Storycomic Presents: Interviews with Amazing Storytellers and Artists

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(Ep: 528) Alan Barillaro on Courage, Spirit Animals, and Storytelling in Pictures
Episode 527
Thursday, 30 July, 2026

#AlanBarillaro #BunnsRabbit #BunnsRabbitII #TheReturnOfTheSpiritRabbit #MiddleGradeBooks #KidsFantasy #ChildrensBooks #IllustratedNovel #SpiritAnimals #FantasyAdventure #AuthorIllustrator #BookInterview #WeMakeChildrensBooks #Storycomic #KidsLit On this episode, I’m joined by Alan Barillaro, author-illustrator and Academy Award–winning filmmaker, to talk about his upcoming book Bunns Rabbit II: The Return of the Spirit Rabbit. In this sequel, Bunns returns from her quest to find the Spirit Fox hoping to return to her quiet life with her family. But the Spirit Fox has other plans. A war is on the horizon, pitting the Spirits of the Sea and Wind against the Spirits of the Land and Fire — and somehow, one little rabbit may be the only one who can stop it. We talk about building a sequel that raises the stakes, how Alan blends prose, warm illustration, and graphic-style panels, and what it means to write a hero who is small in size but huge in responsibility. We also dig into the emotional themes behind the adventure: courage, identity, fear, family, and what happens when a character who feels different becomes the one everyone is counting on. If you love middle-grade fantasy, illustrated novels, spirit animal mythology, and big-hearted adventure stories, this conversation is for you. The Title sequence was designed and created by Morgan Quaid. See more of Morgan’s Work at: https://morganquaid.com/ Storycomic Logo designed by Gregory Giordano See more of Greg’s work at: https://www.instagram.com/gregory_c_giordano_art/ Want to start your own podcast? Click on the link to get started: https://www.podbean.com/storycomic Follow us: Are you curious to see the video version of this interview? It's on our website too! www.storycomic.com www.patreon.com/storycomic www.facebook.com/storycomic1 https://www.instagram.com/storycomic/ For information on being a guest or curious to learn more about Storycomic? Contact us at info@storycomic.com Thank you to our Founders Club Patrons, Michael Winn, Higgins802, Von Allan, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Marek Bennett, Donna Carr Roberts, Andrew Gronosky, Simki Kuznick, John Holland, Maureen Devlin, and Matt & Therese. Check out their fantastic work at: https://marekbennett.com/ https://www.hexapus-ink.com/ https://www.stephanieninapitsirilos.com/ https://www.vonallan.com/ https://higgins802.com/ https://shewstone.com/ https://www.simkikuznick.com/ https://www.dieboldcomics.com/ https://www.maureendevlinauthor.com/ https://benjaminhunting.com/ https://www.rootstockpublishing.com/ https://www.pigmacast.com/ Also to Michael Winn who is a member of our Founders Club!