It would be hard to argue that Chris Ryall, San Diego’s newest library commissioner, doesn’t live on the cutting edge of modern entertainment.
Ryall, 56, has been a successful comic book author, editor and publisher for more than 20 years and was executive producer of the popular Netflix fantasy horror show “Locke and Key.”
He also recently wrote a graphic novel with famed film director Francis Ford Coppola, has another TV show in the works and released a new book of his own last month.
It’s unusual expertise and perspective for a library commissioner, but it could help the city library’s 37-branch system broaden and modernize its approach to non-traditional books.
“Through his diverse professional background in business and arts, Chris brings a uniquely well-rounded perspective that will serve as a major asset to our public library system,” said Misty Jones, the city’s head librarian. “His passion for entertainment and literature, as well as his knowledge of the publishing industry, will benefit not only the library system but all our library patrons.”
Ryall said he would love to broaden the local library’s approach to graphic novels and help library officials become more savvy about other new forms of entertainment. But he’s not looking to ruffle any feathers.
“I didn’t go in there with any list of complaints — it was more like, ‘I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far, and let’s see where else I can be helpful,’” Ryall said.
He said he’s more likely to help the library avoid pitfalls than to steer them down entirely new paths, he said.
But he’s already offered some key assistance to library officials on navigating recent turbulence in the world of comic book publishing, in particular a shuffling of which companies control the distribution market.
“The real area where the expertise helped was the distribution shakeup in the comic book industry,” said Ryall. He said he alerted library officials to some other distributors they could turn to and got them some additional advice.
“I know a lot of people at different libraries across the country, so I just reached out,” he said.
Ryall is surrounded by comic books in his studio at his Scripps Ranch home on Dec. 17, 2025. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Ryall lives in Scripps Ranch with his wife and their pug; the couple’s daughter attends San Diego State. For fun, he plays pickleball as often as four times a week — “I’ve played an undue amount of pickleball over the last few years,” he admits.
But beyond his work in comics, he said recent nationwide trends and local budget woes inspired him to seek to join the city’s nine-member library commission, which meets monthly to advise the mayor and City Council on how to run the library system.
“I was frustrated by seeing things like book banning and budgetary cuts, so I started skimming around to see if there were any potential open seats,” Ryall said. “I just blindly took a shot.”
Once he was invited in for an interview, it could not have gone any more smoothly, he says.
“The interview to discuss my capabilities and my interest in the board seat lasted about five seconds and became a conversation about comics,” he said.
Ryall said he’s long been an avid supporter of libraries, but he’s eager to contribute now in a more direct way.
“As a kid, libraries were the place where I got exposed to so many different kinds of books and so many great experiences,” he said.
He stressed their importance to ensuring access for low-income people, but also for neighborhoods generally. “It’s a valuable central hub of any community,” he added.
For one thing, he suspects many people who aren’t regular patrons might not realize how much libraries have to offer besides books — including subscriptions to popular online platforms and many other forms of entertainment available to borrow.
“We need to sing the broader praises of what libraries offer, beyond just the books and reference materials,” he said.
He says he’s even enjoyed his first board meetings, affairs many commissioners might find tedious with their budget reviews and other bureaucratic exercises.
“I’m finding it thrilling — not boring at all,” he said. “The presentations have been engaging. It’s off to a more rousing start than I expected.”
At his first meeting, library officials had a surprise waiting for him: “They tailored every one of the presentations to the comic nerd in the room,” he said.
Officials summarized how the library’s presence at Comic-Con went last summer and then discussed their areas of graphic novels at the system’s branches — an effort Ryall said he endorses.
“I feel like graphic novels deserve more focus in every part of the world, but I’m very happy with the way the libraries here handle graphic novels,” he said, praising a decision not to mix adult and youth graphic novels. “I think there is a very broad representation.”
Ryall is also busy with his comics career, including the recent publication of his book celebrating the 1986 comic “Daredevil: Born Again.” He also helped Coppola publish the graphic novel “Megalopolis” this year.
For the entire three-season Netflix run of “Locke and Key,” Ryall served as one of the executive producers.
His next show might be a sort of “Mad Men” set in the world of comics instead of Madison Avenue advertising.
“I sold a TV show that may or may not ever happen, but at least it’s in the midst of potentially happening,” he said.”It peeks behind the curtain at the creation of comic books, and the outside influences that affect their creation and the stories that get told.”
Ryall represents north inland Council District 5 on the library commission. His term runs through 2027 but could be extended another two years.