Daniel Gillespie Clowes is a renowned figure in the world of comics, recognized for his role as a cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. His most impactful work has often debuted in Eightball, a solo anthology comic book series. Within the pages of Eightball, readers would find a mix of short pieces and installments of longer narratives that would eventually be bound together and published as complete graphic novels. Noteworthy titles from his portfolio include Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron (1993), Ghost World (1997), David Boring (2000), and Patience (2016).

Clowes has also made his mark in the realm of illustration, with his artwork featured in prominent publications such as The New Yorker, Newsweek, Vogue, and The Village Voice. His collaborations with filmmaker Terry Zwigoff have brought his stories to the silver screen; together, they adapted Ghost World into a 2001 film and another Eightball story into the film Art School Confidential in 2006. Clowes's contributions to comics, graphic novels, and film have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by his Pen Award for Outstanding Work in Graphic Literature, multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards, and an Academy Award nomination.