Jen Vaughn | Traveling Podcast Party
ComiXology: Conversations is an interview-type show with comic book writers, artists, colorists, letterers, storytellers, and just about anyone making amazing books. Portions of the interview have been abridged for maximum hilarity and you can find links to the books mentioned here. Enjoy our conversation with Jen Vaughn!
Matt: All right. The inaugural comiXologist traveling podcast party. We drove cross-country, Kara and I.
Kara: In a Winnebago, which I now know what that is.
Matt: In a Winnebago. We were there. We came to San Diego and we wanted to do a live show, which we’ll be recording and released to our feeds, where we talked to a dear friend. A dear friend of ours.
Kara: But they couldn’t make it…
Kara: So we found Jen. [Editor’s Note: jkjk]
Matt: …we got the next best thing. Jen Vaughn, you’re a legendary cartoonist. Thanks for taking the time out to be here.
Jen Vaughn: You’re welcome.
Jen: Thank you for having me here. For every one that made the long walk from the convention. Is this the first time you’re using the Neil Morgan Auditorium at the public library?
Matt: This is my first.
Jen: It’s beautiful.
Kara: It is a gorgeous library.
Matt: It’s a lush.
Kara: I like the wall that’s all books.
Matt: I didn’t even notice that.
Kara: You can’t see it on the podcast.
Matt: Just imagine that.
Kara: But there is a wall of books and it’s beautiful.
Jen: We’ll use less than 20 words to describe it.
Matt: This has been a big week for comiXology. We had Delcourt who is one of our publishers who produces great comic books in French. We are doing digital first series in English.
We get a ton of feedback from our podcast listeners where they’re looking for something from Delcourt to read, like myself; I try to find stuff that doesn’t have words in it, because I don’t speak French.
Now we have great content from Delcourt in English, which I highly recommend everyone check out.
Jen: Delcourt is also one of the biggest publishers at the French festival, Angoulême. They’re just amazing. Guy Delcourt and Thierry Mornet, they curate some excellent work, and they also translate other things like Image books in French for the rest of the world to enjoy.
Matt: Were you at Angoulême this past year?
Jen: No, in 2014.
Matt: Kara was there.
Kara: I was. I was broadcasting not live for the podcast from the party that I wasn’t supposed to be at.
Matt: I Skyped Kara when she was in France from a bar, and during the recording someone offered her champagne while we’re recording.
Kara: It was France; I guess that’s just what happens, magically.
Jen: I spilled champagne on Guy Delcourt’s pants, so I feel it’s all coming together.
Matt: Full circle. Also at San Diego Comic-Con this week, we’re doing something we’ve never done before, which includes variant print comic books. We have signings taking place at our booth with amazing variants from IDW, to BOOM, to Valiant, Marvel, AW YEAH and Dynamite.
So you come to our booth, get your book signed, a print variant, and we’ll also give you a digital redemption for a digital variant cover.
Kara: Fo’ free, for you.
Matt: Fo’ free. The first one we did yesterday, Onyx from Chris Ryall and Gabriel Rodriguez, a huge turnout. I was blown away by the turn out.
Kara: It’s going to keep happening, all weekend.
Matt: Were you there, Jen?
Jen: I was working.
Matt: Thanks for coming Jen [motions to the exits].
Jen: By the way you should stop by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, booth 1920. I’m sorry. I’m going to shill for them now, for a minute.
Matt: Tell me about it.
Jen: They are a 501©(3) non-profit, who support the fight for the First Amendment, keep comic books in libraries, and help provide funds for legal counsel in times of need. Sometimes libraries challenge, or get challenged, for having books that have alternative lifestyles, if you can even call it that.
Smoking, drinking, sexing, all the fun stuff. They make sure that all books are available, to be read. Like Gilbert Hernandez’s Palomar, was recently challenged by a New Mexico high school I believe.
Matt: Unbelievable. There’s a party happening too.
Jen: Yes. There’s a party tonight at the Westgate, if this is out by then. [Editor’s Note: it wasn’t]
Jen: 8:00 to 11:00.
Matt: If you’re listening now, tough luck. We also have some huge sales. We just recently launched Dark Horse trades, finally. One of the greatest days of my life. We’re having a huge sale, on every Dark Horse book that we have. It’s just about 50 percent off.
Kara: Amazing.
Matt: What’s your favorite Dark Horse book, Kara?
Kara: HELL. BOY. Hellboy. Just get it on sale, right now, comixology.com. Go, go, go.
Matt: It’s like four bucks for trades. Also we have another DC mega sale happening as well, up to 80 percent off, Jen Vaughn, DC Comics.
Jen: Well not 80% off me, but yeah.
Matt: Not you, specifically.
Jen: Making sure I’m awake.
Matt: There’s also a Skybound Image sale which is taking place, which is amazing. Archie celebration sale, which leads me to Archie #1, which just came out. Archie #1…
Jen: What a smooth segue.
