Talk:Jessica Abel

Can someone explain

Can someone explain how this person be "best known" for a comic that has not yet been released?

It has been released, the trade isn't out yet, but the series is completed.

Title field: Awards: two Eisner nominations to add

Hi Wikipedians! I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

The existing Awards section already includes the 2017 Eisner nomination for Trish Trash. Please add the following two entries, inserted between the 2008 Cybils entry and the 2009 Great Graphic Novels entry:

• 2009 (nomination) Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book (Drawing Words & Writing Pictures)

• 2013 (nomination) Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book (Mastering Comics)

Jccabel (talk) 16:21, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Jccabel (talk) 16:21, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Done. Prezbo (talk) 22:20, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Citation-needed tags: two sourced fixed

I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

Artbabe/Fantagraphics paragraph — the sentence "The character Artbabe, who appears on every cover, does not actually appear in any of the stories" has a tag. This is a minor detail that appears difficult to source. Suggest simply removing the sentence rather than leaving a hanging citation-needed tag.

Radio: An Illustrated Guide paragraph — the sentence about Radio has a tag. Suggested citations: Jccabel (talk) 16:29, 27 February 2026 (UTC) Jccabel (talk) 16:29, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Done. Prezbo (talk) 22:25, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Trish Trash: add collected edition and French edition

I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

Please append the following to the existing Trish Trash paragraph: In 2018, the three-volume series was collected and published as Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars — The Collected Edition.

In 2019, Dargaud published a French-language omnibus edition under the title Rollergirl sur Mars. The edition received a review in BDGest, a major French BD reference site, where critic A. Perroud awarded it 7/10, praising its feminist framing and critique of capitalism and describing the book as "un véritable roman initiatique soigneusement pensé et construit" (a genuine coming-of-age story carefully conceived and constructed).

Please also add to the bibliography: Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars — The Collected Edition (Super Genius, 2018) ISBN 978-1545800164

Jccabel (talk) 21:10, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Jccabel (talk) 21:10, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

There isn't a paragraph about Trish Trash, the first mention of it is in the "Awards" section. Prezbo (talk) 12:13, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Whoops, you're right. Sorry about that.

The Trish Trash release spans 2015-2019, so it should probably sit before the Out on the Wire paragraph since it starts the same year and the French publication was during the Angoulême residency period.

Here's a possible paragraph:

In 2015, while still based in France, Abel began publishing Trish Trash, Rollergirl of Mars, a science fiction comic following a young hoverderby player on a colonized future Mars. The first volume appeared in French as Trish Trash, Rollergirl sur Mars, tome 1 (Dargaud, 2015), with the English-language edition following in three volumes (NBM/Papercutz and Super Genius, 2017–2018). The series was subsequently collected as Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars — The Collected Edition (Super Genius, 2018), receiving coverage in NPR and Northwest Public Broadcasting. In 2019, Dargaud published a French omnibus edition, Rollergirl sur Mars — Intégrale, reviewed in BDGest. Jccabel (talk) 13:40, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Also, I spotted a mistake I made with the ISBNs, and the French omnibus is missing. Trish Trash #3 and the Collected Edition have the same ISBN. #3 should be 978-1545800164, Collected Edition should be 978-1545801673.

Suggested replacement for those lines:

Trish Trash #3 (Super Genius, 2018) ISBN 978-1545800164

Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars — The Collected Edition (Super Genius, 2018) ISBN 978-1545801673

Rollergirl sur Mars — Intégrale (Dargaud, 2019) ISBN 978-2205072815 — in French Jccabel (talk) 13:41, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Done Prezbo (talk) 14:31, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Out on the Wire and Growing Gills: expand both entries

I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

Out on the Wire — the current paragraph is thin and unsourced. Suggested replacement:

Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio (Crown/Broadway, 2015) is a 240-page graphic nonfiction work examining narrative storytelling through interviews with producers from This American Life, Radiolab, Planet Money, and other radio and podcast programs. The book received positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews, the Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, and the Chicago Reader, Publishers Weekly, and was covered in Nieman Reports. Abel simultaneously produced a companion podcast adapting the book's material.

Growing Gills — please add the following paragraph after the Out on the Wire paragraph:

In 2017, Abel self-published Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life, a guide to creative productivity for working artists and writers. The book received coverage in The Guardian, Time, Fast Company, and Inc.

Jccabel (talk) 21:34, 11 March 2026 (UTC) Jccabel (talk) 21:34, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Done with some changes that I can explain if you want. I think the coverage for Growing Gills is thin. Prezbo (talk) 22:38, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

I think that's fair. Thanks for your help! Jccabel (talk) 23:14, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the edits. A couple of follow-up items:

Out on the Wire — the Publishers Weekly citation appears to have been dropped in editing. The review is publicly accessible here: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385348430 — can this be restored?

Growing Gills — I agree that the sources I suggested are not strong enough, however, Publishers Weekly also reviewed Growing Gills. Can something like this be added?

"The book received a review in Publisher's Weekly."

