By Zack Quaintance — The first four books from cartoonist Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s popluar Lunch Lady series were recently reissued, appearing in bookstores for the first time in hardcover, full-color, two-in-one editions. The First Helping (which includes Lunch Lady #1 and Lunch Lady #2), and The Second Helping (which includes Lunch Lady #3 and Lunch Lady #4) are in shops now.

Delightful and clever, this series is a real gift for young readers, perfect for fans of series like Captain Underpants or Dog Man. With the event of these new editions, we recently caught up with Krosozka to talk about the Lunch Lady series, influences on his work, and when readers will be able to get their hands on Lunch Lady #11…there’s a lot of good stuff in this chat.

Check out our full talk below!

INTERVIEW: Jarrett J. Krosoczka talks LUNCH LADY series

ZACK QUAINTANCE: What makes now a great time for reading the Lunch Lady books?

JARRETT J. KROSOCZKA: Readers will be able to experience these books in an entirely new format—full color, bigger trim sizes, and archival sketches that fill up the backmatter! And also: Kate Flannery of The Office leads full-cast audiobook adaptations! I am so excited to introduce an entirely new generation of readers to this world.

ZACK: How does retro culture influence your cartooning? I feel like I can see a pastiche of influences in there, but would love to hear your thoughts...

JARRETT: Oh, for sure! I was weaned on Saturday Morning Cartoons, Snoopy comic strips, reruns of Batman ’66, and monthly visits to the comic book shop. All of that media that I consumed as a kid inspired my imagination—and buoyed me through some tough times. Fictional characters were my best friends, and I often made my own fan art. Those stories also got me to start writing my own stories, starting in elementary school.

ZACK: I also wanted to ask what were some of your influences as a humorist? This definitely felt like one of those stories that managed to hit the sweet spot where it's funny for both adults and kids.

JARRETT: I write for the kid I was. The tone in the Lunch Lady comics was influenced directly by the comics that I wrote as a fifth-grader. I revisited those early stories and worked towards emulating that writing style when approaching the Lunch Lady graphic novels. I love that kids have taken to the series, and what’s wild is that I hear from librarians all the time that they can hand these books to everyone between Kindergarten and fifth grade. And I also love that parents and caretakers are entertained while reading with their kids.

ZACK: From where I sit, the market for indie comics publishing seems drastically different than it was when these books debuted in the aughts. From your perspective, how has indie comics publishing changed in the past 15 years or so?

JARRETT: The most significant change is that so many original stories are now being published in full color. Back in the ‘00s, publishers were hesitant to print these comics in color out of fear that graphic novels would never sell well enough to justify the production costs. That is why the Lunch Lady graphic novels were initially published in a limited-color palette. (We chose yellow as the signature color because of that iconic yellow rubber dishwashing glove!) The kid readers proved that hesitation unfounded, launching so many colorful comics to the top of the bestseller lists. Librarians have told me that in this modern era when they hand a kid a limited-color or black-and-white graphic novel to a kid, it’s akin to giving the kid a stone tablet. Today’s kid readers expect their comics to be in full color.

ZACK: Finally, what does the future hold for the Lunch Lady series? Aside from the 10-year anniversary of School Lunch Hero Day coming up on May 6...

JARRETT: I am hard at work on Lunch Lady #11. It is scheduled to hit bookshelves in early 2023! I am also hoping that more adventures from the original run get the full-color treatment. I’m also hoping for more audiobook adaptations!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He has written about comics for The Beat and NPR Books, among others. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.