Sometimes, Brooklyn hipsters deserve to be made fun of: Everyone’s riding their fixies and and trying to out-organic each other and seem to care more about finding secret loft parties in Bushwick than doing anything important. But they’re people, just like us, and they have their human side. That side of Brooklyn 20-something life is being chronicled in the web comic Octopus Pie , written and drawn by Meredith Gran, which follows the lives of two young Brooklynites, Eve and Hanna, as they deal with relationships, dead-end jobs and the constant threat of getting their bikes stolen. And if it hits almost too close to home, it’s probably because, for Gran, it does. Eve and Hanna seem to represent two types of, for lack of a better word, “hipsters” you often run into in Brooklyn. You’ve got the skinny, pot smoking, outgoing gal and the shy, bookish, cat-loving one. We don’t want to assume that you identify more with one, but do you? Both girls are me in a lot of ways. Their flaws are mine. Hanna can be obliviously self-absorbed and bossy, while Eve struggles with self-doubt and a refusal to grow up. There’s something cathartic about laying out fictional problems for your graphic embodiments to solve. That said, Eve is undoubtedly the most like me. She’s the observer and the introvert, and also the most reckless. Which could explain why she’s sometimes very frustrating to write. Why do you think those characters have resonated so well? The themes are pretty basic. Just about every character is trying to figure their life out. At some point we’ve all worked a job we didn’t like, done awkward social dances, had our hearts broken or sought the approval of our parents. People see Eve as a hero because she rolls with the punches. She deals with things she often can’t control. She’s heroic in her complete lack of heroism. It seems like everyone has met someone in your stories. Like that one story line with the house guest that just shows up and everyone loves him? Everyone knows that guy! Where do you get your inspiration? The Victor story came from just that – the fact that everyone’s been there. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t often end with people’s lives being a little better. What do you think makes Brooklyn a good backdrop for the story? Brooklyn can be a difficult place to live, even for the adaptable 20-something. It’s expensive, the seasons are brutal, the commute can suck, and everyone’s looking out for themselves. Eve willingly subjects herself to a lot of difficulty for the things she loves, and her relationship with Brooklyn is no exception. In general, New York has the power to make anyone look small. The characters are meant to look like small stories in the enormous world around them. So you’ve got the new book, “There Are No Stars in Brooklyn,” coming out soon. You’ve released books before, but how do you get people to buy what they can get online for free? When it comes to free content, the passion of your readership means a lot. Fans of the comic are willing to pay for something they love. My job is to make them love the comic as much as possible! As far as buying webcomics in books goes, anyone who does so will tell you how satisfying it is to hold a book in your hands. The image is crisper, there are fewer distractions while reading, you can easily lend it to a friend, and it doubles as a fancy art object—suitable for adorning your coffee table or bathroom magazine rack. Ok, what’s your best “only in New York” story? The crazy folks who ride the subway will always hold a special place in my heart. I like the one ranting guy on the R who, among other achievements, boasted that he once “beat Mayor Bloomberg’s ass”. I was so tickled by it, I even included it in Eve’s alleged mythology. So, you’ve left Brooklyn now? What’s it like out there? I have left, in fact. I’m currently living in Portland, Oregon. I’m in the southeast neighborhood, which reminds me of Brooklyn in a lot of ways. Except it’s cheaper and smaller. What’s the one thing you want people to know about you or your work? Making comics is definitely the coolest job in the world. The naked cowboy might have more fun than me.

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Meredith Gran, Octopus Pie