The Horrors of Being a Human Q&A

May 30, 2025

A conversation with Desmond Reed

Desmond Reed is an award-winning Boston-based cartoonist and illustrator best known for his web comic The Cola Pop Creemees. His debut graphic novel, The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act, was published by Birdcage Bottom Books in April 2023. Later that year, MIT appointed Desmond a 2023/2024 Residential Scholar in recognition of his work in comics. Before becoming a cartoonist, he worked for nearly a decade as a paralegal at a premier litigation, labor, and employment law firm located in Boston. Desmond is represented by Daniel Lazar of Writers House.

Our team chatted with Desmond to celebrate his latest Cola Pop Creemees creation, The Horrors of Being a Human, in which the eponymous band experience every emotion. Want to know what Desmond is writing, drawing, and reading? Find out in our conversation below!

What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted to write a book that communicated complex and difficult feelings in a palatable and enjoyable way. There is a lot of wackiness throughout The Horrors of Being a Human, and the main characters are total cartoons, but their stories are actually pretty heavy, dealing with topics such as trauma, depression, and addiction.

What was it like to publish with Microcosm?

It was an absolute dream to publish with Microcosm, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart! Everyone was so friendly, capable, and supportive. It felt like we were all just having fun and then a book magically appeared! I have been a fan of Microcosm for a while and it is an incredible honor to now be a part of their impressive roster. They are such a unique and innovative publisher…I feel like they exist in their own universe. I’ve never really fit into an obvious category within the world of cartoonists, and so I feel like Microcosm and I are kindred spirits. I love that we found each other and have joined forces to make this book a reality!

What was the submission/query process like for you?

The submission process is tough for almost everyone, and I’m no exception! Rejection is just part of the game as publishers are way more likely to say no than yes (if anything at all). All I can do as a cartoonist and author is work hard enough to put myself in a position to get lucky, and so, again, I feel unbelievably fortunate to have teamed up with Microcosm on this project. It is the perfect home for The Horrors of Being a Human.

What else have you written?

If you like The Horrors of Being a Human, there is actually a whole other graphic novel starring the same cast of characters – and it’s really good! The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act was published in 2023 by Birdcage Bottom Books and is also available through Microcosm. Both are standalone books and don’t require reading the other to know what’s going on, but why not just order both at the same time? Live a little! Beyond those two graphic novels, I have self-published a ton of comics and will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life—I’m a machine! I also have a wild amount of comics available on my Instagram @desmondtreed. [Desmond also wrote LEFTY, a comic drawn entirely with his left hand after an injury, following Cola Pop Creemees songwriter Mona Gertrude]

What are you currently reading?

I just finished reading Acting Class by Nick Drnaso and thought it was incredible. It’s like no other graphic novel I’ve ever read. I don’t want to say anything specific about the story, but there is this sense of unease that exists alongside a calm art style, muted palette, and deliberate pacing that creates a really cool vibe. Highly recommend!

What’s the best book you read in the last year?

I know this is cheating, but it is a tie between Complete & Utter Malarkey by November Garcia and Unended by Josh Bayer. Both of these works are original, enjoyable, and true works of art. To me, the most important aspect of a graphic novel is a unique point of view, and these books absolutely knocked it out of the park in that regard (and every regard)!

What’s next for you?

I’m almost ready to pitch a much more experimental THIRD Cola Pop Creemees graphic novel! It’s all brand new and I’m really excited about it. I also have about 100 pages of unreleased Cola Pop Creemees material that didn’t fit into the first two books. What should I do with it all?! I’ve been drawing these comics for five years straight so maybe after 3.5 books I’ve earned a break and I can just coast for a while? I guess it all depends on how well The Horrors of Being a Human performs – buy as many copies as you can!!!

Want to keep hangin’ with Desmond? Check out The Horrors of Being a Human: A Cola Pop Creemees Comic, out now on our site or wherever you buy your books!

How Should Authors Market Their Books? w/ Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 29, 2025

Does author marketing have an impact on sales? Can you move the needle yourself, or do you need to rely on your publisher for all of your marketing and outreach? There is a lot of conflicting information out there, and Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet is back on the pod this week to talk it out with us.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

A Look Inside Magickal Cats Tarot Deck

May 28, 2025

The Magickal Cats Tarot Deck is now on Kickstarter! This gorgeous, 78-card deck is full of whimsical, gorgeous art of cats ready to help you guide you on your journey. Are you looking for some mischief in your life? Or maybe you need a little reminder to slow down and take things at your own pace? Whatever you’re looking for, these cats can help you get there… they just might need a nap in a sunbeam first.

Also available to pre-order is the Magickal Cat Tarot Guide, with helpful info on interpreting each of the cards, and spreads you can do at home with your cat. Yep, that’s right. Tarot spreads you can do WITH YOUR CAT.

All of it is lovingly illustrated by Helene Lespagnard and her rescue cat, Bibi!

