The following is an interview with co-creators Jimmy Gaspero and Amber Akin regarding the upcoming release of their all-ages graphic novel, Penny and the Yeti, with Papercutz. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Gaspero and Akin about their shared creative process in bringing the world and characters to life on the page, the themes that they hope may resonate with young readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Penny and the Yeti! For those unfamiliar, what can you share with us about the story’s premise?
Jimmy Gaspero: Thank you! Amber and I (and everyone at Papercutz) have been working on this story for the past 2 years and I’m excited for it to be out there in the world. The story is about a family of four. Fenton and Maxine are the parents and their two daughters Peri and Penny. Fenton and Max argue…a lot, which upsets Penny. Peri, as the older sister, is used to it and probably a bit checked out, although it’s clear Peri does care about her younger sister, as shown by Peri giving Penny a drawing of a Yeti that Penny liked. Peri is obsessed with cryptids and Penny is obsessed with anything her older sister does. One day, during a particularly loud argument between Fenton and Max, when Peri isn’t home, and Penny is alone in her room, the Yeti literally walks right out of the drawing and into Penny’s life.
BD: Amber, when tackling Penny and the Yeti, was there anything that guided or propelled your approach to the style and character design for the artwork?
Amber Akin: There was! I feel that it might be clear from most of my work, but I love drawing all things adorable. From the get-go, I knew that my main goal for Yeti’s design in particular was to draw a recognizable, unique, and friend-shaped cryptid. At no point in the story did Jimmy and I want Yeti to come off as scary or threatening so even though he is tall, horned, and clawed he is also fluffy, friendly, and almost cat-like with his big paw pads and emotive, rounded horns. The same visual language in Yeti’s design carried over to the rest of the book’s look: colorful, playful, and nostalgic. Some of my cartooning influences that especially found their way into the look of Penny and the Yeti include greats like Charles Schulz (Peanuts) and Hergé (The Adventures of Tintin).
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in bringing the world and characters to life on the page?
JG: It was truly one of the easiest and most rewarding collaborative experiences for me. Amber took the sparse details I had on the page about the character designs and breathed life into everyone. If there was a part of the script I was stuck on, we’d go back and forth in emails or a Zoom call and discuss it, but seeing completed pages come back I was often awestruck at how beautifully Amber would compose the panels.
AA: Everything came very naturally! Jimmy’s scripts gave me a perfect balance of direction and creative freedom that made it both easier to visualize what a page would look like finished, and exciting for me as the illustrator to fill in the details. Making comics is very collaborative by nature, and it’s always incredibly rewarding to feel like you as the illustrator have successfully adapted the writer’s work. I couldn’t have done it without Jimmy’s positive feedback, and fantastic direction!
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 Penny’s story will connect with and impact today’s readers?
JG: I’ve seen stories in which kids are dealing with the aftermath of their parents’ divorce, but Amber and I wanted to show a family that wasn’t at that point, and maybe wouldn’t be, but are clearly in crisis. My wife and I are parents of two daughters and sometimes we argue with each other and often forget or overlook how upsetting that can be to our kids or, unfortunately, overlook the impact it can have on them. So, that was the seed of what we wanted Penny and the Yeti to be about. How does a kid navigate that environment? What better way then to give that kid a Yeti friend who is kind and just wants to help (sometimes to funny, unhelpful ends). If anything, I hope readers, or even one reader, takes from Penny and the Yeti the kindness and empathy that Penny and Yeti show towards each other.
AA: One way I tend to think about children’s books is as being mirrors and windows. For some children, Penny and the Yeti might be a mirror. Perhaps they find themselves relating to Penny or Peri, seeing their own experiences with family issues reflected back at them in a book that makes them feel validated, and gives them the space to explore these feelings in a neutral, safe way. For others, Penny and the Yeti might be a window. Perhaps they relate more to Harper and have a friend or classmate like Penny, and now have a more varied, sympathetic understanding of other children’s home lives. Either way, I think the book will encourage readers to engage with empathy, kindness, and connection while feeling comforted by Penny and Yeti’s friendship along the way.
BD: What makes Papercutz the perfect publishing partner for this story?
JG: Papercutz has been an absolute dream to work with. Both editors on the book, Stephanie Brooks and Teddy Leo, have been fantastic and really helped get the story to where it needed to be. In fact, everyone we’ve had to interact with from the very beginning of the process to the marketing meeting have been positive and supportive. I also love the other books that Papercutz is publishing. Adam Wallenta, one of the other editors, has spearheaded a new Secret S.T.E.A.M. Society series which looks great.
AA: Papercutz had been on my radar for a while! I knew a couple people who had worked with them before, and when Jimmy told me that he was going to pitch Penny and the Yeti to them I was thrilled. Penny and the Yeti sits among some other fantastic titles for children, Jackson’s Wilder Adventures by Sarah Davidson and The Witches of Pepperwood Bay by Lisa Manuzak Wiley come to mind. These are stories that heavily feature friendship, with a magical and playful flair, which is great company for Penny and the Yeti. It has been a great experience working with the good folks at Papercutz!
BD: If given the opportunity, would you like to further explore and expand the world of Penny and the Yeti?
JG: Absolutely. We have some ideas for another book.
AA: Without a doubt! Drawing yetis is far too much fun.
BD: Are there any projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
JG: In April, I crowdfunded an anthology of short comics I wrote and created with several different artists called Made in Delco. Artist Joe Covas and I have a story in the Cthulhu Invades Fairy Tales 2. I also was recently one of the winners of the Summit Comics Talent Search and wrote a 2-page story featuring one of the villains that is being drawn by Pete Collins. I’m excited about that. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/summitcomics/pinnacle-1)
AA: I have some (secret, for now) graphic novel projects in development, and if you’re a fan of fairies, magic, adventure, and silliness, you may want to stay tuned!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Penny and the Yeti and your other work?
JG: Readers can order it from the Papercutz website or wherever they buy their graphic novels. The Final Order Cutoff date is 3/30/26, so you can tell your Local Comic Shop that you want a copy. They can also follow me on Bluesky because I post about it quite a bit!
AA: If you’d like to receive a personalized, signed-by-me copy of Penny and the Yeti, consider ordering your copy from my friends at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art! Available in paperback and hardcover. If you’d like to keep up with me and my work on Penny and the Yeti and beyond, the best places to find me are instagram, bluesky, or my website.
