Inklings Week 2025: An Interview with John Hendrix, Author and Illustrator of The Mythmakers
The story of their friendship through graphic novel
It’s that time of year, where we celebrate all things Inklings for the annual Inklings Week and International Inklings Day on May 11th! This year marks the 10th year of Inklings Week (I don’t know how that is even possible, because WHAT?!) and is the 99th anniversary of when Tolkien and Lewis met. We have a great set of posts this year and even a giveaway, so be sure to subscribe and not miss a post. You can find all the posts here. And don’t forget to enter this year’s giveaway!
I’m so excited about this interview today with John Hendrix. If you haven’t yet, be sure to get a copy of his latest, The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. It’s such a fresh way of telling their story and learning more about them.
In case you haven’t yet come across John’s work, here’s his bio:
John Hendrix is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His books include The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, called a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself in a Sketchbook, The Holy Ghost: A Spirited Comic, Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus, and many others. His award-winning illustrations have also appeared on book jackets, newspapers, and magazines all over the world. His most recent graphic novel, The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis was named a Best Children’s Book of 2024 by The New York Times. John is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.
Here are a few spreads. Aren’t they simply fantastic?
I’m so glad you will all be able to “meet him” through this interview. Enjoy!
What is your history with the works of Lewis and Tolkien? I always like to ask this question, as I didn't start reading them until after college. Along with that, what is something about each one that has kept you a fan?
My first memory of "Literature" was The Hobbit. I carried the book around with me, even when I wasn't reading it when I traveled. It was an important object to me. Mostly because I "desired dragons with profound desire" to quote Tolkien himself. I read Narnia out of order, I think I must have read Magician's Nephew first, so I only connected to the portal fantasy concept, not any of the theological ideas (even though they are most prevalent in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe).
There is a time of year, the first really cold day in October or November, where I want to begin reading The Fellowship of the Ring. Middle-Earth feels like a physical place I can actually visit. And to this day I will read Lewis's theological works when I am filled with doubts about my faith and even the purpose of my own work.
I think the 'mythical' aspects of their own friendship is the most intoxicating aspect about their work. I long to have a literary life shared with my creative friends and family (drinking in dark pubs) and enjoying those golden sessions of fellowship. I mean I'm literally a professor and I read poetry aloud with my friends at the Fox and Hounds (a lovely Eagle and Child like pub in St. Louis) far less than I had expected when I began my academic career.
With The Mythmakers you choose to focus on their friendship. What sparked this idea? Why is it important?
Our culture seems to portray most of the great artists as loners. It is one of those 'liturgies' that we all seem to believe and repeat. As a teacher of young artists for 20 years, and the chair of a graduate program in illustration at WashU, I know it to be exactly the opposite. Our work always gets better in a community. Not sometimes, but always. With Lewis and Tolkien, it is so clear that their fellowship made all the difference in their life. I'm convinced neither of them could have written their greatest works without the other. They each gave the other the one thing they needed the most to complete their literary story. Lewis gave Tolkien sheer encouragement. As a perfectionist, he needed that. Lewis said you could never truly "influence" Tolkien. But what Tollers needed as a fan. It took him 17 years to complete Lord of the Rings, that is a long road to travel alone. Tolkien gave Lewis a way to see the human story that made sense to his heart. He did not convert Lewis to Christianity, but without Tolkien's key in the lock, Lewis would never have made any of his most well known works. I think artists should be reminded of how much they need fellowship.
In your research about their friendship, what's something (or two things) that stuck out to you?
One amazing piece of their story is how it began with a shared fandom. Much like two friends that bond over Star Wars or something, and then become deeper friends, it was the same with Tolkien and Lewis. For them it was Norse Mythology. An aspect of my books that I enjoy is telling a story to an audience who only knows fragments of the full story. In this case, many know that they were colleagues and both a part of the Inklings, but most just don't realize that for 25 years that they were as close as friends can be. They even dressed up like polar bears together once! Even as their friendship was dimming, Tolkien went to bat for Lewis in a major way to land him a prestigious chair at Cambridge.
What did you learn from their friendship story that you've applied in your own life?
There is a ton of application you can take from their life and friendship. Clearly, when you see that the Inklings met for nearly two decades there are major lessons to learn from them. The first is intentionality and dedication. They met twice a week. One time a week was in the pub for laughs, and the other time was for their own reading group. In this reading group, they would read works and really give each other tough criticism. That is so challenging to do with friends, if we're honest with ourselves. But what they did in their artistic life, they couldn't quite do in their personal life. As their deep connection dimmed, and became strained, it was because they were not fully honest with their feelings to the other. It is easier said than done, but this is a lesson I'm trying to apply to my own friendships, both new and old.
If you could have a meal with both Jack and Tollers, what would you want to chat about the most?
This is a great question.
A few weeks back I had an amazing dream. (I know everyone hates dream talk!) I never remember my dreams, but this one was notable. I was in Oxford, and attending a lecture with Professor Tolkien. Afterwards, he and I spoke and he said he liked my book, and we talked about all the things he would have added to the story. (Though I don't remember the details, but he was polite about it.) I woke up feeling like I wish I could have stayed asleep longer to spend more time with him. Perhaps it really was the spirit of Tolkien coming to me? We'll never know. If I could have another hour with both of them, I'd love to hear them tell me about their favorite stories. I think literature was the space where both of them came truly alive. It was why they wrote the tales they did! Lewis was often said to be the single person in the 20th century who had read the most books, and I'd love to get access to all those thoughts and ideas. He played this game with reading where he made copious footnotes in the back with his reflections. He 'gamified' reading and I've got to see a few of those notated books in person. Even better might be to hear them tell stories about the other Inklings. All male fellowship seems to be rooted in the joy of 'giving each other the business' and I'd love to hear them laughing about one another around the pints at the Bird and Baby.
Thank you so much John! I hope you all enjoyed the interview as much as I did. I was again reminded how much I adore their friendship and the inspiration it brings to so many and in so many areas of their lives.
Be sure to connect with John online at:
X: @hendrixart
Instagram: @johnhendrix
Website: www.johnhendrix.com
Bluesky: @johnhendrix.bsky.social
© 2025 Jamie Lapeyrolerie