About - First Second Books

ABOUT FIRST SECOND

First Second is a graphic novel publisher located in New York City. We publish graphic novels in every genre and for readers of all ages. Our graphic novels are available online, in libraries, in comic book shops, and wherever books are sold.

Led by Editorial & Creative Director Mark Siegel, Editorial Director Calista Brill, and Creative Director Kirk Benshoff, each of our graphic novels is the work of an army of creators, editors, designers, and editorial staff.

MEET THE TEAM

Mark SiegelEditorial & Creative Director

Mark Siegel is the founder and creative and editorial director of Macmillan’s graphic novel house. First Second offers an ambitious collection in every age category, in a wide range of themes and styles, with talent from all over the world. First Second has garnered an unmatched array of literary awards, starred reviews and bestsellers—including for the original works of National Book Award Finalist and Printz Winner Gene Luen Yang, and beloved bestselling authors such as Vera Brosgol, George O’Connor, Sara Varon, Jen Wang, Shannon Hale, LeUyen Pham, the McElroys, and so many more.

Calista BrillEditorial Director

Calista Brill is editorial director of First Second. She has been with the company since 2008 and has had the pleasure of editing creators such as Faith Erin Hicks, Ben Hatke, Zach Weinersmith, Rainbow Rowell, and many more. She lives in New England with many cherished house spiders.

Kirk BenshoffCreative Director

Kirk Benshoff is the creative director for First Second. He has over 15 years of experience creating graphic novels. He has been with the company since 2019 and has had the pleasure of working with creators such as Howard Cruze, John Patrick Green, Ben Hatke, Faith Erin Hicks, Carey Pietsch, Gene Luen Yang, and more. When he’s not working on comics, he’s trying to get his books back from his kids who keep stealing them.

Robyn ChapmanSenior Editor

Robyn Chapman received a BFA in sequential art at the Savannah College of Art and Design and was a cartooning fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies. For the past 20 years, she has been active in the small-press comics scene as an artist, self-publisher, and collector (she owns over 2,000 zines). She started her career in publishing at Graphic Universe before joining First Second in 2016. Robyn also teaches at the School of Visual Arts.

Samia Garcia-FakihEditor

Samia Garcia-Fakih is an editor who has been at First Second since 2019. After earning an MFA in Comics and pursuing her own projects, she found she had a passion for working with creators to bring their stories to life as well. She’s worked on a slew of titles including Saving Sunshine, Love Misha, Plain Jane and The Mermaid and Space Chasers. When she’s not editing or reading, she’s painting in her home that is filled with far too many books and plants.

Sunny LeeAssociate Art Director

Sunny Lee is an Associate Art Director at First Second. She grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes, Maus, Ghost World, and Battle Angel Alita, and is thrilled to now be working with the next generation of comic creators. She studied illustration at Syracuse University and the School of Visual Arts, and likes to think about the meaning of life in her free time.

Molly JohansonSenior Designer

Molly Johanson (They/Them) has been at First Second since 2017. They love working with artists to achieve the best graphic novel book designs possible! In their spare time, Molly likes to bike, craft, and walk their little dog.

Tess BantaEditor

Tess Banta is an editor who began working with First Second and 23rd Street in 2021. She kicked off her career in story development at LAIKA animation studio in 2016—every day since, she’s marveled that “help creatives tell their stories” is a real job, and one she gets to do. She’s currently on the lookout for adult graphic novels with unique hooks and character-driven plots, with a particular interest in genre fiction. Born and raised in Brooklyn, in her spare time Tess enjoys drawing, writing, and interrupting conversations to point out particularly magnificent trees.

Aliya Burke Brand Marketing and PR Manager

Aliya Burke is the Brand Marketing and PR Manager for :01 Books and 23rd St. at Macmillan. With a background in pop culture publishing and a degree from San Diego State University, she specializes in building strategic, creator-focused campaigns and bringing new readers into the world of graphic storytelling.

Ivan TaurisanoAssociate Editor

Ivan Taurisano is an Associate Editor at First Second Books, where he’s on the lookout for commercial, laugh-out-loud stories with quirky characters that make kids fall in love with reading. He holds an MA in Children’s Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children, and worked across every corner of children’s publishing—from board books and picture books to middle grade and graphic novels. Originally from Rome, Ivan moved to the United States to chase his dream of becoming a children’s book editor. Along the way, he’s had the joy of collaborating with beloved brands and series, including How to Catch, Sesame Street, Disney, Marvel, tokidoki, and Pokémon.

Jess Do TullyEditorial Assistant

Jess Do Tully is the editorial assistant for First Second and 23rd St. She completed the comics program at the Sequential Artists Workshop and enjoys helping creators develop their vision. If you see someone in the subway wrangling their twin kids, it’s not not her.

Steve PonzoSenior Designer

Steve Ponzo (he/him) has a BFA in illustration and has spent the last 15 years designing books for kids. As a lover of fantasy stories, dogs, and baseball he is patiently awaiting a graphic novel that incorporates all three.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does :01 mean?

Is it first? Or second?
First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh.
Pressing the reset button. A clean slate. A fresh start.
Everything begins with the First Second. . .

FOR THE SCIENCE MINDED:

the first second

Imagine shrinking a proton down to a billionth of it’s normal size… Now pack into that tiny, tiny space about an ounce of matter. Bang. You are ready to start a universe.

And so from nothing, our universe begins.

In a single blinding pulse, a moment of glory much too swift and expansive for any form of words, the singularity assumes heavenly dimensions, space beyond conception. In the first lively second (a second that many cosmologists will devote careers to shaving into ever-finer wafers) is produced gravity and the other forces that govern physics…

A fraction of a moment after the dawn of creation, the universe underwent a sudden dramatic expansion. It inflated— in effect ran away with itself, doubling in size every 10(-34) seconds. The whole episode may have lasted no more than 10 (-30) seconds— that’s one million million million million millionths of a second— but it changed the universe from something you could hold in your hand to something at least 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times bigger. Inflation theory explains the ripples and eddies that make our universe possible. Without it, there would be no clumps of matter and thus no stars, just drifting gas and everlasting darkness.

From Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything

Who’s behind all this?

Who’s behind all this? An army of talent: creators, editors, designers, and editorial staff.

For more on the story behind :01, check out our blog.

When do the books come out?

Just about every Tuesday! Take a look at our collection page to see what we’ve got planned for this season.

How do I submit a project?

At this time, First Second is no longer accepting unsolicited submissions. Please check back for future updates.

What kind of projects are you looking for?

:01 will consider original graphic novel projects in almost any genre, for any age. Fiction of all kinds, and non-fiction from visual essays to journalism and memoirs. Although not all our titles may be suitable to young readers, :01 does not publish pornography or books with gratuitous violence. We’re interested in authors with a unique and sincere voice. The books we love best leave us in a generative place.