Penny and the Yeti Interview with Jimmy Gaspero

By now, I have done over a hundred interviews but every one is still special to me. But ones like this are why I do what I do. I met Jimmy Gaspero through talking and writing comics online. Jimmy's unique critical view was one that I fell in love with the first time I read it. Since then, I have had Jimmy as a writer on my site for awhile and now he's helping lead the charge over at Comic Book Yeti. There is a level of love and heart he brings to everything he does from his own work to being a dad to being just a pillar of the comics community. Not only that, but Jimmy's wife is photographing my wedding; Jimmy is a brother to me. I have had the pleasure of watching him start his comics career and grow into a published author of this status. His anthology Made in Delco is a love letter to the area we both hold close to our hearts. Jimmy is a writer who you want to keep an eye on because his future is so bright. That is why I was so excited to get the chance to read his first full published graphic novel Penny and the Yeti from Papercutz (A Mad Cave Imprint). Penny and the Yeti is written by Jimmy, art by Amber Akin, and letters by Buddy Beaudoin. In our conversation, we discussed the novel and how it handles adult themes in a way that helps children navigate them on their own. Penny and the Yeti is a beautiful story of family, friendship, and the struggles of working through unpleasant feelings. I highly suggest it to any parent or child who is looking for a wonderful journey with a cryptid. YETI OR NOT, HERE WE COME! Penny and Yeti are pretty typical best friends: they go to school together, play together, and have fun adventures. The twist? Yeti's a living breathing myth! Before Yeti, Penny had a super normal life with her big sister Peri and their parents, Fenton and Maxine. Penny thinks life is pretty great, especially when Peri draws and colors with her—Peri draws the best monsters called "cryptids!" The only real problem is that Penny's parents argue… a LOT. Penny wishes her parents would stop, but what can she do? That's when Yeti shows up, right out of one of Peri's drawings and smack into Penny's life! With Yeti's help, Penny comes up with a plan to get her parents to stop fighting. Penny, however, soon finds out that her parents may need more help than even a magical Yeti can provide…