Matt: Segue King. Archie #1 just came out. The PR and the marketing behind it is huge, Mark Waid, Fiona Staples. There’s another name that’s not really getting the notoriety that it should be, and that’s one Jen Vaughn.
Jen: I was going to say it’s Andre Simonovich, the colorer. I’m really the assistant.
Matt: Yes. You’re the Assistant Colorer, but that plays a huge role in that book. Huge role.
Jen: Yeah. I slipped in a Rainbow Dash nod, and Andre was like, “OK.”
Kara: You did? That’s awesome.
Jen: It’s in some girl’s hair. You’ll see it.
Matt: What is that process like, for…I’m ignorant of all coloring talent, or knowledge. What’s the process like, when you are assisting a colorist? What does that mean?
Jen: They call you up, and they pretend at first they’re just calling to say “hi.” You go, “Hey Andre. Cut the shit.” Excuse me. Get to it.
Matt: This is a library, please.
Jen: Yeah. It’s a library. I’m sorry. So no censorship?
Matt: No.
Jen: He basically just asked if I was free to help out, because he’s also working on Archie Vs. Sharknado or the Archie Sharknado book, which I cannot…“Sharknado 3,” July 22.
Matt: Go see it.
Jen: Go see it from your home.
Matt: At your local television.
Jen: He asked if I could help. I’ve done a little bit of color before. I really enjoy watercolor. I’m pretty lame when it comes to digital coloring, but I said yes.
Normally what flatters do is…it’s a color book, so basically what they do is they’ll take the black-and-white line work and they’ll just fill it. There’s a bunch of different programs, but anytime the black line work isn’t closed, you basically close off a lot of lines. It’s a little boring and technical, but you make it easier for the colorers to come in and do their jobs with highlights and shadows and special effects.
I was just honored that they asked me to do some garbage disposal work at the last minute. But then they kept a lot of my color choices. Andre said I used too much teal, though.
Matt: Too much teal.
Jen: Too much teal. ‘80s baby, so…
Matt: It’s coming back.
Jen: It never left.
Matt: Jem and the Holograms?
Jen: Oh God. Sophie Campbell’s…
Matt: She’s a legend.
Jen: She asked me to do some fan art when I get home, so it’s happening.
Matt: Is this during the party tonight? You’ll be doing fan art for Jem.
Jen: Yeah, I’ll be standing in the corner, using the light from three people smoking and drawing some fan art ..
Kara: I’ll bring a marker, you can draw it on my arm.
Matt: We’ll Periscope it. My other question was you have a book and it set the world aflame when it came out. It’s called “Avery Fatbottom”…
Kara: “Renaissance Fair Detective.”
Matt: …Which is the greatest title of all time. Issue one came out. Issue two…
Jen: Issue two.. [nervous laugher].
Matt: …has not come out yet.
Kara: Pending.
Matt: It’s been a long time. Can you provide an update for the audience on that?
Jen: Yeah. I imagine that’s a problem with some of the Submit books. You don’t have an editor stepping on your neck, which is actually why working with publishers is kind of fun, because it’s almost like homework. They’re like, “Get on that.” Not fun, but it is fun. Basically I had a day job. I worked at Fantagraphics for three years and that left me super-tired every night.
I’m sorry. I’m looking only at him [Matt on Jen’s left].
Matt: Yeah, don’t look at me anymore.
Jen: That’s unfair.
Matt: I’m not a pretty face.
Kara: I’m right here. We’re all here.
Jen: I’m looking at these gorgeous faces texting. Basically issue two is mostly penciled. I’ll be hitting inks hard probably in August.
Matt: What does mostly penciled mean?
Jen: A publisher actually approached me recently and wanted to…
Matt: Breaking news.
Jen: Yeah. I think I actually have to finish digitally through you guys at MonkeyBrain first, per my contract. “You signed in blood and sweat and tears.” Some publisher wanted to publish all seven issues, mostly sight unseen, other than me redrawing the first issue because it’s been two years.
Matt: Do you remember how to draw at that point? It’s been so long.
Jen: Do I remember how to draw those characters?
Matt: Yeah.
Jen: I created them. They are my babies, Matt. How dare you? I remember every curve and every line.
Kara: For everyone who doesn’t know, “Avery Fatbottom: Renaissance Fair Detective” takes place in a Renaissance fair and stars the lady king of the Renaissance fair who’s taking her man friend on their third date.
Jen: Yeah, yeah. You just read it, so specific. How many people have been to the Renaissance fair?
Matt: Oh, everybody.
Jen: The same number wish they hadn’t. No, it’s a beautiful place where a bunch of different creative minds come together and it works well and it shouldn’t. You’re basically pretending you live in a different time while selling stuff with credit card swipers. “Ye olde…” Everyone’s got to have an ale cup. I’m a big believer in that. I did a lot of Renaissance fair/dinner theatre when I was younger.
Kara: I’ve got a pewter flagon for when I go to Ren faire.
Jen: Yes, you do. It’s so good. It’s the same as Mardi Gras too. I feel like Burning Man is a bad example of stuff not going well, but you need to dig your own toilet or pay for one. I’m not going.
