My latest obsession has been Kickstarter. My days would be work, school, and then scroll through the onslaught of projects posted to Kickstarter. Something about these independent projects gaining their voice really just gives me a thrill- and if my $25 can help get these projects off the ground, then by all means, TAKE MY MONEY. My favorite projects to see are those that promote feminism. Wayward Sisters does a great job in representing women and non-binary individuals in a beautifully drawn comic book. It takes monsters- a genre mainly driven by men- and turns it around into a wonderfully written comic book celebrating femininity and those who identify as non-binary. The Kickstarter has already been fully funded, but if you would like to continue to support this project (and I really think you should!), you can find it here. The comic is set to release on February 1, 2018 and I am more than excited to see what this anthology has in store. I set out to find the Lead Editor for Wayward Sisters and find out some more about this interesting anthology. That interview can be seen below. I hope in the future to bring you guys more independent projects- especially those that have to deal with feminism.
What was your inspiration for writing Wayward Sisters: An Anthology of Monstrous Women?
I always loved monsters when I was growing up, and I was unsatisfied that I saw so few women monsters in the stories I was reading (and no non-binary ones). I wanted to tell stories about monsters who weren’t men, and who weren’t sexualized for the male gaze, so I decided to create this anthology.
What impact do you hope that Wayward Sisters will have on readers?
I hope that readers who love monsters as much as I do will love the anthology! We tried to incorporate a wide range of tones and styles, so I hope that there’s a story in here for everyone, whether you like your monsters scary or silly.
How do you feel about the current representation of non-binary individuals in pop culture?
What representation? I joke, but I feel like non-binary or gender non-conforming people are almost never represented in pop culture, and I think that’s damaging. Including non-binary characters in fiction, I think, will help that identity be more widely understood and accepted; trans representation in general still has so far to go. Seeing positive depictions trans and gender non-conforming characters in media does so much to destigmatize real people with those identities, I think there’s so much more we can and should be doing.
How important do you believe it is to incorporate more women and non-binary individuals into the comic industry?
People want to see themselves represented in media, and it’s important to include women, trans people, people of colour, and everyone else, when we’re having conversations about those identities. People who don’t identify a certain way can write stories about characters with those identities, but they can’t write a story examining the experiences of a person with that identity. Including marginalized people in media, allowing them to tell their own stories, means that representation will be done properly, and also leads to a more varied media landscape. The more kinds of stories we’re telling, the more vital our media can remain. If only one kind of person (straight, white cis-dudes) is allowed to tell stories about himself, then media will stagnate.
Do you have a personal favorite comic from the anthology? If so, what is it?
Oh, I couldn’t pick a favourite! I’m excited about the story I wrote though, it’s a Noir Hollywood tale about a screenwriter who pursues a femme fatale who’s more fatale than most. It’s being drawn by Emmanuelle Chateauneuf, who’s amazing, I can’t wait for everyone to see her work on this story.
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