'So Yummy' from So Buttons #14. Artwork by longtime collaborator T.J. Kirsch.
Jonathan Baylis is an American writer and producer of promotional videos, first for television, then for a toy company. Since 2004, he has additionally been writing funny, upbeat and true comic stories, first for the local NYC indie press, then as the creator, writer and editor of the autobiographical comic book series 'So Buttons' (2007- ). In the tradition of Harvey Pekar, his stories have been drawn by a host of artists.
Early life and work
Jonathan Michael Baylis was born in The Bronx in New York City in 1973. His father worked in IT, his mother was a pre-school/daycare worker. While studying Film and Television Production at New York University, he spent a semester at Goldsmiths University of London, where a local comic shop with a New York owner introduced him to the world of indie and small press comics. Back home, he resumed his studies, but wasn't sure about a career in film. By attending comic conventions, Baylis got in touch with editors from the comic industry, which resulted in an internship at Marvel Comics during his final year. Assisting the editor of Marvel Age magazine, one of his first tasks was writing the obituary for the legendary Jack Kirby (1917-1994), who died the week he started. At Marvel Age, he got in touch with cartoonists like Fred Hembeck, who would later draw stories related to Baylis' Marvel internship in the 'So Buttons' comics.
'So... Friendly (Dad story)' from So Buttons #15. Artwork by Noah Van Sciver.
Subsequently, Baylis interned for a year at Valiant Comics, before landing a job as Associate Editor with Topps Comics, where he worked on the licensed 'Space: Above & Beyond' title (1996) by writer Roy Thomas and artist Yanick Paquette. As the comic book market was in decline, he eventually joined the company's trading cards division, which introduced him to the legendary underground cartoonist Jay Lynch, who later did a 'So Buttons' cover for him.
Professional life and other activities
During the 21st century, Baylis has been working as a writer-producer of promos and marketing videos, developing several award-winning campaigns. First, he worked in television for Sundance Channel, HBO and NBC Universal, but since 2024, he has been writing and producing videos for Relatable, an entertainment company producing humorous toys, games and other products. In addition, he has been a volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charitable organization granting the wishes of critically ill children.
Baylis' interests are wide and varied. He loves classical music, is a subscriber to the New York Philharmonic and has sung in New York choruses for decades. Another longtime hobby is origami - he even asked his wife, Canadian-American comedian Ophira Eisenberg, to marry him by presenting her with a ring hidden in a box under 1,000 origami cranes. A big comics fan, Jonathan Baylis is an avid collector of comic art, owning pieces by Jack Kirby, Bernie Wrightson, John Byrne, Frank Quitely, Ted McKeever and Noah Van Sciver among others. As a comic creator himself, Baylis has been influenced by the introspective autobiographical comics of Chester Brown, Julie Doucet, Seth, Joe Matt and especially Harvey Pekar and his 'American Splendor' series. Just like Pekar, Baylis set out to write autobiographical comic stories, and collaborate with a wide range of artists. Another important inspiration has been the indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.
So Buttons issues #1 and #6, with cover art by, respectively, T.J. Kirsch and Jay Lynch.
So Buttons
Starting in 2004, Baylis has been working on autobiographical comic stories, initially in some NYC magazines, and from 2007 in his own 'So Buttons' comic book series. As writer, editor and self-publisher, he has been releasing either a regular issue or a special on an annual base through his Alchemy Comix imprint. Each issue contains a set of autobiographical comic stories, focusing on everyday life, relationships, family, and identity. A mix of humor and heartfelt reflection, his stories often highlight coincidence, memory and the small moments that reveal larger truths. Some issues are built around a theme, like the horror issue (#3), but mostly 'So Buttons' contains a mix of stories, dealing with the writer's views on art and life, childhood memories and anecdotes from both his personal and professional life. Lightweight subjects like the perfect holiday gift and monster movie make-up are mixed with feelgood tales about his experiences as a young father and his love for his dog Mocha, as well as serious stories dealing with the death of his mother and his reasons for becoming a bone marrow donor. In his stories, Baylis also tackles pop cultural subjects, from his meetings with famous people like radio host Citizen Kafka and underground comix legend Robert Crumb to informative pieces about Saturday Night Live, NYC Soul Food history and famous people that have the same birthday as Baylis. Mostly using a six-panel grid, his comics can either have a longer narrative or a gag comic format.