Kara: I really liked reading the comic, because I’ve been to a couple Renaissance fairs, but it was interesting to get what felt like a real behind-the-scenes look at the people who are actually working there and the process for getting ready or maybe some little insider visual cues that…
Jen: Thank you. There’s a character named Gabriel Q. That’s his real name. He plays a big part in the second and third issue and he’s one of the puppeteers. He’s based off a real one that goes to Renaissance fairs and Mardi Gras I worked with as well. But the story is completely fictional – just the aspects of how a fair works are pretty true. It is not for children, though. It’s for teenagers. There’s the back of a nude man and there’s an allusion to sex. PG-13.
Matt: “Back of a nude man.”
Jen: Back of a nude man.
Matt: That’s the title; I think the subtitle, of season two of Avery Fatbottom.
Jen: Yeah, “True Detective: Back of a Nude Man.”
Matt: There was another segment that you were asking about earlier in that book that you wanted some clarification on, wasn’t there?
Kara: I was trying to be subtle about it, but thanks. Thanks for bringing that up. One of the parts of the book is explaining to this king’s gentleman friend that there are different tails that you can get – furry faux animal tails, at the Renfaire – and you get it based on who you’ve had intimate relations with. There’s a certain kind of tail for the blacksmith and another kind of tail for an archer. If you know the visual cues you can tell who slept with who, which I thought was different. It is a real thing?
Jen: It’s a real thing. It started in California in the '70s. Thank you, San Diego. I’m guessing it was here. It was like a wolf’s tail for a Knight, because that’s obviously the raddest thing. I’m sure no one has a Jester on them, or the Poopsmith, which is an old rattail or something.
I kind of made up what everything else was the fake tails. The cover’s all tails, in case you look at it and you’re like “This doesn’t look like a fair,” but I’ve sold so many copies. I made some print copies for a small press show and I sold them half furries and I didn’t say anything.
Matt: The other topic…you worked at Fantagraphics. I think that’s where a lot of people first met you. You did a ton of stuff at Fantagraphics. You were like the jack of all trades.
Jen: Or the Jen of all trades. There’s a Jack there.
Matt: There was initially a story about how you got the job and people talk about hard work really pays off. You work hard, you get a great job. But there’s another part to that, which is being a great singer in karaoke. That’s something I just never knew – that that would help me get to the next level – and I feel like you should explain how that works.
Jen: I thought you were going to say “there’s hard work and then.. there’s you.”
Matt: Ha!
Jen: I was like, “How dare you.” Yeah, I used to table for myself at small press shows. I liked doing karaoke. I was in National Karaoke League in 2008 and won. My team won. The Sexy Sextursions. You can see the humor has not gotten any better over the past seven years. 15…who knows.
I sang karaoke a couple times with Jack Cohen and I knew Christie Valenti through my work with the Schulz Library at the Center for Cartoon Studies, which is a fantastic school where I got my grad degree. It’s mostly comics. We’ve got some Kindles and stuff at the comiXology. It’s all happening.
Matt: Thank you.
Kara: You’re in the 21st century.
Jen: Definitely. They finally got a scanner, so they’re in the 1970s now. No paper log. But yeah. I sang some karaoke with her. They needed a new position and she was like, “We could hang out. We know how to hang out socially.”
Matt: That’s the first step.
Jen: Yeah. It actually happened again at Emerald City Comic Con. I was inking a series written by Tim Seeley and drawn by Marley Zarcone colored by Ryan Hill…
Matt: “Effigy”?
Jen: …called Effigy. They were like “Come to the 'Vertigo’ party and meet Shelly Bond” and I was like “Yeah!” Editor-in-chief. Entering my very first song, which was…
Matt: “Runaway Train”?
Jen: …“Be My Baby,” by I totally forgot, the 50s group. [Editor’s Note: It’s The Ronettes. Kieron Gillen is crying somewhere and doesn’t know why. It’s because we had to look it up, Kieron, okay?]
Matt: Everyone knows them. You don’t need to say the name.
Jen: Exactly. My editor, Jamie S. Rich, who will hate me, leaned up against the TV and turned it off. She walks right in and I just sing to her the entire time with no words. Jim Zub was like, “Yeah, do it.” I think I cemented the fact that I know how to hang in a bar.
Matt: I think we need to get back to the National Karaoke League. I’m intrigued by how…just what is it? How do you get into that? Is it like a pool league in a bar and then it just extends to national audiences?
Jen: I think they’re in like 10 states now. It started in Texas. Actually winning is not cool, if it’s the first year. But there are like 20 teams all around the state and they basically just formed it. It was a bunch of people that worked at the State Capitol too.
Matt: Is it a low-key American Idol? Do you have to be good to win?
Jen: Anyone can sign up and participate. There’s I think it was eight weeks. Each round there’s a solo, a group or duet, and then karaoke roulette, which is they just pick a song for you and you go…
Matt: Wow.
Jen: Yeah. Totally.
Kara: No pressure.