Here’s a little Q&A we did with Helene, with a look at the deck, her process, and her favorite tarot card spread to do with Bibi-

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your artistic process.
Hi! My name is Helene and I’m an illustrator and comic artist from Belgium. I love drawing in my little sketchbook and get inspired by nature, animals but also a lot by other people. I love seeing everyone’s unique quirks and love to show that in my art. I drew a lot of little doodles that later on became ideas. Just like this deck. I was sketching my cat Bibi in different sleeping positions. I thought it could be fun to draw her as a queen. The idea was born there.

What inspired the Magickal Cats Tarot Deck?
Bibi was definitely the inspiration for this deck. I got her two years ago from a shelter. It remains a mystery to us what life she had before us. She really is a mysterious and proud cat. We do know she likes to be on the road, and look out of the window of the car or train, when we take her on a vacation trip.

Do you have a favorite tarot card or spread?
I have two tarot cards 🙂

I like the Nine of Cups card. I drew a cat with a little frog. To me he is very happy to have his friend there with him. He is very satisfied with his life. He has everything working out for him. He might be a little clueless at times and forget other people’s needs. But I feel that this cat is smart enough to do some introspection when needed.

I also like the Moon card. I drew a cat that at first looks a bit intimidating. But once you know her she is actually very kind in a tough way. I like this card a lot because the moon card can indeed be confronting at times. It’s not always easy to follow your intuition. But this card confronts you that it is time to do that.

My favourite cat spread is the “Nine Lives Spread”. Bibi tends to prefer lounging over action. She sometimes needs a little motivation to get moving. With the help of her favorite toy, we can get her a little energised. And when we do that for this spread, she seems to bring her own kind of quiet wisdom to the cards.

*The Nine Lives Spread, from the Magickal Cats Tarot Guide.*

If Bibi was a major arcana card, what would she be?
If Bibi were a tarot card, she would be “The High Priestess”.

She has an innate sense of patience and a deep appreciation for life’s simple pleasures—especially good food and long naps. Her calm presence reminds me that not everything in life needs to be complicated. Sometimes, clarity comes from stillness. There’s something about her that feels almost philosophical, as if she knows things we can’t fully understand.

Check out the Magickal Cats Tarot Deck, Guide, and Coloring Book on Kickstarter!

Marketing Your Book | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

May 22, 2025

How do you “make your books get found” (as Joe puts it)? This week it’s a throwback to Joe and Elly chatting about marketing your book, search engine optimization, good description writing, and more. If you like this one, check back soon for a deeper dive into marketing talk!

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Ben Snakepit Returns to the Snake Pit in 2025 | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 15, 2025

Every day for 25 years, Ben Snakepit has drawn a simple, 3 panel comic about his day. There’s no overarching plot or theme, just Ben answering the question “what did you do today?” But answering that question daily for half his life (and collecting them in volumes) has led to insights about himself, the world, and what it means to live each day.

This week on the podcast, Ben joins Joe and Elly to talk about the comic, punk life, and how the scene has changed.

Check out all the Snake Pit comics here.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

How Should a Publisher Pitch a Book to an Author? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 08, 2025

So you’re a publisher with a brilliant idea for a writer you want to work with. How do you start that conversation? Is it even worth having? This week on the pod, Joe and Elly share a bit of their experiences on getting authors to write for them, and how it can be structured.

May Zine Blast

May 05, 2025

When we said Year of Zines we meant it!

We publish new zines each and every month (you read that right!), and we want to make sure you don’t miss any that could help you change your life and the world around you. So every month this year, we are sharing a roundup of what’s been released, and maybe a few sneak peeks at what’s ahead in the zine pipeline. Let’s dive in!

Queer Mediations for Dark Times by Rosśa Crean
Trauma specialist, multidimensional artist, and magickal practitioner Rosśa Crean draws upon their work with clients and their own experience with abuse and recovery in this powerful selection of reflections, prompts, and musings to support others navigating dark times.

Resist Monopolies: How to Fight Corporate Control and Support an Economy that Matters by Ron Knox
What can we do to resist monopolies in a world that tells us they’re too big to fail and too strong to fight? We take them on anyway! Written by a worker for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, this zine documents the battles and triumphs of the growing antimonopoly movement, and shows how you, too, can fight against corporate control where you live and work.

Queer Platonic Relationships: A Guide to the Aro/Ace Spectrum, Friendships, Zucchinis, and Other Terms by Athens Webster
What happens when you leave the relationship mold of romance and sexuality—or when you try to negotiate boundaries, expectations, and intimacy platonically? This zine is your guide to learning more about the history of Queer Platonic Relationships, what it means to be in a QPR, and other commonly used terms (glossary included!).

The Sexual Assault Survivor’s Guide to the Legal Process by Emma Alice Johnson
This step-by-step zine is designed to be a written companion to the legal process following incidents of sexual violence, because while helpful resources may be offered (such as a victim advocate), progress and updates are often communicated quickly and verbally, leaving survivors little time to process or make deliberate decisions about their cases.

Books and Math: A Manifesto on Publishing Tools by Joe Biel, Elly Blue, and Sara Balabanlilar
Learn what you need to succeed in book publishing—and more importantly, how to determine what success means for you. For fellow publishers, future publishers, book industry comrades, systems nerds, and other kindred spirits, this zine is packed with what you need to know about distribution, automation, data analysis, and how to blaze your own bookish path—without making our same mistakes.

