Dave Baker
Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist and writer known for his hybrid graphic novels, punk-infused coming-of-age stories, and the acclaimed Mary Tyler Moorehawk.
Dave Baker writes stuff and draws stuff—and what stuff it is. One of indie comics’ most distinctive voices, Baker has spent years building a body of work that defies easy categorization. From punk rock coming-of-age stories to sprawling action-adventure graphic novels that blend sequential art with prose, his work consistently pushes the boundaries of what comics can be while maintaining an unmistakable emotional core.
The Punk Rock Chronicles
Baker’s collaborations with artist Nicole Goux have produced some of the most beloved indie comics of recent years. Together, they’ve created a small universe of interconnected stories exploring youth, music, and the messy business of growing up. Punk’n Heads (Top Shelf/IDW, 2026) stands as their latest achievement—a DIY love letter to being young, messy, and alive. The graphic novel follows Hannah Lipsky, an artist whose fine art dreams have derailed, as she finds herself drawn into a punk scene populated by horror-punk kids in pumpkin masks. “This is a book for all the broken hearted losers out there,” Baker explained in an interview with Smash Pages. “The kids who wanted to accomplish great things and then ended up playing shitty back-room punk shows.”
Their previous collaborations include Forest Hills Bootleg Society (Simon & Schuster), Everyone Is Tulip (Dark Horse), and the cult favorite Fuck Off Squad (Silver Sprocket)—works that explore themes of found family, creative community, and the bittersweet passage of time.
Mary Tyler Moorehawk: The Masterwork
If Baker’s collaborations with Goux represent his accessible, emotionally direct work, Mary Tyler Moorehawk (Top Shelf, 2024) showcases his more ambitious formal experiments. This hybrid graphic novel and prose mystery took nearly five years to complete, with Baker writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering every page himself.
The comics sections follow Mary Tyler MooreHawk (MTMH), a teen detective sensation cut from the same cloth as Nancy Drew, Jonny Quest, and Tom Swift Jr., as she leads a family of super-scientist adventurers against a villain from a parallel dimension. The prose sections, designed to look like issues of a futuristic magazine called Physicalist Today, follow a journalist named Dave Baker investigating the disappearance of the TV show’s creator. The result is something reviewers called “wonderfully strange”—a palimpsest of genres and formats that functions as both an earnest adventure and a meditation on fandom, creator ownership, and what it means to make art.
As Baker explained to Fanbase Press: “MTMH is built on a long line of archetypes… I wanted MTMH to be a perfect sigil of what it means to be good. Not to just do good, but to innately and effortlessly be good.”
Halloween Boy and Beyond
Baker’s creator-owned work extends into horror and action-adventure territory. Halloween Boy—described as “Hellboy meets Buckaroo Banzai”—follows an action-adventure hero nicknamed “The Demon Who Lives” who believes he’s “the Patron Saint of the Impossible.” Each issue finds him helping someone escape an unwinnable scenario, with a lingering mystery about his true origins running through the background. Published by Oni Press, the series collects Baker’s self-published double-sized issues in distinctive duotone art.
Other creator-owned projects include Night Hunters, Action Hospital, and the sold-out Fuck Off Squad Collection—each showcasing Baker’s range across genres while maintaining his signature emotional intensity.
Licensed Work and Industry Presence
Beyond creator-owned comics, Baker has contributed to numerous licensed properties. His work includes Star Trek Voyager: Seven’s Reckoning, Godzilla comics, and TMNT projects. This diverse portfolio demonstrates both his versatility as a storyteller and his deep knowledge of genre conventions.
The Deep Cuts Podcast
When not drawing or writing, Baker co-hosts the Deep Cuts podcast with Andrew Price. Each week, the duo explores deep dives into pop culture and history—episodes have covered everything from The Prisoner to the Satanic Panic to the Milli Vanilli lip-sync scandal. It’s a perfect extension of Baker’s self-described nature as “a weird kid” who loves pulpy genre fiction and strange cultural detritus.
Influences and Philosophy
Baker’s influences are gloriously eclectic. In interviews, he’s cited Buckaroo Banzai, Nancy Drew, Jonny Quest, and Tom Swift Jr. as foundational inspirations for his action-adventure work. For his more experimental formalist projects, he draws from David Foster Wallace, Mark Z. Danielewski, and Steven Hall. His approach to comics emphasizes earnest optimism—“I wanted to make someone so good and pure that it was undeniable,” he told Toons Mag about MTMH.
His feelings about creator ownership inform much of his work, particularly Mary Tyler Moorehawk’s meditation on what happens when creators are mistreated by the industry. “I think the people who have created so many iconic characters and beloved stories deserve to be treated with respect and financially remunerated accordingly,” he noted.
Finding Dave Baker
Visit HeyDaveBaker.com for his complete catalog, including hardcovers, collections, and merchandise. Connect with him on social media: @Xdavebakerx on X and @xdavebakerx on Instagram.
Perfect for fans of formalist comics experimentation, punk rock aesthetics, and stories that balance genre thrills with genuine emotional vulnerability. Baker’s work bridges the gap between underground comix and literary graphic novels, making him essential reading for anyone interested in where indie comics are heading.