Jen: Mind-blowing.
Matt: That is dangerous.
Kara: Is there a verse and a song where you just have it in front of you and you’re like, “It’s not going to happen.”
Jen: Or you just pretend. Like “Celebration.” I had no idea there were that many words in that thing. That was my karaoke roulette song. I’ll never forget.
Kara: Did you have to sing “Celebrate…” over and over again?
Jen: Yeah. You do a lot of dancing. You talk to the crowd. Order another drink. I’m all about taking the mic off and walking through the audience. “Black Velvet” is another good one. You pick out the oldest man, but also the least-breakable oldest man, and sit in his lap and sing it.
Matt: Plus you can get the crowd to just name the city that you’re in, like how about this city? “San Diego, give it to me.” The audience is like “Whoa, you said the city that we’re in.”
Jen: Yeah, I saw how they reacted just now. It was good.
Matt: I had to cut off the audio because it was so loud. I think it redlined.
Now, you worked at Fantagraphics and you can pretty much do everything in comics. When you went to school, was that your goal when you were younger? Like, “I need to do everything in comics”? You have a goal at the top, like “I need to work my way up to here”?
Kara: What was your origin story?
Jen: My hands were too shaky to be a surgeon, but I knew I could get a really nice line. Yeah, I was in Texas and I went to art school there and did some other stuff, but I really wanted to do comics. But I just didn’t know a lot of technical stuff. I actually had read Tim Seeley’s “How to Make Comics,” that four-parter. But it was very '90s, 2000s. Because we’re on the cusp of all this Internet stuff. “Contact these three printers and ask for 2,000 copies.” I was like, “That’s not going to happen.”
Yeah, Center for Cartoon Studies, up in White River Junction, Vermont. It’s near Dartmouth, so you do have stuff there.
Matt: Somebody just raised their hand back there. They’re from there.
Jen: Yeah?
Matt: No, I just made that up.
Jen: But yeah, it’s a two-year program. Or you can do one year and then low-res. They take you from sketch to finished products. I looked at some other schools. I liked what they have, SVA and SCAD. A lot of them, they just left with portfolio pieces, and I like that you just left with books you had made. Yeah, I basically integrated myself any way I could, because I wanted to know everything. I wrote for “The Beat” for three years with Heidi MacDonald. I worked at the library, so I learned a lot about other comics and recommending them.
I didn’t learn how to use a microphone in all that time.
Kara: Not even in karaoke.
Jen: Not even in karaoke. No, we had the mics like Madonna. No, not really. I interned at Top Shelf. I actually worked on all the James Kochalka books and the Super F'ers omnibus, if you will.
Matt: Thanks for clearing that up.
Jen: I wanted to make sure.
Kara: Can you remember the first comic that you ever read? Or one of them?
Jen: Other than newspaper strips?
Kara: Yeah.
Jen: Yeah, I can. It’s actually a “Barbie” comic that Amanda Conner drew.
Kara: What? That’s a thing?
Jen: Yeah.
Kara: Amazing.
Jen: I found it in an Arcane Comics recently for like a dollar. I got super-excited, because I was like, “I recognize this.” It’s really cool. It’s like Barbie and her three friends of different hair and skin colors but the same body type. Go and get their hair done for a museum show.
Kara: A museum show?
Jen: Museum show, a fashion show.
Kara: That’s like an amazing plot.
Jen: It’s like the planetarium. They’re like, “Nothing happened to our hair.” Like when they’re done, it looks the same. Then the salon stylist was like, “Make sure you put your convertible down.” The wind actually like left their hair in these like crazy patterns. Then they hung like planet from it and I was like, “That’s a good cool use of the medium,” sort of like visual gag within it.
That didn’t really want to make me do comics. It made me want to have good hair.
Kara: You succeeded. I love the blue and pink streaks you got going on.
Jen: Thank you. It’s a work in progress.
I’m trying to think of some of the first comics that made me make them. All of them are good like Bone by Jeff Smith and like the stuff you would get at your local store. There’s something called…
Matt: X-Men.
Jen: I was going to say Tim Doyle, a cartoonist in Texas who runs Nakatomi, I think now, the Prince company. He did something called Amazing Adult Fantasy. It was just a strip a day and I hadn’t seen anything at that time just because I hadn’t wandered into like the 20 to 40-dollar hardcovers from Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly.
Matt: There was tangentially. I’m not sure if you’re a fan of Akira growing up. Did you ever hear Bartkira?
Jen: Yeah. I’ve been enjoying that. That trailer.
Matt: Bartkira is like Akira remade but with Simpsons characters. Obviously, not approved. Just a fan art-ish but it’s really well done. They actually filmed a trailer for the Bartkira movie. It was like the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.
Jen: It came out last week?
Matt: Yeah. Now, when you were growing up, did you have like a specific idol or like someone in comics that inspired you to want to reach that level? Was it just the medium itself, thinking like, “I just want to be in this.”
