Fortson, Ben: - Ben Fortson writes and illustrates Almost Off the Record, a zanily clever history comic (almostoff.com), and has published several-books containing collections of his comics. Eager to expose the quirky and ridiculous plot lines of history, his most recent book, A Nutshell History of North Carolina, provides a rigorous and amusing portrait of his home state, complete with equally unorthodox illustrations. He lives in Black Mountain with his wife and three children.