Real Friends In An Octopus's Garden (Eating Pie)

by Vince Brusio

What if the TV cast of Friends were baked into hash brownies? What if the concept of Friends took a bridge to nowhere because some friend got ahold of a friend’s supply of medical marijuana? And what if you ditched the people in Friends because they were just too plastic? What if you chose to hang out with people in an octopus’ garden instead? If the latter choice seems to be more your speed, then read this interview we did with Meredith Gran for her collected Octopus Pie (NOV150665) from Image Comics. You may find that you have a lot more in common with these people than those homogenized TV types.

Octopus Pie Volume 1 (NOV150665) is in comic shops February 24.

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PREVIEWSworld: For those not familiar with Octopus Pie (NOV150665), what can you tell us about the property?

Meredith Gran: Octopus Pie is a webcomic that began in 2007, and has since been collected in book form. It's about 2 women living in Brooklyn, learning to get along with each other and figure out 20-something life. The tone is mainly light and comedic, though it gets sad and meditative at times.

PREVIEWSworld: Can you profile the characters for us? Give us a police line-up so we can give these folks the third degree.

Meredith Gran: Eve is the put-upon hero. Her job sucks, her mom is overbearing, and she can't seem to get a break relationship-wise. A passive creature, she's pushed into every new stage of her life — admittedly, the outcome is not always bad. Eve typically sabotages her own happiness, and favors misanthropy as a result. She has a strong sense of nostalgia for her life before adulthood.

Hanna is Eve's new stoner roommate, who coincidentally knew her in pre-school. She's impulsive, scheming, and prone to fits of paranoia. For a pothead she's pretty business-savvy though, running her own pastry company from the apartment. In the early chapters, Hanna is the catalyst for most of Eve's problems. As the series progresses, she and Eve grow closer.

Marek is Hanna's boyfriend who also lives with them. He's good-natured, easygoing and curious, if a little bit scatterbrained. We're led to believe Marek contains multitudes of wisdom and supreme goodness, but he generally acts as Hanna's cheerleader.

Will is Hanna's close friend, a weed dealer with a heart of gold. We think. He works a lot of odd and sketchy jobs around the city. He can sometimes have a short fuse, but is steadfastly loyal, and considers himself a romantic. Eve and Will have a thing for each other that is perpetually unrealized for one reason or another.

Also featured are Hanna's army of stoner friends and Eve's nerd friends, who crop up regularly and don't seem to get along. As the series progresses there's more and more of an ensemble cast! But that's for another volume.

PREVIEWSworld: What was the inspiration for Octopus Pie? And how did the idea go from brainstorm to print production?

Meredith Gran: The cast was rattling around in my head for a while, and I really just needed a template for their adventures. I wanted to write a series I wouldn't have to commit to very hard. Eight years later, I'm still waiting to write that series.

PREVIEWSworld: Who is the audience for Octopus Pie? What readers would be attracted to your story?

Meredith Gran: Teens and 20-somethings — readers around the ages of the characters — are probably the comic's biggest audience. But readers past this age connect with the stories just as easily. I try to write from my own hindsight, offering stories the reader can see reflected in their own life, either presently, once upon a time, or... pretty soon.

PREVIEWSworld: Without spoiling the book for anyone, what can readers expect from this first release of Octopus Pie? How will Octopus Pie endear itself to comic readers?

Meredith Gran: I sort of see this first volume as "Season 1." Most of the cast is established and we start to learn about them through sitcom-y antics. I experiment with media a lot, and really search for the comic's voice. As the stories progress I think the reader will feel increasingly attached to the characters. If you're into the webcomic and have never read the early strips, this is a glimpse into how Octopus Pie became what it is.