Jen: Both, sort of. There was never someone I liked to a point like, “I’m going to follow their path.” Because once you’ve like blazed that trail, it closes up behind you. You can try to emulate it, but it doesn’t work. I know I’ve tried.
When I was 10, I lived in Las Vegas and I was tired of reading at the time, Archie-Betty, the Little Mermaid. I like slammed my fist on the table and I was like, “Give me some adult stuff.”
They pulled out Brian Pulido’s Lady Death. She’s got like Jersey-big hair and like some bazoombers and stuff.
Kara: One of my best friends loves the Lady Death comics. Like the first time she saw it, she was like, “Let me get this straight. It’s this woman who runs around in her bikini with a sword fighting people, but her motif is skulls? Yeah, let’s do that.”
Jen: I can do that. It’s like Vampirella, but no people. Between that and then I did love Jim Lee and J. Scott Campbell in Gen 13. Hence, the pink. Danger Girl, actually. I like died when he stopped when he stopped making his monthly deadlines because I actually had a con going in my middle school. They’re telling all my secrets.
One of the substitute teachers, Mr. Jay, his name was Jay. I’m not like redacting it to save him. He also worked in a comic book store. We would always make sure after he came in and substituted that we would go and recommend him to the principal and be like, “He was amazing. I learned more than ever.”
Then we go to the comic book store that day. Like show him like our little notes and he was like, “Oh, here’s a discount.” and I go, “Yes!”
Matt: When was the last time you read a Gen 13 comic?
Jen: …Like a week ago. I pulled number two and started it.
Matt: Danger Girl, I remembered when Danger Girl came out. What was their imprint called? Do you remember?
Jen: WildStorm.
Matt: I think Danger Girl their own imprint, I feel like. It was like action or something other. I felt like that was going to be like…
[Audience member yells “Cliffhanger!”]
Matt: I remember that. It felt like it was going to be the next big thing for comics. Like the Cliffhanger, like they’re going to have movies for her and everything. For whatever reason, it like never happened.
Jen: Because of the deadlines, honestly.
Matt: They never did well with deadlines.
Jen: I don’t know anything about that.
Matt: Avery Fatbottom #2…Back of a Naked Man, coming soon.
Jen: Actually, there’s some Abbey Chase art from Danger Girl that will be available at the CBLDF auction on Saturday. You can get a preview tonight at the party at the Westgate.
Matt: Now, you’re freelancing. You’re doing inks at Vertigo. You’re doing your own thing now. Do you have an ideal position in comics that like, “I’d love it if I could just do this every day and I’d be happy?”
Jen: I think most freelancers like enjoy the different stuff that they’re doing every day. Like most are working with some video game people as well, on PopCap which is a lot of fun.
Matt: Video games?
Jen: Yea, that will be announced later.
Matt: Can’t break news here? Traveling Podcast Party Breaking News?
Jen: The creative director will be here this weekend. I think I’d probably like to also draw my own series or publish it at some point. I’m also enjoying the collaboration. I’m working on something else with Marley Zarcone as well, we’ll see if that gets picked up, and a couple of other people.
There’s something with the collaborative essence of it too. I know some people are like, “Oh, it kind of dulls out the vision,” but that’s not always true because you can create something bigger and better.
Kara: You build off of each other.
Jen: Exactly.
Kara: You’ve had, like Matt said earlier, done a lot of everything in terms of like the creative process. Like you know how to do all these different things. Is there a certain part of actually creating a comic that’s like your favorite?
Jen: I’m going backwards. My least favorite is stapling them. If you’re making them yourself, it’s the rough road to hoe.
Kara: Just hand stapling them?
Jen: It’s the worst. I think once you’re done thumbnailing, or penciling. Thumbnailing is the creative problem solving part. Like taking a script, figuring out how it fits on X number of pages but also is fun to read. It’s not just like, “Oh, it’s done.”
Kara: Like storyboards for movies, except for comics.
Jen: Exactly.
Matt: You talked about the collaborative process. You worked a lot with some other creators in Seattle. Is it Moritat and..?
Jen: Stefano Gaudiano and then Bryant Tease. He owns the studio we work in.
Matt: That was a new thing for me that there is like a studio where artists and creators can come and collaborate like every day. Just have like a great environment for creation. How did you get into that situation where you’re able to see and work with other people every day?
Jen: It was because of other comic book people. Brandon Graham came down for Fantagraphics signing for one of his books. I was waiting in a bar, like most places. Every story takes place in a bar. Moritat pretended to not be a cartoonist because he was like, “Oh, what are you doing?” I was like sketching.
Like the last time I publicly sketched, I think, like at a bar because I was just like waiting. I was working on Cartozia Tales which is another collaborative venture happening right now. I am sure it’s coming out soon. He had me going for like two minutes like talking about something. I was like, “Oh, screw you. I know that you’re friends with so and so.”
There’s a couple of other studios too. Periscope down in Portland, like Steve Lieber’s studio and like the Dotsons up right out of there and Anina Bennett, Erika Moen, Lucy Bellwood.
