3 Questions With... Bob Scott

Meet the animation superstar making kid comics

3 Questions With… Bob Scott

I met Bob and his wife Vicki at the L.A. Festival of Books last month, and let me tell you—if you’re not hitting up book festivals and comic conventions, you’re seriously missing out! These events are treasure troves for discovering incredible creators and books you might never stumble across otherwise.

I was immediately hooked by the art and character designs in their Molly and the Bear series. Comic strips and graphic novels? Yes, please! Bob has been creating Molly and the Bear as a syndicated strip for over 20 years, and more recently, he and Vicki have expanded the world into graphic novels for kids, all while juggling an amazing career in animation.

Just check out a few of these highlights from Bob’s IMDB page: The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, The Garfield Movie—and even the animated sequences from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation! Talk about range.

We’re lucky to have someone with his talent bringing new stories into the world of kids’ graphic novels.

Why comics? (What compels you to create in this medium?

I fell in love with comic strips when I was little because they were so funny. Since we got the newspaper delivered to the house every day, I got to know the characters and appreciated how each strip was funny in a different way. Of course, the art attracted me like a moth to flame, and I spent hours drawing my favorite characters.

My mom regularly took me and my brothers to the local library. Imagine how excited I was to find books about comic strips! Compilation books were the best, but there were also books about how to draw comics and cartoons - and animation!

My love of comic strips morphed into a love for animation, and that led to a decades-long career as an animator and story artist.

As rewarding as working in animation is, I continued to love comic strips. In my free time, I developed many strips over the years, starting when I was still in high school. A drawing of a scared bear next to a little girl launched the comic strip Molly and the Bear.

Molly and the Bear has been syndicated online for nearly 20 years. I love creating the strips, making a funny or moving story in three or four panels. It is fun to create a strip, publish it and get feedback all in 24 hours!

My wife Vicki Scott suggested I do a longer-form Molly and the Bear, so we dove into graphic novels together. Unlike the comic strips, the books take months to create, and I love collaborating with Vicki. She does most of the writing and I do the drawing. She also colors the art beautifully!

Simon and Schuster published Molly and the Bear; An Unlikely Pair in Fall 2024, and Molly and the Bear; Campers Beware comes out in August 2025. It makes me happy to know that our books are in local libraries and any kid can check them out and read them for free!

What are you currently working on?

Vicki and I have been developing graphic novel ideas that don't star Molly and Bear, but I have been drawing Molly and Bear in one form or another for 20 years, so of course I am hatching ideas for a third Molly and the Bear graphic novel. And fourth, fifth, sixth...

What is your favorite part/step of the process?

While I enjoy the entire process, I must admit I love drawing and inking the final art the most. I draw traditionally with paper, pencil and ink. I find inking to be relaxing. There is a meditative aspect to it that is enjoyable.

You can find Bob online at:

Molly and the Bear Graphic Novels
Instagram
GoComics - Syndicated Molly and the Bear Strip

Here’s a bonus for you: the first few pages from Molly and the Bear: Campers Beware. It comes out August 5th. You can pre-order it at the link above.