MURDER BOOK - SerioComics 58 + Q&A with Author Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
MURDER BOOK: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession written and drawn by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, published by Andrews McMeel
How I Met Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
Via Substack!
She has the fun Cartoons by Hilary
Where she shares cartoons like the ones she publishes in The New Yorker!
I also enjoy her Instagram.
Where she also sometimes does these posts of dance breaks.
To remind desk-dwellers like me to get up and move their bodies.
One of them inspired me to post this fun video.
Which celebrated the release of my and Dan Lerman’s The Office Haggadah!
I’m super excited to have her on SerioComics to explore her very funny book about the most serious of subjects ;0
Here’s a bio!
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
Hilary is a cartoonist and illustrator. Her cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Alta, Catapult and more. Her debut graphic memoir Murder Book (Andrews McMeel 2021) was called “fun and freewheeling” by Publisher’s Weekly and was shortlisted for Best Nonfiction of the year at Bouchercon.
In 2023 her journal What Did I Do Today? was released and she is currently working on her second graphic nonfiction The Joy of Snacking is available for pre-order and comes out August 26th, 2025!
She has an Etsy shop and is available for custom made orders and freelance illustration.
She also makes documentary films.
And she has the Substack, live drawings, and much more at her website!
Murder Book
A humorous graphic investigation of the author's obsession with true crime, the murders that have most captivated her throughout her life, and a love letter to her fellow true-crime fanatics.
Why is it so much fun to read about death and dismemberment?
In Murder Book, lifelong true-crime obsessive and New Yorker cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell tries to puzzle out the answer.
An unconventional graphic exploration of a lifetime of Ann Rule super-fandom, amateur armchair sleuthing, and a deep dive into the high-profile murders that have fascinated the author for decades, this is a funny, thoughtful, and highly personal blend of memoir, cultural criticism, and true crime with a focus on the often-overlooked victims of notorious killers.
The Liz Lemon of Graphic Literature
Hilary’s graphic memoir is one of the funniest I’ve ever covered here on SerioComics!
It is full of really smart, philosophical observations.
It has very relatable sitcom-like dialogue and character comedy.
And it constantly mines the serious subject matter for hilarious dark humor.
While it’s surely influenced by funny cartoon books and graphic memoirs it seems just as much to me influenced by stand-up comedy, sitcoms, and podcasts.
Great for fans of True Crime but also for people like me who…
I can imagine this being a perfect gift for a friend who is a True Crime fan.
There are even great stories about friendships started through its fandom.
It is a very comprehensive investigation into the field.
It covers legends like Ann Rule and how she happened to be friends with Ted Bundy…
It also studies how True Crime has evolved in various forms of media…
And it does all of this as you can see with depth but humor.
But it’s also surprisingly for people like me who aren’t fans of True Crime…
For instance, I LOLed at this part.
Because I remembered dating someone who loved Law and Order.
I would watch it with them.
And we would pretty much literally respond the way Hilary’s characters do below.
Dun-Dun!
The Search For Why?
The most profound part of Hilary’s story to me was her search for why she’s interested in True Crime.
This is something that some people don’t ask of themselves, or if they do, they don’t truly deeply dig like she has.
There are sections about the influence of her mom and family.
And the aforementioned role of culture.
But without revealing too much…
I think Hilary ends up coming up with an eloquent theory…
That does truly explain the major reason…
And why it’s somewhat gendered…
And we will now get into it a bit more with the Q&A below!
Q&A with Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell!
SerioComics: MURDER BOOK is such a fun and funny read. While it has clear influences from cartooning and graphic memoirs, it also feels infused with elements of stand-up, sitcoms, and podcasts. Can you talk about your creative influences? Was this unique and pioneering approach a formal decision, or just how things naturally came out?
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell: I have to admit this is just how my brain works, I bounce around a lot -- which makes me certainly not for everybody! I've read reviews of my book where people are like "SHE IS SO CHAOTIC!!" Which is true. But if you can keep up with me, it works. I think because I'm also a filmmaker and screenwriter, the visual elements appear more cinematic to me in my head. And then because I'm also a standup comedian, the way I write stories is often much more conversational. So basically, yes this, this is how it naturally came out. As far as influences! My favorite artists/writers/comedians are -- Maria Bamford, Diane Keaton, Roz Chast, Miranda July, Nora Ephron and of course, Charles Schulz.
SerioComics: The gendered audience for True Crime is a key theme. You ask, Why, as a woman, am I so interested in this? Similarly, in my book Should We Buy A Gun? I asked, Why as a man was I so against this? One of your brilliant theories is that women empathize with victims to learn how to avoid potentially becoming them. I remember you making a joke in the book about Zac Efron relating to Ted Bundy but saying, At least my quirks aren’t that bad. That made me wonder—do you think True Crime’s impact on men is different? Like, do you think at its darkest depths the benefit of empathy in True Crime for men is seeing how they could become the worst versions of their gender? And as a result how to be usefully protective for loved ones against danger, both in other men and ourselves?