Matt: I think Cameron Stewart too or Bryan Fletcher, maybe.
Jen: It’s like a bunch of people. They actually have like an intern desk too. They do all the scanning. I’m like, “God, we need one of those.”
Matt: What do you seek out to read yourself? What do you like run to grab when it’s out? Do you like accumulate and read when you have free time?
Jen: It’s a little bit of both. I did just enjoyed the Kurdles by Robert Gooden who is signing at the Fantagraphics table. It’s like a gorgeous all ages book about this little bear character who gets lost and it’s water color. It’s gorgeous if you want to come look at it when you’re done. I brought my copy to get it signed. I was like, “Yeah!”
My pull box, I have obviously Jem and the Holograms, the Lumberjanes. I just really enjoy the camaraderie between a lot of the characters. They all feel like a lot of comics now are being written specifically for me as well. That helps as well.
Manifest Destiny from Skybound and Image is one of my favorites. I don’t know why he isn’t drawing like five other books right now other than like constraint.
Matt: Deadlines.
Jen: He needs two more sets of hands. There’s a bunch more. Kaptara, Chip Zdarsky, I like them the same but the artist does this also amazing water colors, but it’s amazing. It’s sci-fi. I don’t want to like belittle it by trying to put it in a box basically.
Matt: Zdarsky also does Howard the Duck now too with Joe Quinones. That book is so gorgeous. I think I would read a Chip Zdarsky book if he just made fun of Spider-Man at least once every issue.
Jen: I think that might be his Jughead book that’s coming up.
Matt: Do you have a framed book in your wall that is like, “This is the book that’s my favorite book?” Is it Fear Agent by Rick Remender, because that’s mine.
Jen: I was like, “That’s a good lead in.” I really like Basswood by Alec Longstreth. He like self-published it for years then you had this big Kickstarter. I know he had taken it to a couple publishers and they said, “Yes, but you have to change the ending.” He said, “No, forget that.”
It’s got a man and his dog and this guy that lives in this old tree house in the woods and a dragon. It’s just this beautiful methodical like well-done book.
Kara: I was about to ask if it was like a slice of life story until you said dragon. I’m like, “Well, maybe some people’s lives.”
Jen: It depends on what you’re on. This isn’t water, by the way [lifts water bottle]. Basswood is one of them. I also really like Castle Waiting by Linda Medley.
Kara: I just read that. It’s like retellings of fairytales but everyone is in the same castle and it’s like a really feminist book, but you don’t really realize that until you’re like in the middle of it. Then you’re like, “Wait, all of these characters are women and they’re all awesome. This is great.” Very well-done.
Jen: It’s got bearded nuns.
Kara: The bearded nuns are awesome.
Jen: An awkward character that’s a horse head, but it’s OK. It’s like BraveStarr, the cartoon from the '80s.
Matt: I don’t know what that is.
Kara: That book is gorgeous.
Jen: That one is really good. I used to tease Jeff Smith and call him the Linda Medley of the North. They have a lot of the same line, but a gorgeous one.
Then Y: The Last Man was one of my favorite series. Like Pia Guerra from like 2002 to 2008. That whole run, she was good. I kinda read it to see if they would like make a misstep with some of the like last man on earth tropes. Brian K. Vaughan, like he’d write himself out of anything.
Kara: Did you read that book monthly, I guess since it was coming out?
Jen: I did. That and Fables brought me back to comics because I’ve been reading Wizard forever when I was like a kid and buying comics. Like one month, I couldn’t pay my rent in college because I had spent it all on comics or some of it. I took a year off, but I kept reading Wizard. I was like, “Oh, I got to read this book.”
Matt: Wizard was amazing.
Jen: I enjoyed it. It was like Nickelodeon Magazine for comic book people.
Matt: That and ToyFare. I had like a band of ToyFare and Wizards.
Jen: I didn’t really care for toys. I was an only child and that was like the most boring toy was like something you had to pretend to play with.
Matt: Sorry that some people have imaginations. They like to use them, Jen.
Jen: I like to make up my own stuff and I use people’s, like, plastic shells of things.
Matt: Thanks for insulting me.
Kara: You want the box that the toy came in?
Jen: Exactly. I’m like a cat to play with. I used to read like Liberty Meadows. I think I told you before or maybe Chip that I emailed Frank Cho and it was like Image was printing Liberty Meadows in college and asking him if I could be his intern, like apprentice.
Matt: What did he say?
Jen: He said he didn’t think his wife would approve of like a cute co-ed fetching him coffee. I was like, “Thank you for emailing me back.”
Matt: Smart move. Very smart move. Now, we wanted to open the floor up for questions if anyone had any. If not, I wanted to see if Kara had any other recommendations too for the podcast listening audience because we’re recording this and it’ll go into our podcast feeds.
Did you even had time to read anything else in between the 100 interviews that you scheduled for us this week.
Kara: [giggles] I want to reiterate that Star Trek/Green Lantern is an amazing cross over that in an alternate reality would be the next movie franchise. It didn’t come out this week, but everyone read “Rat Queens,” because Rat Queens is amazing.
