Sina Grace's parents had big plans for their son: Ivy League schooling, professional credentials, a 6-figure income as a doctor-- the works! Fortunately for us, he found the wonderful world of comics instead. It was in this world of contradictions that he "matured," one foot teetering on the edge of academia, the other drawn to the inescapable grasp of an ink-bound fantasy underworld.
At 14, Grace seemingly appeased his parents by interning at Top Cow Productions, under the guidance of now Editor-in-Chief Renae Geerlings (his single mother figured at least he was collecting college credit). However the only thing he was collecting, (other than comics) was the compulsive habit of drawing unrealistically proportioned, scantly clad women.
At 16, he got a perpetual summer-time job at the Santa Monica landmark: Hi De Ho Comics, where he would be inspired to create Books with Pictures. By 17 he wrote, drew, and self-published his first comic, The Roller-Derby Robo-Dykes versus the Cannibals. His knowledge of disproportionate harlots with weapons came in handy when depicting a story about Robo-Dykes bent on taking over the world. His mother was happy that he was taking interest in girls. The book went into a second printing, and received the praise of Lying in the Gutters critic, Rich Johnston.
Weeks after graduating high school, he was asked by Rilo Kiley front-woman Jenny Lewis to illustrate a limited edition comic book adaptation of their 2004 record,"More Adventurous." In the spring of 2006 he was asked to apprentice under comics genius, Howard Chaykin (Even though it may not be apparent in Books with Pictures, Grace did learn the function of a ruler and the meaning of a vanishing point).
Between the summers of 2005 and 06, Grace's partially-biographical indie dramedy, Books with Pictures, went from hand-xeroxed pieces of (expletive) to full-fledged, full-sized comic books. Shortly after its debut at San Diego Comic-Con, Diamond accepted the series into their ordering catalogue, Previews. Grace's work on the series is nearing completion, and to his parents' delight, he is currently attending the University of California, Santa Cruz for an undergraduate degree in Literature, with an emphasis on Creative Writing.
Sina Grace still works at Hi De Ho during the summer.
---Lori Brooks
visit http://sinagrace.deviantart.com/ for more art!