'So Cheesy (the John Cleese story)' from So Buttons #11. Artwork by B. Mure.
In true Harvey Pekar tradition, Baylis has been working with a wide range of artists to draw his stories, resulting, in his own words, in "multiple visual perspectives on a single life". Using his background in filmmaking, Baylis tries to "cast" the best artist to fit the mood, theme or style of the story. Often, he doesn't write every little detail out, leaving room for the artist's own interpretation and artistic freedom. In many cases, Baylis has picked his artists from the many mini-comics he bought at conventions, testing his new collaborators by having them do single pages first, before expanding to longer stories. Several of his contributors have become longtime co-workers who appear in several 'So Buttons' issues. Before launching his own comic book series, Jonathan Baylis wrote his first comic story, 'So... Drafted', for Free Comics NYC #2 in 2004. After that, he contributed to the local comedy club magazine The Comical, creating a strip about dating a comedian. Through an ad on Craigslist, he found his first and most loyal artist collaborator, T.J. Kirsch. Since the launch of the 'So Buttons' comic book series, Kirsch has remained a contributor to each issue.
'Take a Penny/Leave a Penny', a story about saving a baby's life. Art by Karl Christian Krumpholz.
For the early 'So Buttons' issues, Baylis worked with a steady artists' team, besides Kirsch consisting of David Beyer Jr., Tim E. Ogline and Thomas Boatwright. While they remained regulars in the series, more collaborations followed. From issue #4 on, several additional artists have drawn one or more stories for the series, including Rachel Dukes, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Fred Hembeck, Victor Kerlow, Eric Kim, Nicole Miles, Corinne Mucha, Rick Parker, Joseph Remnant, James Romberger, Paul Salvi, Sam Spina, Noah Van Sciver, Lance Ward and Paul Westover.
So Buttons issues #12 and #13, cover art by, respectively, Jesse Lonergan and Karl Christian Krumpholz.
Starting with issue #10, even more artists joined, including Steven Arnold, Josh Bayer, Haley Boros, Nathaniel Breen, Brian "Box" Brown, Craig Campbell, Eleanor Davis, Miss Lasko-Gross & Kevin Colden, Miguel Echemendia, Danny Hellman, Summer Pierre, Sophia Glock, Devy Goldstein, Becky Hawkins, Karl Christian Krumpholz, Jesse Lonergan, Rachelle Meyer, B. Mure, Ayoko Nito, Ben Passmore, Joe Phillips, Bhanu Pratap, Josh Pettinger, Carol Tyler, Tony Wolf, and J.T. Yost. A notable contributor to the series has been the artist's son Lucas Eisenberg-Baylis, whose childhood artwork has appeared in a couple of issues. For issue #13, subtitled 'Film School with Pekar's Pals and Mine', Baylis had the opportunity to collaborate with several former artists of Harvey Pekar's 'American Splendor' series, with stories drawn by Brian Bram, Gary Dumm, Michael T. Gilbert and Joe Zabel. The 'So Buttons' series has also led to collaborations with important underground creators like Jay Lynch, Johnny Ryan and Denis Kitchen.
Contributions
Besides his own series, Jonathan Baylis' comics have been published locally in New York City, in literary anthologies like 'The Florida Review', 'Backwards City Review' and 'Wild River Review', and in comics anthologies such as Julia Wertz's 'I Saw You... Missed Connections' (Random House/Three Rivers, 2008), Rachel Dukes' 'Side B: The Music Lovers Anthology' (Poseur, 2009), Adam Pasion's 'Aftershock: Artists Respond to Disaster in Japan' (BigUglyRobot Press, 2011) and J.T. Yost's 'Digestate: A Food & Eating Themed Anthology' (Birdcage Bottom Books, 2012), as well as issues of the anthology 'Fluke' and Jordan Shiveley's 'Hive'.
Recognition
In 2025, Baylis was nominated for an Eisner Award in the category "Best Anthology" for 'So Buttons 14: Life & Death', a unique feat for an indie comic creator.
Jonathan Baylis, drawn by CM Campbell for So Buttons #14.