Brian Fies

About the artist

As soon as he realized his Santa Rosa home had been destroyed in the 2017 Tubbs Fire along with 6,000 others, Brian Fies knew he had to tell his story. The day after their escape, Brian bought art supplies and drew an 18-page sketched comic strip he called A Fire Story. He posted it online, where it went viral and appeared in news media nationwide. “People who hadn’t been through the fire said my comic helped them understand the experience,” Brian recalls. “People who had been through the fire said I got it right.” Brian expanded the work, and A Fire Story was published as a full-length graphic novel/memoir.

In addition to A Fire Story, Brian Fies has published Mom’s Cancer, which addressed his mother’s diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer; Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow; and The Last Mechanical Monster. His work has received numerous comics industry awards. Brian and his wife Karen have rebuilt their home.

Brian Fies, A Fire Story, 2019; expanded edition 2021, ink on Bristol Board, Courtesy of the artist

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