It's here:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781521277874 Jccabel (talk) 12:34, 18 April 2026 (UTC)

Sure--my mistake. Prezbo (talk) 12:09, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

New section suggestion: Creative productivity writing

I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

This is a larger addition than the others and I recognize it requires more editorial judgment. I'm happy to discuss sourcing or scope. I'd like to suggest a new section covering my work as a creative productivity writer, which has received sustained mainstream coverage over several years.

Suggested section title: Creative productivity writing, placed after the PAFA paragraph.

Suggested text:

Abel developed her writing on creative productivity through her blog and her self-published book Growing Gills (2017). The work drew the attention of author Oliver Burkeman, who cited Abel in his Guardian column on three separate occasions. In 2016, Burkeman attributed to Abel the concept of "idea debt" — the psychological burden created by spending too much time thinking about a project before starting it — which Abel had first developed on her blog and in Growing Gills. In 2018, Burkeman built a full column around Abel's concept of "paying yourself first" with time, quoting her directly. In 2020, Burkeman recommended Abel's essay "One Goal To Rule Them All" in a column on focus and creative work.

Burkeman later discussed Abel's "pay yourself first" concept at length in his bestselling book Four Thousand Weeks (2021, pp. 73–75), and cited it again in Meditations for Mortals (2024, p. 129).

Jccabel (talk) 21:48, 11 March 2026 (UTC) Jccabel (talk) 21:48, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Added a condensed version of this. Prezbo (talk) 12:23, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Lead sentence: suggestion for update

I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

I'm raising this last and deliberately, as I know lead sentences are editorial territory and I'm not looking for a specific outcome, I'm just flagging that the current description may be out of date.

The current lead describes me as "an American comic book writer and artist." My work has expanded significantly: I've published a nonfiction book, been cited in The Guardian and in Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks as a creativity writer, and been described in the press as a creativity coach. I'd suggest the lead be updated to reflect this breadth, but defer entirely to editor judgment on wording. One possibility: "Jessica Abel (born 1969) is an American cartoonist, author, creativity coach, and creative productivity writer, known for..."

For additional context: I've been working professionally as a business coach for creative professionals for over ten years. I recognize this may be harder to source to Wikipedia's standards than my publishing credits, and I'm not attached to specific wording, but I wanted editors to understand that 'creativity coach' reflects a genuine and longstanding professional identity, not a recent or minor sideline.

Happy to discuss or provide additional info if helpful.

Jccabel (talk) 21:56, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Unscientifically, a big chunk of your Google results are related to your coaching work, so I do think it deserves to be in the intro. I mentioned it at the end. Prezbo (talk) 12:43, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Much appreciated. Two small corrections to flag:

Lead paragraph — describes me as currently chairing the PAFA illustration department but I left that position in 2024. Suggested revision:

"She chaired the illustration department at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 2016 until 2024, and currently works as a coach for creative professionals."

Career — This isn't really a correction, but a refinement to give context to the PAFA mention above: the existing sentence says "She served in that position until the summer of 2024" which is correct, suggest adding context:

"She served in that position until the summer of 2024, when PAFA closed its degree programs."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.artforum.com/news/pennsylvania-academy-of-the-fine-arts-to-shutter-college-2025-548292/ |title=Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to Shutter College |work=Artforum}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pennsylvania-academy-of-the-fine-arts-closes-college-2418188 |title=Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Closes College |work=Artnet News}}</ref>

Jccabel (talk) Jccabel (talk) 13:51, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Makes sense, I added this. Prezbo (talk) 10:36, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

One more suggestion, not a correction: the list of works in the lead predates several publications that now have coverage in the body of the article-- specifically Out on the Wire, Trish Trash, and Growing Gills. Worth considering whether those should be added. If the list is getting long, Mirror, Window and Soundtrack are both out of print and less newsworthy, and could be demoted to the body of the article. Happy to defer to your judgment on what belongs there. Jccabel (talk) 13:58, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

It is getting long. I included Radio and four works that from the "Awards" section. Prezbo (talk) 09:22, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

It looks good, thank you. One note: despite the awards, Out on the Wire is by far my best-known book (as reflected in press and reviews), and Trish Trash is much less significant. The comics-industry perspective of Eisner Award voters when it comes to nonfiction may be to blame there.

Also, not crucial, since the bibliography is up to date but the "notable works" list in the box of the right is out of date as well. Jccabel (talk) 15:35, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

That's interesting. OK, I replaced Trish Trash with Out on the Wire. Prezbo (talk) 15:58, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Edit request: several new sourced suggestions

I am the subject of this article, disclosing per WP:COI.

I've posted six sourced suggestions on this Talk page covering awards, publication history, citation fixes, and a new section on creative productivity writing. All suggestions include wikitext ready to paste. I'd be grateful if an uninvolved editor could review and implement any they find appropriate.

Jccabel (talk) 22:04, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

@Jccabel go ahead and add them when you have time. Dr vulpes (Talk) 04:09, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

Thanks @Dr vulpes:, these were kindly handled by @Prezbo: in April. Your attention is much appreciated.

Jccabel (talk) Jccabel (talk) 16:08, 4 May 2026 (UTC)