Paul Gilligan shares how his childhood fear of Jaws inspired his new graphic memoir
The Canadian illustrator explores boyhood and toxic masculinity in his new book, Boy vs. Shark
When Steven Spielberg's Jaws came out nearly 50 years ago, the Toronto cartoonist Paul Gilligan (best known for his syndicated comic strip Pooch Café) remembers cowering in the theatre and having recurring nightmares about the movie's animatronic shark. He was only 10 at the time, but his fear left him with countless questions about what it means to be a man. Ahead of the film's 50th anniversary, Gilligan has released a new graphic memoir, Boy vs. Shark. He joins Q's Tom Power to talk about the book, what he hopes anxious kids might get out of it, and how Jaws transformed an entire generation's definition of manliness.
The full interview with Paul Gilligan is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Paul Gilligan produced by Vanessa Greco.