Top Rank Magazine

For episode 44, we invited illustrator, author, and comedian Daisy Ruiz (@draizys) to bring us into her journey as an award-winning cartoonist and, more recently, aspiring comedian. We talked with Daisy about her highly-acclaimed, super inspiring, and hilarious first comic book—”Gordita: Built Like This” (2023)—and how she combined memory, fiction, and humor to create a parable about the body politics of girlhood. Our conversation digs into how she creates whole worlds on paper; the influence of growing up in the Bronx on her eye and style of storytelling; and how comics can capture the complexity and magic of everyday life. Our intro (“Love is Love”) and outro (“My Ace”) are courtesy of KING VISION ULTRA, 2025.