hi there!

Welcome to IN THE TELLING. My name is Molly Knox Ostertag, and I began sharing comics on the internet ten years ago (Strong Female Protagonist, How the Best Hunter in the Village Met Her Death). It’s always been a way for me to connect with readers and share my work and thoughts, even when I moved into making traditionally published work (the Witch Boy series, the Girl From the Sea).

this newsletter:

This newsletter will update twice a week on average. I’ve shared ten weeks of conversation about the graphic novel process here. Please feel free to ask questions in the comment section!

I’m also serializing a graphic novel, DARKEST NIGHT, here. It updates every Friday for subscribers!

There will also be a good deal of rambling on topics I find interesting, which include but are not limited to: cooking, D&D, queerness, cats, hobbits, books, camping, and hot takes on movies from the early 2000s.

My goal is to form a safe, good-faith community in the comments section to chat about comics, queerness, and whatever else is interesting that week!

a few more notes:

Some of the work will be 18+, or will otherwise contain content that needs a sensitivity warning; I will ALWAYS tag that at the top of a post. Please use discretion, especially if you are a minor!

I’ve received a grant from Substack to make this newsletter. Most posts will be free, but for various legal reasons, a selection will be subscribers-only. All the funds I make from subscribers (less Substack’s cut) will be matched by me, and donated to a trans charity of my choice. To begin, I’ll be donating to The Trans Lifeline’s Microgrant program, which provides funds for gender affirming surgery and legal work, with a focus on BIPOC and incarcerated trans folk.

Any kind of bigotry or harassment in the comments will result in immediate blocking.

stay up-to-date:

Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. This is the best way to keep in touch and see what I’m up to!

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.