With the release of the upcoming graphic novel Absolutely Everything from Graphic Universe on September 9th, we are delighted to be joined by writer and artist Damian Alexander. Damian is known for his graphic novel Other Boys.
Hi Damian, it’s so great to have you here with us.
Thank you so much for having me here at ComicBuzz for this interview!
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Damian Alexander, and I’m a comic artist & writer from New England. My first book was a graphic memoir called, Other Boys, published by First Second in 2021. My latest graphic novel, Absolutely Everything comes out September 9, 2025, with Graphic Universe. I also go by DamiAnimated on most social media where I post mini comics.
Can you tell us about the origins of Absolutely Everything?
Absolutely Everything is a story I’ve been working on for many years. Though, I believe I first started drafting this version of Marcella’s story as a graphic novel while I was at Simmons University’s Writing for Children program. I wrote, shelved, rewrote, and restructured Marcella’s story at least five times.
Who is Marcella?
Marcella is a twelve-year-old living in a Boston suburb who recently started sixth grade and is feeling overwhelmed by… well, absolutely everything. She doesn’t know that she has ADHD just yet, so school, family and friends are all getting jumbled up in her head and stressing her out.
You created all of the art for Absolutely Everything. What part of that process did you enjoy the most?
Yes, I created all of the artwork for Absolutely Everything, from sketches to line work and coloring. My favorite part of the process is the end stages of coloring everything in. That’s when I allow myself to add more details in, like patterns and designs on shirts or details to pictures in the background. I leave them until the very end because they’re not important to the story but add a lot of visual interest.
How did Graphic Universe get involved with Absolutely Everything?
My agent Elizabeth Bennett pitched the story to Greg Hunter at Graphic Universe, who liked it enough to move forward with it. I’m so thankful that everything worked out because it had been turned down so many times and I’ve been wanting to tell this story for so long.
What has it been like working with Graphic Universe?
It’s been really great working with Graphic Universe and being given a platform to finally tell this story. They gave me a lot of creative freedom, while also giving me feedback and helping fine tune the narrative and artwork. I’m honored to be working with their team.
What can you tell us about Jen, Nigel and Jonah?
Jen, Nigel and Jonah are Marcella’s friends who live in the same apartment building as her. Jen has been by Marcella’s side the longest and is her childhood best friend. Though, through Absolutely Everything we see that over the years the two have become interested in different things. Jen begins spending more time with her friends from ballet class, while Marcella hangs with Nigel and Jonah who still enjoy the same shows and comics as her.
How much of your own real-life experiences are seen in the pages of Absolutely Everything?
A lot of the story is pulled from my own middle school experiences. I was very much like Marcella, struggling with ADHD and fluctuating grades as I adapted to this awkward transient stage of life. I also had a falling out with my close friends as they made other friends that they seemed to get along better with.
How long have you been working on Absolutely Everything?
I’ve been working on this version of Absolutely Everything for about four years. Though, I’ve always had these characters in my head and have created many versions of Marcella’s story since I was in sixth grade myself. This version officially came about after I was finally diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
Has creating Absolutely Everything been a challenging journey?
I wouldn’t say the story itself was too challenging to work on, but life can get in the way. As someone with ADHD it can be incredibly difficult to keep myself focused on a long comic project, especially since I had to move about six times while working on this book. However, all this moving did lend itself to this story in the plot of Marcella’s parents moving apartments. I was feeling upended and thought it would add to her story as well.
How would you describe Absolutely Everything?
Absolutely Everything is really about coming to terms with being neurodivergent. While it’s also about growing up, growing apart from friends, moving and schoolwork it’s really about the internal struggle Marcella is having while all of this happens around her. Absolutely Everything is about that unsettling feeling that comes with the newness of starting a new school mixed with an unsettled feeling in your own brain.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
If you have a story that you feel strongly about telling, it’s always worth pursuing. Even if it means setting it aside or shelving it and coming back to it years later. Absolutely Everything was a project I wasn’t sure anybody would want but I kept coming back to it and look at it now, it’s a real book!
We would like to say a big thank you to Damian for chatting with us and wish him the best of luck for the release of Absolutely Everything.