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell: That is a really wonderful perspective and surprisingly, it's not something I've thought a lot about. My initial reaction in the past is "men can't handle it" -- in a way where women are already subjected to so much emotional pain, even the act of menstruating every month primes you for blood and loss and ache, and witnessing so much violence against women through news, film, literature from a young age makes us (this is some major generalization I'm doing here) be able to cope with the horror of true crime. So when my dad walks in the room and is like "What's wrong with you guys?? How can you keep watching this?" I always that, "HA! WEAK!!" but what you say is quite interesting. Are men afraid to witness other men commit crimes, that they too could possibly be driven to commit, in their darkest hour? I don't know but this makes me want to send out a survey!
On a lighter note, LOL, I couldn’t help but notice that you mention that you are related to F. Scott Fitzgerald in the book, and, of course, your name is Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell. Could you tell us a bit about what it was like to have a grandmother who was his sister? Have you made any work about that part of your family, or do you plan on it?
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell: I am related! It is true. F. Scott is my great great uncle, so he was my great grandmother Anabel's brother. I'm sorry to report that they hated each other. Anabel was a devout Catholic and completely horrified by the way F. Scott lived his life. The drinking! The dancing! How embarrassing! And I assume F. found her to be rather prudish. It's such a bummer that they didn't reconcile before either of them passed. If you can believe it, Anabel passed on this "shame" of her brother to my grandmother Courtney. It wasn't really until my mother's generation that the rest of the family was like, holy shit our great uncle was F. Scott Fitzgerald???? So my mother kept that name with me, to pass it on. I'm grateful. I don't know if I'll ever write about this, but I do have some very funny stories about it up my sleeve!
Back to the book, your character is so funny and relatable and charming, and so is your mom and your family and friends. It was really refreshing to read about interpersonal relationships in a graphic memoir that wasn’t terribly fraught but had a lot of lightness and gratitude and love. Was that important to convey? What was their response when they read it?
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell: It's funny to answer this after I've just completed The Joy of Snacking which has a much more in depth view at my family and myself. I think with Murder Book, since the goal of the book was to ultimately speak to a larger community of women who consume true crime, I didn't want to veer off into showing any potential "dark" areas of my family life. But with The Joy of Snacking, I dove in head first. It's a much more personal book. Not to say my family doesn't have a lot of lightness, gratitude and love, as you put it. I'm not gonna lie, I have a really, really funny family. And I am incredibly grateful for it. I think I've always wanted to convey the humor of my mother on paper, on stage, in any way really. As far as I know my family loved the book but I'll admit, I have never really put that question to the test...
Lastly, what can audiences expect when they subscribe to your Substack,
, can you tell us a bit more about The Joy Of Snacking, as well as any other exciting projects or ways we can engage with your work?Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell: My substack is a real hodge podge of stuff! Sketchbook dumps, topical essays, diary comics, poetry, standup, rejected New Yorker cartoons... kind of whatever the hell is going on with me! The Joy of Snacking will be out late August, which I really can't believe. There were so many times in the process of that book that I never thought I could finish it. It was a completely different experience to write it. As I mentioned before, the book is much more personal, but I'm deeply proud of it. AND IT'S IN COLOR. Surely, I'll never do a book in full color again, but I survived it this time. I do think the best way to engage with my work is through Substack, but if you live in New York, I run a monthly variety show called Real Live Girls and perform around the city. You can also follow me on Instagram!
OK, thanks so much for participating in this Q&A, Hilary!
I’m excited to see how you uncover the deep yet funny reason we all have Joy in Snacking and all the hilarity and insanity of your family ;)
Whether you’re a true crime junkie, a comics fan, or someone who loves seeing deep questions explored through humor, check out MURDER BOOK here!
Lastly, Press for SWBAG? !!!
Some really fun press this last week for Should We Buy A Gun?!
Bleeding Cool - one of the longest running and active comics journalists on the Internet, Rich Johnston publicized SWBAG? with some great pull quotes
Hear In LA - I’ve been selling the book for an hour or two in the Los Feliz town square outside Skylight books and it was covered by local journalist Tony Pierce!
Thierry Groensteen - One of the most significant authorities and champions of la bande dessinée took the time to read and enthuse about Should We Buy A Gun? from France!
FanBase - Barbra Dillon is a SoCal comics legend and she did a Q&A with me!
Options to buy the book on my linktree!
https://linktr.ee/davecowen
Thank YOU for reading!
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Loved this! The way you captured the feeling of collecting experiences through those "visitor passes" really hit home. Such a clever metaphor for life’s journey!