Hi, I'm David.

My goal as an author illustrator is to use artwork to teach kids about the world they live in. I also want my work to appeal to kids with dyslexia, who can learn to read with the visual cues that graphic novels provide. And, in the end, I hope that children have as much fun reading my comics as I had creating them.

My first non-fiction graphic novel, Pizza, Pickles, and Apple Pie, was released in October 2023. With that release I have had plenty of opportunities to visit schools, bookstores, and festivals, and have met lots of cool kids and adults in the Midwest.

I grew up in Columbus, Ohio surrounded by stacks of MAD Magazines, Calvin and Hobbes collections, and Walt Disney comics. I spent most of my free time learning about sable hair brushes and Bristol board so I could pursue a career drawing a comic strip in the style of Sergio Aragonés or Bill Watterson.

However, that didn’t happen. I went to The Ohio State University instead. But I never gave up on the dream: following in the footsteps of Jeff Smith (whose “Thorn” was a comic strip I admired), I drew a daily strip in The Lantern for most of my college years. After receiving a teaching degree and spending a few years in the classroom, the itch to create comics resurfaced. I headed back to the drawing board (literally) to create educational comics, selling them on the TeachersPayTeachers marketplace. Teachers around the world have enthusiastically embraced my comics as an effective way to approach difficult language arts concepts, especially to reluctant readers and English language learners.

 Q&A With the author

Q: How long have you been making comics? 

A: About as long as I can remember! My parents supplied me with a lot of paper when I was growing up, and I loved copying characters from Bugs Bunny and Yogi Bear comic books. Later on I loved an artist called Sergio Aragones and tried to draw like him. Eventually in college I had a daily comic strip in the student newspaper, and after college I started creating comics for teachers and students to use in the classroom. But I always wanted to create a graphic novel for children, so I did!

Q: What else do you like to do? 

A: I like to read novels and non-fiction and keep up with the news. I also play guitar and like to work out and do yoga. I have two children involved in sports, so my wife and I are busy seeing them do their thing. I also like seeing live music. And I built a fence over the summer, so I was proud of that. 

Q: What’s your favorite food?

A: Pretzels! I have liked them my whole life.

Q: What’s your least favorite food? 

A: I’m up for just about anything, but I don’t really care for lobster. (Tip: if you don’t like a food that everyone else likes, tell them you’re allergic and no one will give you a hard time. This does not work with your mom and dad).

Q: Where do you live?

A: I live in a small town called Grandview Heights, which is right outside downtown Columbus, Ohio. Fun facts about where I live: I can walk to four ice cream shops, three libraries, and five bookstores (although some of them would take a little while to get there).

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: Yes. I have two golden retrievers, Bennet and Pemberley, named after the book Pride and Prejudice.