On February 20 2025, I hadan opportunity to interview Kelly Fernández, a Dominican-American creator from Queens, New York.  Fernández specializes in bold, playful hand-drawn graphics and typography, and her debut graphic novel, MANU, was published by Scholastic Graphix in November 2021. Since then, the book has received 4 starred reviews, was a Washington Post Best Children’s Book of the Year and won a silver medal for Best Graphic Novel from the International Latino Book Awards. Her work has been featured in numerous comic anthologies including Dates, Mine!, and Tales from la Vida. In 2017, she received the Cupcake Award from the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE). Read along to discover Kelly Fernández’s journey to graphic novel creation, her inspiration, and her advice for aspiring artists.

Kelly Fernández: Hi, how are you?

Riya Rao: Thank you so much for talking with me; it’s great to meet you. I loved your book MANU  so I especially appreciate the opportunity to interview you today. How are you doing?

Kelly Fernández: I'm good. Thanks for reaching out and asking me to do this.

Riya Rao: I’m excited to talk with you today and learn more about your journey. To start, what first sparked your love for comics, and when did you decide to pursue creating graphic novels as a career?

Kelly Fernández: I think what first inspired me was cartoons on TV. I was really into animated movies. When I was a kid, I actually wanted to be an animator. I imagined working at Disney or Pixar—I loved Toy Story. That was the first animated movie I remember being obsessed with. From there, I got into Sailor Moon and was a big Powerpuff Girls fan. That got me into drawing.

I also read newspaper comics as a kid, and that was my first introduction to comics. I remember thinking, “Oh, I’m really good at drawing, I like reading these comics, but I wish there were comics that were more serious.” I liked how cartoons could balance comedy and intensity. Graphic novels became the perfect middle ground for that. I didn’t even know what graphic novels were until sixth grade when I read Bone

 by Jeff Smith. It’s a fantasy adventure, and I thought, "This is exactly what I mean." It had that balance between funny and serious storytelling.

Riya Rao: That’s such an intriguing journey, with your love of animation evolving into a passion for comics. Speaking of storytelling, how did you develop your artistic voice and style? What influences shaped that?

Kelly Fernández: I would say the media I was drawn to shaped and influenced my style in essential ways. I was really into anime and, as I mentioned, Disney movies. I think my most significant influence when I decided, “Okay, I really want to do comics, I really want to do graphic novels,” was Osamu Tezuka.

In high school, I went to an art high school—LaGuardia in the city—so I was in a position where I grew up being the artsy kid, but suddenly I was surrounded by entire classes of artsy kids. A lot of people could draw more realistically than me, and I felt like I was stuck drawing cute cartoons. But Tezuka’s work, especially his darker stories for teens and adults, made me realize I wasn’t confined to just drawing goofy, cute characters. I could still use my style to explore complicated themes and put my characters in intense situations. That realization was really empowering, and it still carries me through as an artist. I know I'm not limited—there are so many possibilities to explore.

Riya Rao: That makes a lot of sense—being in a competitive art environment must have shaped how you saw your work. On that note, were there any significant challenges when you created MANU, whether in writing it or getting it published, that helped you grow?

Kelly Fernández: I think the biggest challenge for me was just believing that I could do it. I submitted MANU to the contest for Scholastic when I was just making mini-comics. The longest comic I had written was 24 pages, and I struggled so much to get through those. When I wrote the first chapter of MANU, I initially thought about releasing it as a mini-comic every so often.

But suddenly, I had this expectation: “Okay, you have to write a whole book within this time frame.” That was terrifying. It haunted me throughout the process. I kept thinking, “This is my first book. I have to get everything right.” There’s definitely an expectation to meet deadlines, but I had to learn to communicate and be open with my editor. If you need more time with something, just let them know. Graphic novels take a really long time to make, so it’s important to show yourself grace, know your limitations, and be honest with everyone involved. That was the biggest lesson I had to learn. I wanted so badly to hit every expectation, but life doesn’t always work out that way.

Riya Rao: That’s such a valuable lesson, especially for artists who put pressure on themselves to get everything perfect. Your stories often explore identity and self-acceptance—how do you think fantasy stories, like the ones you write, can still carry powerful messages about those themes?

Kelly Fernández: Even though it’s fantasy, I feel like, for me, I’ve also written more autobiographical comics where I’m writing as myself. That has its own challenges. I’ve considered writing realistic fiction, and people have asked me, “Are you just going to write fantasy? Is that your thing?”

I really like fantasy because, even though it’s made up and things don’t happen the way they do in real life, it’s a way to explore complicated emotions. It’s like watching a horror movie—where you think, “Oh my god, what would I do in this situation?” You know it’s never (hopefully, knock on wood) going to happen to you, but it lets you process scary feelings in a safe way.

That’s what I hope people get from my work. Even if it's not happening to them, they can still relate. And when they do face something similar in real life, they’re better prepared. Seeing characters make it through tough situations can be reassuring.

Riya Rao: That’s a great way to look at it. Fantasy can feel so personal even when it’s fictional. For young artists or writers who want to use comics to tell their own personal stories, what advice would you give them?

Kelly Fernández: For me, showing other people my first drafts of MANU really helped. When I first wrote MANU, I showed a good friend, and his feedback was, “I’ve seen this before.” Originally, the witches were more like stereotypical Halloween-style witches, and he challenged me to dig deeper and make them more unique.

That criticism really strengthened the story. I was able to inject parts of my own upbringing—going to Catholic school, listening to Dominican superstitions and ghost stories from my family. I’m so grateful for that feedback because it pushed me to create something unique and true to who I am.

So my advice to anyone making comics is: Don’t be afraid of criticism. Obviously, some people will try to tear you down, but seek out those who genuinely want to help you improve. Listen to them, internalize what they say. You don’t have to follow every piece of advice blindly, but being open to critique helps you grow.

I’ve seen people struggle with taking criticism, and it holds them back. I feel bad because sometimes the advice is really good, and I wish they would take it—it would help them so much. Even now, I’m working on my second book, and it’s been a long process. There are still things I need to work out. It’s frustrating to hear, “This isn’t there yet, go back and rework it,” but after the initial sting, you realize it’s all part of the growth process. My advice? Don’t be afraid to get notes.

Riya Rao: That’s such an important takeaway, especially for young creatives. Before we wrap up, I wanted to ask—are there any upcoming projects or dream stories you’d love to create? What are your future plans?

Kelly Fernández: I’m working on a YA book right now, and it’s a lot longer than MANU. I’ve immersed myself in Latino folklore and fairy tales and I’m mashing them together to create this graphic novel. It’s about a prince who falls in love with a hunter. The prince is very polite and dainty, and the hunter says, “We’re going to face the danger head-on.”

I’m also considering returning to middle-grade books or continuing on this path of YA. I’m slowly chipping away at a possible sequel to MANU, but it’s been a struggle. I need to let it marinate. Everyone asks if I’m writing a second book, and I want to—it’s just not there yet.

Riya Rao: All of those plans sound amazing, and I will be keeping an eye for your new work. I can’t wait to see what you create next. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me and share your inspiration—this is great advice for me as well as my readers and artists out there; I learned a lot from this conversation.

Kelly Fernández: Thank you! And thanks again for reaching out and having me.

‍