Dangerous Gifts: Using Internal Family Systems to Channel Your Madness and Transform Your Life by Sascha Altman DuBrul
For the sensitives, the imaginatives, for anyone who has struggled to fit in or see the world in the normative way, this compassionate zine offers new pathways for thinking about—and treating—different kinds of psychological distress through the lens of Internal Family Systems, and through recognizing the connections between individuals’ mental wellbeing and the health of their communities, families, environments, and social structures.

Ticks and How to Love Them by Emma Alice Johnson
From identifying their markings to cool trivia (fossilized ticks have been found on dinosaur feathers in amber?!), Emma Alice Johnson shares her diverse array of tick-based knowledge, and busts some tick memes and myths along the way. Even if love is too tall an order, this zine will fill you in on useful tick facts, features, and types, which will help keep you stay safe and attuned to your surroundings.

To stay on top of the latest Microcosm news, including the zines digest delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter! Also often includes cute pet pics and good (bad) puns.

How do I publish thematically? w/ Jelani Memory of A Kids Co | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 01, 2025

Readers love knowing what to expect from a publisher. Having consistent theming in your titles can help with discovery, trust, and bringing readers back for more.

But how do you find your theme? And what happens if you want to diverge from your theme? Jelani Memory of A Kids Co is back on the pod this week to talk about it!

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Celebrating International Workers’ Day

April 29, 2025

Happy May Day!

Every year on the first of May, International Workers’ Day (also recognized as May Day, Labour Day, and Worker’s Day), working people worldwide join hands in their fight for dignity, freedom, and the fruits of their labor. Falling at the same time as ancient rites honoring the season’s turn toward summer, May Day is an international celebration of power in the hands of the people. Here is a sampling of books, zines, and more to help you get in the spirit. Labor is entitled to all it creates! Shop the full list or check out these Microcosm-published favorites below:

History of May Day by Alexander Trachtenberg
This history of the struggle to establish worker rights and the formation of a national day of action offers readers a glimpse at labor history. Includes efforts to corrupt the workers’ movement in the United States, and the attempt to subvert the workers’ movement through the foundation of Labor Day.

On The Books: A Graphic Tale of Working Woes at NYC’s Strand Bookstore by Greg Farrell
This David and Goliath story is a first-hand comic strip account of the labor struggle at NYC’s legendary Strand bookstore in the summer of 2012. Told by Greg Farrell—an employee of the store who interviewed numerous other members of the staff—the book examines the motives and actions of those involved, including the store, the staff, the union local, and the people of New York City.

Punching Out: Solidarity on the Factory Floor by Martin Glaberman
In 1952 Marty Glaberman was a Detroit autoworker who witnessed a series of workers who’d be promoted to steward and become ineffective negotiators. Why? This zine is Glaberman’ attempt to answer to the question asked in every coal mine, worker shop, ship in port, steel mill, and auto plant was forever: was it selfish betrayal or bureaucracy that killed any prospects of solidarity in even the most active union worker?

A People’s History of May Day: 1886-Present by Crimethinc
Connect with the powerful history of May Day, from its origins as an ancient celebration of spring to present-day actions led by workers, anarchists, and communities to uplift labor and people’s history. This zine provides a pocket-sized glimpse into the legacy of this beloved radical holiday, with vignettes of May Day by year, citing specific actions, successes, struggles, and demands from around the globe.

Firebrands: Activists You Didn’t Learn About in School edited by Shaun Slifer and Bec Young, with art from Justseeds
This illustrated history celebrates American changemakers and revolutionaries that are often left out of public narratives about our shared past. These firebrands hail from around the world, from the 1500s to today. Instead of focusing on the powerful, rich white folks so often featured in textbooks, these gorgeous portraits with accompanying biographies recognize the work of grassroots organizers, revolutionaries, visionaries, anarchists, workers, and artists.

P.S. We can’t fit it all here, but check out our Labor tag for more like this.
P.P.S. We also carry a lot of cool and thematically appropriate posters. Hang them on your wall or bring them to the march!

Unfuck Your Communication: Using Science to Connect, Collaborate, and Make Yourself Heard

April 25, 2025

A toolkit for successful relationships

In so many facets of our lives, it can be surprisingly hard to speak up, listen well, and find mutual understanding. At some point, all of us will experience an unfortunate miscommunication with a friend or intimate partner, and sometimes there’s just no escaping a difficult conversation with a family member or colleague.

Rather than eating your words or running from confrontation, learn to communicate confidently and listen empathetically with the help of Dr. Faith G. Harper, bestselling author of Unfuck Your Brain and Unfuck Your Intimacy. In this no-nonsense guide, you’ll find conversational templates, guidance for setting boundaries, and tips for talking effectively at home, at work, at school, in everyday encounters, and even with social services and other bureaucratic entities—all of which form a handy toolkit for successful communication.

Read on for a sneak peek at Unfuck Your Communication: Using Science to Connect, Collaborate, and Make Yourself Heard by Dr. Faith G. Harper, available for preorder from our site (shipping starts 6/3/25!) or your local bookseller (officially hitting shelves 7/1/25)!

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