Dustin Harbin

Dustin Harbin is the kind of cartoonist who makes the whole indie comics ecosystem feel smaller and warmer. For over two decades, he’s been a fixture of the small press scene—not just as a creator, but as a connector, a community builder, and the guy who helped invent Indie Island, the small-press haven at the heart of HeroesCon that has launched countless careers since 2005. Harbin co-created the section with fellow Charlotte cartoonist J. Chris Campbell and AdHouse Books publisher Chris Pitzer, and his illustratation for the 20th anniversary t-shirt in 2025—a Kid-Hero mascot bursting with DIY energy—captures everything Indie Island stands for: scrappy, inventive, and joyfully independent.

Harbin’s own comics career began in earnest in the late 2000s, when he started posting daily diary strips on his website DHARBIN! While working at the legendary Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find comics shop in Charlotte—where he organized HeroesCon for years alongside future superstar writer Matt Fraction—he quietly built a following with his wry, self-deprecating, and achingly honest autobiographical comics. Those strips were collected starting in 2010 by Koyama Press as Diary Comics, a series that ran through multiple volumes and earned comparisons to the diaristic work of James Kochalka and Chester Brown. Library Journal called the collection “funny and affecting,” praising Harbin’s ability to find humor and insight in the mundane rhythms of a working artist’s life.

But Harbin’s artistic range extends far beyond diary comics. In 2014, he released BEHOLD! The Dinosaurs with UK publisher Nobrow Press—a staggering 13-foot-long concertina (leporello) book featuring over 100 meticulously researched dinosaurs, each drawn to scale on individual sheets of paper. The project began as a print colored by Sam Bosma and Kali Ciesemier, but rapidly evolved into one of Nobrow’s most beloved leporellos. Harbin spent months researching dinosaur anatomy, size, and era placement, drawing the smallest species on 5” x 7” paper and the largest—like the towering Spinosaurus—on 11” x 17” sheets. The result is a masterpiece of infographic design and paleo-art that unfolds into a breathtaking parade of prehistoric life, beloved by children and connoisseurs alike.

Harbin has also built a parallel career as one of comics’ most sought-after letterers. He lettered Matt Fraction, Gabriel Bá, and Fábio Moon’s mind-bending Casanova series for Image/Icon Comics, and provided lettering for Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds (2014)—the massively anticipated follow-up to Scott Pilgrim. The Seconds lettering credits Harbin alongside colorist Nathan Fairbairn and assistant artist Jason Fischer, with The Comics Beat noting the book’s “stunningly accomplished” craft. His lettering work extends the visual voice of these projects, proving that Harbin’s comics instincts work at every level of production.

In 2019, Harbin broke into mainstream journalism when The New York Times published his long-form comic essay about his experience with a catastrophic bicycle accident and the American healthcare system. The piece, which went viral in comics and journalism circles, used his signature diary style to document the aftermath of a crash that knocked out his teeth and left him with crushing medical debt—transforming personal crisis into a powerful work of advocacy for healthcare reform.

Today, Harbin continues to post diary comics to his website, runs an active Patreon where he shares sketches, process work, and exclusive content, and sells prints through INPRNT, Threadless, and Society6. He still tables at HeroesCon every year at Indie Island (table ii-1269), living proof that the community he helped build continues to thrive. His work is a testament to the power of showing up, day after day, and drawing your life onto the page until it becomes art.

Perfect for fans of James Kochalka’s American Elf, Chester Brown’s The Playbook, and the community-driven energy of indie comics festivals everywhere.