Nick Bertozzi is a great guy—every time I see him, he’s got a big smile on his face, and you just know he’d give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. I first discovered Bertozzi’s comings through Boswash, a comic having to do with surveying that was formatted and unfolded like a gigantic map.

Since then, he’s had graphic novels like The Masochists and The Salon, plus a wide plethora of online comics; his current story Persimmon Cup is like a strange little puzzle box that keeps revealing new hidden compartments every time I look.

For his illustration in my book,  Nick took up the entire page, every last piece he could. And the result? I think it’s lovely. This was the last sketch that was finished at MoCCA back in 2002… although there is one more piece that was started then. But you’ll have to wait until next week for that story.