“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and one is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.”
Malala Yousafzai
March is the month of Women’s History, and here at Z2 we are blessed to work with many incredible women that consistently defy the limits society tries to place upon them.
Z2 believes it to be massively important to amplify the incredible successes of women in the creative industries, and to champion their tenacity and unshakeable work ethic. We sat down with Jasminne Saravia, our very own Z2 Editor, and Alison Sampson, an esteemed artist and writer who has worked on many stand-out Z2 titles, and interviewed them about their early influences, the challenges they face as women in the creative industries, and the future projects that they’re excited about.
Can you tell us about your journey into comics and the moment you realized this was something you wanted to pursue seriously?
Alison: "I don't do any work job in any way less than seriously, so when I made my first comic, which was for an anthology in the UK called Solipsistic Pop (it was very cool, the theme was 'Maps'), I did my best and wrote and drew a story about losing my job as an Architect. A couple of pages of that found their way online, someone asked me to draw their graphic novel and I said Yes, and that book was published by Image Comics, who I have gone on to work with quite a bit, and who is my current publisher. I like their ethos and I feel privileged that is a space I am allowed to work in, where finally I can have credit for my own work. There's no point in doing something if you don't do it properly, and that attitude has opened a lot of doors for me. If I have a USP it is that I will make the best effort of drawing *anything*, and hence I often have to do that. It is fun."
Jasminne: "I was in a book store when I was around 10 and stumbled upon a rack that had manga on it. I was an avid anime watcher at the time and didn’t know there was a physical book media that accompanied it. From there I was always reading manga and it wasn’t until I got to high school that I got into DC Comics and that really changed my whole trajectory in life. I only applied to one college and that was to the School of Visual Arts because they had such a big cartooning department."
Were there any women creators, characters, or cultural influences that made you feel seen early on or pushed you to keep going? Anyone particularly inspiring currently?
Alison: "Well. It is and always has been a man's world. For example, at that time (say 2012- 2013) I wouldn't have been able to name a UK female artist or writer working for Marvel, DC, Image or 2000AD and I didn't know anyone in the book trade. So, when I started I got a lot of support from guys in the UK I came across online. And people like Emma Vieceli and Emma Rios, both creative powerhouses who write and draw their own work. Gradually I got to find more women, or rather 'not-men' working in comics, whom I am honoured to call friends and I realise there are so many. The Emmas, Colleen Doran, Natacha Bustos, Marguerite Sauvage, Lucy Sullivan, Rachael Stott and Rachael Smith, Zoe Thorogood, Sarah Gordon and Colleen Douglas and so many more, all are an inspiration and drive me to focus on what I'm doing and be better. Currently- there's a whole generation of women and not-men and others under the age of 30 (roughly) in the UK including Zoe and corralled around editor Phoebe Hedges, who I think are doing really cool stuff and the energy in that- it is exciting and makes me ask myself what I should be doing in my work."
Jasminne: " Early on when I was really getting into comics, I thought I wanted to be an artist and I’m really glad I took that route because as an editor it really gives me a different perspective when editing titles. I really have to give it to learning about Jenette Kahn and Louise Simonson for pushing me to believe that I could make a name for myself editing and continuing to work in a medium I absolutely adored. On the topic of characters, one of my favorite characters that really made me feel seen was Renee Montoya, especially on her run as Questions. This was a queer latina who had so many layers to her and wasn’t overly sexualized and that really resonated with me. As for creators now, wow, there are so many current female artists that is is hard to name just a few but off the top of my head there’s Fiona Staples, Tula Lotay, Peach Momoko, and Stephanie Williams but there truly are so many women not just in mainstream comics but also self publishing and I absolutely love that."
Are there any moments in your career where outcomes (good or bad) felt directly tied to your gender?
Alison: "Good: No; Bad: Yes.
Jasminne: "Getting to edit on titles with all female creators is such a powerful space because you are all there on the same page to have our voices heard and make sure we’re doing it in a way that resonates with other women."
What kind of space do you want to carve out for yourself and for other women and in comics?
Alison: A space where it wouldn't be necessary to talk about being a woman in comics. I want equality and fair treatment, and it is men who should be doing the work to get to that since they create the problem. And instead of making meaningless declarations of support, they should be asking themselves "what can I Do", and then doing it. I'm not interested in ghettoising 'women in comics'. That is our problem, because it enables us to be sidelined. We want to be seen, heard and included. Our voices are missing and it is to everyone's loss. Pretty much everyone has read a comic about a strong woman written by a man and cringed. Better things can be done (decent female villains, for a start). What I am interested in is supporting the work of other women in the mainstream of work, where we perhaps move into the sphere more commonly occupied by men and they cede some space, because, when viewed through the lens of equality, we produce better work than them and can be quick and nice as well. We are slightly trapped in a nineteenth century world where men don't feel they can talk to women, and they gravitate towards working with guys. Guys are seen as safer, and given the practice they get, they often are. It is self perpetuating, but it is a cycle that has to be broken. And smart people ought be able to work out a way it can be. Honestly, it is the 21st Century. We were supposed to have jetpacks. We'd like to be seen.
Jasminne: " I very much want more women to not only be at the forefront creating art for comics but also behind the scenes so that our voices don't get lost in a room full of men. Comics need to be a collaborative effort in order to make sure bases are covered and characters are made with the perspective of women, as female readership has always been high but at times the industry forgets."
What are some of the biggest changes you've seen over recent years in regards to the attitude towards being a woman in comics?
Alison: "I'm not sure. Perhaps the realisation that editors, many of whom are men, are needing to be in such a risk averse space they gravitate to what is safe, and that is gatekeeping by a few select trusted men (very very largely) who often select men (very mostly, but not always). I get the need to mitigate risk. I just think comics can and should be better than that. Being risk averse leads to a much smaller pool of talent and stagnation and complacency. If we don't take risks, what then? I would at this point like to commend Chris Conroy on his work with the Absolute Comics at DC. That is risk taking that paid off, by a creative and visionary editor who was given space to do what he does best. If only everyone could do that? My background is in complex projects in commercial and public architecture, where huge risks were taken aesthetically, with very large amounts of money, and the risk paid off, and I was instrumental in that happening. And from this I have absolute confidence that the public does value risk taking in art, and can understand it, and is glad to be seen to be capable of understanding it, based on more than two decades of producing exactly that kind of work at the top level. Also, life is too short. Why not? Pluralism is great."
Jasminne: "There has definitely been a shift as more women are seen at events like Comic Con, not just as supportive roles like lettering or colors but at the forefront as writers and artists, on some occasions as both and that’s amazing. I remember going to my first Comic Con and seeing predominantly male artists there but there is an ever growing force of women. I’ve also seen a shift in what they’re writing, especially in manga. Before women mostly wrote genres that have been deemed more for women but now they're creating titles that are really speaking to the male audience.