The following is an interview with cartoonist Mary Bellamy regarding the upcoming release of Faux Facts: The Truth Can Be Strange at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Bellamy about her creative process of working with the long-running series, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of the eleventh volume of your long-running series, Faux Facts: The Truth Can Be Strange! For those who may be new to the series, what can you share with us about the genesis behind this project, and how would you describe its premise?
Mary Bellamy: Thank you so much! It’s hard to believe I’ve come this far with the series. Originally, this was a series I had been pitching around Hollywood in the late 1990s, and when I wasn’t picked up, it’s fine, it happens, I decided to do short stories for anthology series like Radio Comix’s Mangaphile in the early 2000s.
When Diamond clamped down on its distribution requirements, the anthologies stopped being published. I was left with the option of shopping the story around to publishers or self-publishing it. While I would love a traditional book deal, I didn’t want to wait forever to get my stories out there in a physical book. With the encouragement of a friend in animation and a small corner of her table, I was able to start selling Faux Facts at San Diego Comic-Con. I got my own table the following year and have been there for almost 19 years.
The story is about Rosemary, a tomboy, and her group of lovable oddball friends who notice strange things going on in their hometown: killer starfish, lizard men invading their town, and ’80s cartoon characters come to life! They have no idea that it’s all caused by a former friend who may or may not be manipulated by a chaos entity. The girls have to navigate high school at the same time as dealing with all the strange things no one else seems to notice. But things aren’t perfect in their friendships, personalities clash, characters leave the friend group, and Rosemary finds herself wondering if she will wind up alone. Magic has flooded into their lives, culminating in Rainbow’s Elbie City Concert, and will forever change their experiences with the world around them. These girls have to juggle the insane with the mundane.
BD: Having been with this series for such a long time, what can you tell us about your creative process and experience in bringing the characters’ journeys to a close?
MB: Initially, I thought of continuing volumes of the series so that I could remain at a Comic-Con booth each year. So, as a result, I ended up with eleven volumes of the series rather than doing the entire story in one chunk of time. Each year, I would set aside two to four months to do this.
However, during COVID, I felt an immense creative block. There were no conventions, so there was nowhere to sell my books. I love my girls, but I didn’t have the heart to finish the series. It was always intended to be finished at some point, as the main character would be launched into her own series, but the entire spectacle of the ending I wanted to draw felt too big and too hard to draw, so I procrastinated for a few years. Self-publishing for as long as I have can feel like a pointless endeavor when you see others getting publishing deals. So, I focused on other things like merchandise and animation. I took several months to animate things surrounding my series. Doing something different allowed me to reignite my love for the series. Suddenly, the ideas started flowing, and pages became easier to draw. I averaged one page a day, and before I knew it, I had a double issue and a satisfying end to the concert arc. It’s not over for Rosemary and her friends.
BD: Faux Facts: The Truth Can Be Strange will debut at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Where will readers be able to find you on the convention floor?
MB: I will be at Zorilita Mary Bellamy in Small Press N04 by aisle 1700.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers?
MB: Creating engaging stories for the female audience was my primary goal. When I grew up, many of the stories focused on princesses, makeup, and manners. While there was nothing wrong with stories like those, I didn’t feel it was the best representation of work for girls. I also noticed there were some unrealistic ideals around friendships that last forever. I wanted to put a touch of realism in my work, even though it is a fantasy. I write books for the girls who didn’t feel seen in the Western comics field, and seeing all the girls who run back to my table to get all the books because they are so different is validating.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MB: I have been working on several storyboards and animatics for Faux Facts and a few other series that I’ve been developing. There is also a novelization in progress for Faux Facts. The series will most likely continue in this format. I am also working on compiling the multiple volumes into trades or omnibuses. There will be a few additional stories added in this format as well, so keep your eyes peeled!
Ah Heck!! The Angel Chronicles and its sequel, The Fallen Ones, are a complete series that’s been with me for a long time and serves as an allegory for my life experiences. When Angel suddenly finds herself in Heck, forced into an afterlife of never-ending maid duty, she must dodge evil bunnies, killer teddy bears, and other perils while seeking to find a way to change her fate. But her actions might turn all Heck on its ear, pitting the rulers of the underworld against each other in a cosmic war. But why? What was the reason for Angel’s descent, and can she ever make it home again? If you’d like to buy a copy, you can find it here.
I have also been adding to my Zorilita Mixtape series, which collects all the short stories I’ve done for various Kickstarters, so keep an eye on this one for all the stories that are either out of print or now too expensive. Here is a link to that one.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Faux Facts: The Truth Can Be Strange and your other work?
MB: You can find me on my website, www.marybellamy.com
You can watch a video where I talk about Faux Facts here.
You can read more at www.marybellamy.com/fauxfacts, and you can buy my work at www.zorilita.com.
Social media sites:
Twitter https://x.com/Zorilita
Blusky zorilita.bsky.social
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@Zorilita
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zorilita
Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/zorilita
Deviantart https://www.deviantart.com/marybellamy