It’s these four lady best friends swashbuckling through the countryside, and defending their towns, and stuff. It’s really great, and I agree with you with “Lumberjanes.” Five girl best friends at summer camp fighting monsters.
Whenever I tell people that that’s what it is, they’re like, “Wait, why aren’t I reading that already?” I’m like, “Why aren’t you reading that already?”
Jen Vaughn: I think “Bitch Planet.” I’ve also been enjoying a lot of…
Kara: Ah, Bitch Planet is the best.
Jen: Yeah, and I like that they have the letters in the back. I know that’s a lot of people do, but I feel like they do it really well.
Kara: Well, because they’ll have really thoughtful essays about different feminist topics that probably you would have to look far and wide for. They just stick it in the back of the comic compilation—
Jen: –or like prison films like stuff–
Kara:–Like, “Let’s talk about what we just learned, children.”
Jen: Yeah, exactly.
Matt: My wife has a Non-Compliant tattoo. She loves that book.
Jen: Like a real one, or like…?
Matt: Yeah, she got a real one. I wanted to get one too, but she said, you know…
Jen: She said no?
Matt: No, she didn’t say no.
Jen: I was like, “You could be non-compliant, and go get it.”
Matt: She has cried like once in the years that I’ve known her. I think it was Kelly Sue’s letter at the end of like two issues ago. It just destroyed her. She was a sobbing mess. That’s another book. Like you just said, the backmatter of that book is dynamite.
Kara: Well, that’s one of those books where, at least, for me, when you’re reading it, it feels like the veil has been swept away from your eyes, and you see the world for what it really is. And it terrifies you, but now, you know what you can do to make it better.
Jen: It’s well put.
Matt: Anyone in the audience have a recommendation? I see Batman, and Batgirl sitting in the audience. Do you guys use comiXology? There is a mic too if you wanted to use it, or you could just relax.
Jen: Get up there and sing.
Female Audience Member: Have you ever heard of “Library Wars? [Audio fades out because they didn’t use a mic but the book sounded awesome trust us.]”
Kara: Wow. Library Wars, which is a Manga about librarians in the future who have militarized, because the books are in danger, and they have to protect the knowledge. Also, there’s a romantic subplot, the tall girl and the short guy. It’s sparkly. I’m making sure I have it all correct for our listeners.
Between that, and your amazing Star Wars lightsaber t-shirt, I think we’re going to be friends, that sounds amazing.
Matt: There was a period of time where I think like four weeks on a podcast where Kara only talked about Harlequin novels.
Kara: Like shoujo mangas with everything like sparkly, like ridiculous romantic entanglements.
Matt: Secretary in love with her boss, and then there was another one where it was like a king in love with…
Kara: Oh, “Midnight Secretary?”
Matt: Yeah.
Kara: Midnight Secretary is about this woman who goes to work for this corporate executive, and he’s all like mysterious, and broody like they always are. She realizes his secret: he’s a vampire.
Instead of freaking out, she says, “You can have my blood, and I’ll keep you alive.” Then she starts being like, “Do I love him? Am I just attached to him, because he’s drinking my blood?”
Matt: It’s a slice of life tale.
Jen: Let’s be real. Have you played those games that are always being offered on the phone, like the Japanese boyfriend games? You haven’t? I have.
Kara: Well, I’m terrified of getting like a virus from any kind of popu.
Jen: You buy it on the iTunes store, and it’s like you can play the first half for free. Or the first third.
Kara: Oh really?
Jen: Yeah, and it’s like this setup. I played the publishing one, and I was like, “This is not what publishing is.” There’s five guys you have to interview, and that’s when you pick someone.
Kara: It’s like faux speed dating?
Jen: Kind of. You mean, you can do things wrong, so you don’t end up with them. Then you’re like, “Well, this is the saddest thing in the world. I didn’t end up with this digital boyfriend.”
Kara: Oh my gosh. It’s like, Ddd you ever play the board game, Barbie Queen of the Prom?
Jen: I did not. Remember I was the only child, so I didn’t have any games, or anything.
Matt: She didn’t play games, or play with toys like those losers like myself.
Jen: I play board games now. I’m making up.
Kara: I feel like this is right up your alley since Barbie is like the first comic that you read. Barbie Queen of the Prom, Mattel like recently, reprinted. It’s like the original game from the '60s where the object of the game is to become the queen of the prom.
In order to be queen of the prom, you need to go around the board, and you need to earn enough money from doing chores to buy a prom dress. You also have to have a boyfriend who has pinned you, so you are going steady, and you need to be president of a club.
Jen: This game is problematic.
Kara: I know, but if you go in with that awareness, you’re just like, “Ah, we’ve come so far, but I want that dress.”
Matt: We still, I haven’t heard from Batman, or Batgirl. I’m waiting.
Kara: Those costumes are amazing by the way.
Batgirl: I don’t have a recommendation, but I would [She wasn’t using a mic but we got the gist.]
