Q

Cartoonist Eleanor Davis on finding beauty in 'The Hard Tomorrow'

Eleanor Davis discusses how creating her new graphic novel, The Hard Tomorrow, helped her work through her anxiety about bringing new life into a chaotic world.
Eleanor Davis' new graphic novel is called The Hard Tomorrow. (Drawn & Quarterly)

A couple of years ago, Eleanor Davis started thinking about having a baby, but she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. She kept getting stuck on the same question: is it wrong to bring new life into a world that's so chaotic? While she wrestled with the decision, she decided to use art to work though her anxiety.

The result is her new graphic novel, The Hard Tomorrow, which takes place in a fictional world that's somewhat similar to our own. Trees are dying, Mark Zuckerberg is president, and the main character, Hannah, is trying to figure out what she can do in her own small way to help.

Davis wrote The Hard Tomorrow while she was pregnant with her first child, Daniel. She joined q's Tom Power from Athens, Ga. to tell us more about her work and being a mother.


Download our podcast or click the 'Listen' link above to hear the full conversation with Eleanor Davis.

— Produced by Vanessa Greco

Miss an episode of CBC q? Download our podcast.