslie: I really liked Foxtrot, the clean line styles of it. Then I started into superhero comic books when I was 12 years old. X-Men and Spiderman. I started to trace them. I really liked tracing Rogue.
Then when I was 16 I was introduced to underground comics. I realized there were comics talking about music and politics, and I liked them.

Hex Ed. Journal: Did you start getting into comics after music?

Leslie: Yeah, but I am more into my comics than I am my own music, I just think music effects me more.

Hex Ed.Journal: It definetly shows in your style.

Leslie: Well music forms your idenity. So if you are putting yourself out there in comics ,it will show what you like.

Hex Ed. Journal: It's been there is a lot of truth in fiction. Are your comics auto-biographical?

Leslie: It's pretty transparent that Larrybear is a stand-in for me. It's fantsay and it's autobiographical.

Hex Ed. Journal: Just to clear it up, the talking guitar is NOT auto-biographical?

Leslie: (laughing) Yeah.

Hex Ed. Journal: Do you feel comfrotable with putting yourself out there?

Leslie: I can't show my parents this issue. It's got my mom, dad and my step-mom.
I really don't want to censor my comics, but it's hard when you are bringing other peoples personalities into it. So if I don't want to piss somebody off, I just don't show them what I'm doing.

Hex Ed. Journal: Do you just sit down and know what you want to draw when you start a new comic?

Leslie: I have the idea in my head, then i just kinda go on and work with that. I have the next 12 issues written in my head.

Hex Ed. Journal: How long will it take you to draw them all?

Leslie: 12 years! By then I'll have another 36 issues in my head. My friends are all surprised how fastthese come out, but I wanna get all these ideas out before I'm dead!


All of Leslie's comics and other various creations can be purchased at her store.