Interview with Allison O'Toole of Wayward Sisters: Anthology of Monstrous Women



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.

Faith #1 Review

"Heroism is it's own reward, tiger." 

It's not often that I can find a comic in which the main protagonist is like me. Though I could easily say I identified with Bruce Banner, the Vision, Barbara Gordon, or even Harley Quinn, I had never found someone who really represented me both physically and mentally. This comic written by Jody Houser and designed by Francis Portela and Marguerite Sauvage had really struck me with it's compelling and likable main character. Faith shows a beautiful example of how plus size women could still be not only beautiful, but powerful and that geeks like me could achieve great things.

First off, I would like to talk about the narration devices and the overall plot quality of this comic. Faith takes place in modern times and it follows the life of Faith Herbert through her day job as a pop-culture article writer and her excursions as a crime fighting hero named Zephyr. Additionally, the comic starts with a mysterious scene of what appears to be escaped inmates running away in the woods. The plot overall is not as action-packed as many other comics, as it seems to be setting up for the future of the comic series. Despite this, the comic does very well in keeping the reader entertained. Faith Herbert has such a magnetic personality that you cannot turn away from. Her intense passion for pop-culture, her unstoppable optimism, and sarcastic narration throughout the comic provided for an interesting story in of itself. 

Drawing from Faith Herbert's personality, another notable aspect of this comic is her character in itself. I would like to start off with the way she is drawn. Faith Herbert is clearly a plus-sized woman and I love the fact that the artists don't shy away from that. They show her like a real life, average plus-sized woman. She has her double chin, her rolls, her chubby, stocky legs, her chubby fingers. It's all things that as a plus-sized girl myself, we face in real life. However, I love her unyielding confidence and the fact that the comic never puts her down or makes fun of her size in the same respect that the comic isn't about her weight. It puts emphasis on who she is as a person (the amazing butt-kicking, crime-fighting, pop-culture guru) rather than what she looks like. Finally, I enjoy the ode to girl power as she shows how independent she is especially after being faced with watching her ex-boyfriend Torque on TV. She never is bitter towards him and knows that she's still beautiful. I personally, would have to say that my favorite scenes would be those in which she is demonstrating her girl power by saving men and flipping the usual male-female relationship in the comic world, destroying the stigma of the need for a female damsel in distress. 

Overall, this comic is a wonderful ode to the plus-sized girls of the geek community. It's beautiful art, and compelling writing draw in the reader (Speaking of, I'm definitely purchasing issue #2!). Faith's magnetic personality really make this comic so spectacular. I would recommend this comic to many others and definitely re-read it again (although I already have read it about three times!). 5/5 Stars for Faith Issue #1. 

Why I Can't Afford to Live Self Consciously Anymore (reposted from my tumblr)

WHY I CANT AFFORD TO LIVE SELF CONSCIOUSLY ANYMORE

My name is Batsy. I am a teenager. I live with a former single mom who is currently engaged to a beautiful woman. I am the oldest of three kids. I run my school's GSA. I am also a part of a cosplay group on Instagram. Finally, I am a volunteer teacher for 2-9 year olds. 

I do not like myself. I used to go look at a mirror and cringe at what I saw looking back at me. I considered myself to be my own worst enemy. I pretty much smothered myself in self loathing. But I can't do this anymore. I have two little siblings looking up to me. I need to be a role model for them and guide them to do right in this world? How can they follow me ahen I am always at war with myself? I teach children, young children. They are extremely impressionable. When I walk into my classroom, what am I showing them? I need to teach fhem to love themselves for who they are. I am president of GSA, I need to show my fellow advocates that we need to be strong in who we are and be unapologetically ourselves.

I have realized, I could be a force for good or I could lead a cycle of self loathing in generations to come.

Now, I'll admit there are times when I will slide, it happens. But if struggling with depression has taught me anything it's that no matter how much something hurts, no matter how bad the situation may be, no matter how much you wish You were dead; time will pass, the world will continue on and you need to decide to continue on with it, and when you do-.. Scars fade, pain numbs, feelings drift away. Nothing is going to last forever.

So, today I am through with hating who I am. I will love the person I see in the mirror, not only for me, but for the people that look up to me. I want to be that force of good for this world.