The New York Times
Pride, Illustrated: 6 Comics and Graphic Novels to Read This June
“The messages of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” — about social status, love and chasing dreams — are revisited in the present with a racially and sexually diverse set of characters in their 20s. Gatsby is a Black tech millionaire looking for a love who got away, and Lu Zhao, the stand-in for Nick Carraway, is visiting from Singapore and summering on Long Island (where a $5,000-plus afternoon shopping spree highlights the casual wealth). The main characters are refreshingly blasé about their sexuality: Lu’s girlfriend, Alexis, asks, “How do you identify?” But Lu’s answer does not really matter as Alexis says, “I love being on this journey with you. I’m here for you no matter what.” Written by Jeremy Holt, drawn by Felipe Cunha and colored by Dearbhla Kelly.”
Forbes
Great Battling Gatsbys! Two Interpretations Of An American Classic Are Headed To The Bookshelf
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 masterpiece The Great Gatsby, on a lot of people’s short list for the greatest American novel, entered the public domain in 2021 as the clock ticking down on its copyright finally hit zero. Not coincidentally, we are about to see publication of two graphic novel adaptations of the masterwork, showcasing contrasting approaches to interpreting the book for contemporary audiences.
The Advocate
‘Gatsby’ Author Jeremy Holt on Queer Literature & Nonbinary Visibility
Jeremy Holt is reimagining one of the most iconic stories in American culture to better reflect America today.
Holt's Gatsby is a modern rendition of the iconic F Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby, with a queer and racially diverse spin. Holt says that they have a deep appreciation of the source material, despite not discovering it until later in life. They share they were "pleasantly surprised with how relevant it felt even though it's almost 100 years old."
The Stranger
This Week’s Comics: Made in Korea Is the Best Comic Book We’ve Read in the Last Decade
When Made in Korea released its first issue last year, it was the only time I’d ever given a book a rating of six-out-of-five. Now I’m issuing the same rating for a collection of the first few issues.
…a question hangs over Jessie: Who created you? Was it the people responsible for your body? The people you see each day? Was it you yourself? Or was it a collaboration of all those parties, each of us an accidental conglomerated partnership with strangers?
SYFY Wire
Image Comics' 'Made in Korea' Defiantly Breaks the AI Mold
Made in Korea is an intimate adoption story about a robot that is sent across seas to live with a caring couple in the United States in the not-so-distant future.
SYFY WIRE had the opportunity to preview the first four issues of the six-issue miniseries and each chapter is beautifully rendered and takes unexpected turns. We spoke with Holt about Made in Korea, the duality of being Asian and American, finding one’s identity, and being brave by getting past the established formula to form a connection with others.
Comic Book Resources
Image Announces Futuristic AI Series ‘Made in Korea’ (Exclusive)
Image Comics has announced a new futuristic sci-fi series called Made in Korea, written by Jeremy Holt and illustrated by George Schall.
"As an identical triplet and Korean adoptee, I wanted to explore my own self-exploration of identity through the lens of science-fiction," Holt said in a statement. "I think anyone that is looking for a new take on an Artificial Intelligence story will thoroughly enjoy what George and I have crafted."
The Hollywood Reporter
How ‘Virtually Yours’ Reimagines Rom-Coms for the App Age
Finding love is hard — as is trying to convince friends that you’re not that interested in looking just now, for whatever reason. A new title from Amazon’s digital comic publishing program ComiXology Originals takes a look at both problems, and finds an unexpected solution.
Virtually Yours, created by Jeremy Holt and Elizabeth Beals, with lettering by Adam Wollet, is described by ComiXology as “an all-new original graphic novel about dating in the 21st century.” As Holt put it in a statement, “We set out to create a rom-com that resonated with us on a personal level, by featuring characters that accurately reflect and represent our generation, while taking all of the classic rom-com tropes and turning them on their heads.”
The New York Times
Kurt Cobain: What to Read and Watch, 25 Years After the Nirvana Leader’s Death
Skip to the End
“This evocative 2018 science-fiction graphic novel by the writer Jeremy Holt and the artist Alex Diotto tells the story of a grunge band called Samsara (clearly inspired by Nirvana) and a guitar that functions as a time-travel device. The metaphor works not only because of the urge Nirvana fans have to create an alternate timeline where Cobain survived, but because recorded music is itself a time-travel device, teleporting people both to the moment when it was made and the moment when it first touched a listener’s soul.”
Vermont Public Radio
Nirvana, Addiction & A Time-Traveling Guitar: Middlebury Author's Graphic Novel 'Skip To The End'
Music has the power to transport listeners across time, evoking memories of the past and whisking the listener back to a different age and place.
In his new graphic novel Skip To The End, Middlebury author Jeremy Holt explores how the right piece of music can take a listener back to their youth, to what they were wearing, who they were in love with. And maybe to just moments before something went wrong.
Holt spoke with Vermont Edition about his new book, about choosing the right guitar to be his vehicle for time travel, and the collaboration that goes into completing a graphic novel.
Seven Days
A New Graphic Novel Considers: What If Houdini Were a Spy?
“What if Harry Houdini were not just the world's greatest magician but a master of actual magic? What if he used his supernatural powers to spy for the U.S. government, fighting those who would wield magic to evil ends? That's the enticing premise of After Houdini, the latest graphic novel scripted by Jeremy Holt of Middlebury, whose dark rock-music fable Skip to the End came out earlier this year.
Illustrated in a punchy, larger-than-life style by Arkansas-based John Lucas, the tale begins in 1918, eight years before the death of the real Houdini on Halloween 1926. The protagonist is not Harry but his fictional son, Josef, whose parents have given him up for his own protection. Josef finds use for his inherited escape talents in a life of petty crime. But he goes straight when former president Theodore Roosevelt Jr. sweeps in and recruits him for the mission of a lifetime: to rescue his long-lost dad from Butyrskaya Prison in imperial Russia.”
Comics In Motion
Skip to the End - An Interview with Jeremy Holt Bonus Episode
“In this bonus episode were delighted to talk to writer and creator Jeremy Holt about his newly released graphic novel Skip to the End, published by Insight Comics. Jeremy talks to us about the book as well as the journey to bring the story to the shelves. The story tackles some tough issues and we both found it fascinating to understand Jeremys inspiration research and perseverance with this and other stories…”
The Comics Beat
Matt Chats: Writer and Occasional Self-Publisher Jeremy Holt on ‘Skipping to the End’ and Staying in the Present
“Jeremy Holt has yet to receive his “big break” with a book at a Top 5 publisher, but he’s continued plugging away at various comics projects, focusing on art over commerce. Recently his grunge fantasy Skip to the End was released in hardcover, and it may be his finest work to date. I interviewed Jeremy previously to discuss the first issue of Skip to the End, but after two years and the release of the whole graphic novel, there was plenty more to talk about. Enjoy my interview with Holt about Skip to the End’s journey to publication, keeping a lot of plates in the air, and how much he plans his future in comics…”
Addison Independent
Local Author's Graphic Novel Transports Us Through Time
“MIDDLEBURY — It’s an experience we all know well: listening to a song and being instantly transported back in time to the first place we heard it.
Well, mentally, at least.
For Middlebury writer Jeremy Holt, the concept of music as time travel was powerful enough for him to make it literal through fiction. In his new graphic novel, “Skip to the End,” Holt explores the phenomenon through the eyes of a former rock star, now-drug addict, for whom “revisiting the past is the only way to move forward.”