Juniper Kim

“Mirrors and Stones” 

Juniper Kim is a cartoonist, writer, and printmaker from Korea and Southern California. A graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies, they have published art and writing in The Comics Journal, Catapult, Black Warrior Review, and more. In 2022, their self-published comic Koreans Sing in English was nominated for an Ignatz Award in the “Promising New Talent” category, and also won a MICE Mini-Grant. They will be in Seoul, Korea working on a graphic novel project in 2024. You can find their work at twostringjuniper.com and on Instagram @twostringjuniper.

Scott Adiconis: When did you realize you wanted to create graphic narratives, and can you tell us what ignited that creative spark?

Juniper Kim: I started to read zines and independent comics when I was studying abroad in London in 2018. Gosh Comics and Orbital Comics are still two of the best indie comic bookstores I've ever been to — so many zines, so many great small-press comics, and great vibes. I spent a lot of time introducing myself to the world of DIY comics. It was fascinating to me that you could create a full story and world just with pen, paper, and a copy machine.

SA: Can you walk us through your creative process when crafting graphic narratives? Do you typically follow a structured outline and plot, or is your approach more organic and fluid? What do you feel makes this a graphic narrative instead of a comic?

JK: It depends on each individual work. For more traditional stories (i.e., there's a main character and some kind of plotline), I'll usually do a script, then thumbnails, then pencils, then inks, then scanning/coloring/Photoshop, etc. For other zines/comics, I take preexisting bits of writing and drawing and collage it together. Or I'll occasionally just sit down and write down ideas and draw around them and work from there. I try not to get stuck by using different approaches.

SA: Are there specific artists whose work you deeply admire and find influential? If so, could you tell us about them and how they inspire your creative journey?

JK: In terms of writing, I'm inspired by writers like Alexander Chee and Jenny Zhang, especially their novels and essays. It's hard to describe all the ways their writing has taught me storytelling, but one thing is that they use both conventional and unconventional structures to tell personal stories, transforming "ordinary" people and experiences into something transcendent. In terms of visual artists and cartoonists, I am inspired by Jillian Tamaki and Liana Finck for similar reasons. Most importantly, I'm constantly inspired by all the strangers, acquaintances, and friends whose work I get to read through independent and small presses.

SA: "Mirrors and Stones" appears to explore the societal pressures people face to conform to gain acceptance. Could you elaborate on your beliefs and intentions surrounding this theme in your work?'

JK: I think it's less about acceptance from society and more about self-image and subjectivity. I find it difficult to maintain a stable sense of self. I wear a lot of masks depending on who I'm with or what context I'm in. Sometimes I get tripped out thinking about the fact that I am simultaneously 100 different versions of myself, as seen by 100 different people. So it was just a meditation on that idea, and maybe expressing a hope that despite all outside forces, I have an essence and am ultimately in control of how I view myself.

SA: Do you often see elements of yourself as the main character within your comics, even if indirectly? How does your perspective shape your storytelling?

JK: Often, yes. Sometimes I worry it's narcissistic or short-sighted, the whole "write what you know" thing, but I started to accept it as something more complicated than that. I think I could describe my approach to art-making as dealing with the insanity of our world by organizing it into a story. When I ask myself, "What experience can I make sense of that others might appreciate hearing about?," my instinct is to write about things that I've experienced deeply.