NYT profiles Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

The New York Times ran an article on comic writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa this weekend:

"One of the best things that happened for me as a playwright is becoming a comic-book writer," said Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa, who was a devoted comic-book collector growing up in Nicaragua and Washington, and who likes his characters to have a theatrical bent. (In one issue, the Human Torch snags tickets to "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.") "When you tell people you're a playwright, their eyes sort of glaze over," he said. "But when you say you write the 'Fantastic Four' or 'Spider-Man,' they perk up. It's a touchstone that has gained more credibility as artistic expression."

Certainly comic books are enjoying a pop-cultural primacy as never before, through big-budget movie adaptations, video games and television shows. Theater artists, on the other hand, command a much smaller audience. "One of my comics is read by more people — around 70,000 — than will see my entire run at Manhattan Theater Club," Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa said. "That puts things in perspective."