Matt: Oh yeah.” A nine-year old boy, how do we get him into comics, would you recommend?”
Jen: What does he like in the school so far? Or does he like, like science stuff, or adventure?
Batman: Science, dinosaurs.
Jen: I think anything by Jim Ottaviani, like what is it, Cowboys, something of Thunder Lizards. [Editor’s Note: Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards available on comixology.com yayyy] It’s like about the paleontologists, and archaeologists, and painters back at the turn of the 1890s who would go on the digs. It’s a little bit of a learning, but it’s also just like really good dinosaur illustrations.
I think Kaijumax by Zander Cannon right now. Kaijumax, it’s like a prison for kaiju monsters, so…
Batman:: Oh, cool.
Matt: I wouldn’t be able to give a good recommendation, because pretty much, my son who is almost five, we just watch Godzilla movies all day, and old episodes of “The Simpsons.” That’s what I grew up with.
Jen: You could still go with “Mad Magazine” because the humor is ribald without being too salty.
Kara: There’s a lot of comics out there, for kids, that are based on like kids’ properties that are on TV. There’s Adventure Time comics. They have some How To Train Your Dragon comics which are cute.
Jen: BOOM! has a lot of good ones for kids. I guess they call it “Boom Box,” the kid’s comics.
Kara: Anything from the Boom Box imprint would be good, and that’s like all ages stuff that’s really engaging.
Kara: When I was that age, I was neck deep in Archie Comics, so that’s always my go-to for the…
Batman: He loves the “Calvin and Hobbes” like that.
Kara: Oh, Calvin, and Hobbes is a classic. Has he read any of the older “Peanuts" stuff?
Jen: Some of it is actually funny, and not depressing. At Fantagraphics we were reprinting the entire run, and some of them, I’m actually laughing at, because Charlie tries to be funny at first. He tries to get Snoopy to do stuff, and everyone just ignores him. Then he becomes sad sack.
Kara: Some of the early stuff is, like, really good. I grew up reading some of the older versions from like the '50s that were in my grandmother’s house, and like the little 25 cent paper books. Those were just so cute.
If you see the original versions, they look a little bit different from what the designs ended up being in 2000 when the strips stopped.
Jen: I think, honestly, you could try a couple of Lumberjanes on him, because there’s a boy’s camp next door. I grew up reading all guys’ stories, so it’s just fun too. They go on these crazy adventures, and they earn badges all the time, but they don’t want to earn sewing badges. They want to learn earn sword fighting badges.
Kara: Lumberjanes is just really good for everyone all the time, really. Like they’re fighting monsters at summer camp. It’s like “Scooby Doo”, but for the new millennium. It’s great.
Matt: There actually was a new Scooby Doo series that just came out on Netflix that I watched. It’s amazing. I think it’s just called “Scooby Doo, and the Mystery Inc.”
Jen: Is it live action, or?
Matt: No, it’s animated, but it’s really funny. Also, John Roberts mentally sent me a recommendation, “Atomic Robo”, which would be another great recommendation. I do believe Tesla created him, and left him all on his own, so he is like an adventuring robot. He’s got some funny adversaries along the way. It’s a really great fun adventure book to pick up.
Jen: There’s one that’s not available on comiXology yet, but soon, I’m hoping.
Matt: Cut off her mic.
Jen: It’s called “Cartozia Tales,” and it’s about cartography, so yeah, I can see that. You can buy them online, or actually on their website, there’s a San Diego special right now, so you can get a bunch. They are digital, or you can get the physical ones.
They basically take this two-island map, and we made all the flora, and fauna, and then you cut it. We cut it up, so we explore different sections of the map each issue, so it’s kind of about like learning about your…It’s imaginary cartography, I believe is the best way to put it, but guys, girls, and monsters are all the subjects. It’s all ages, but has consequences.
Kara: There’s an Atomic Robo book on comiXology, but it’s in Guided View Native. Instead of just going panel to panel, it’s like things are happening in the panel as you swipe. Like someone talks, and the word balloon pops up. Then you swipe, and then the robot jumps from thing to thing, which might be a little more visually engaging.
Matt: When are getting Cartozia Tales? Let’s talk about it.
Jen: I’ve been trying since day one.
Matt: If you want use Submit, I think we have the director of Submit in the house.
Jen: Maybe, this could be easy.
Matt: It’d be great. I can try to connect you two, and we’ll make something happen after this panel?
Kara: Make some magic.
Matt: We’ll track him down. Anyone else with some last minute recommendations. We just got the countdown for the panel. David Steinberger, I think, wants to give us a suggestion. What are you reading right now, David, and we’ll relay this on the microphone?
David Steinberger: Let’s see, a few things. A lot of Image books right now, Trees, Saga. I’m really enjoying Outcast.
Matt: Which I think the trailer just came out for Showtime, or Cinemax?
David: I get to read a lot, so this could be a big list. I’m really loving Secret Wars.
Matt: Great Marvel event.
David: The book is really good. I thought Thors was really good, and I like the direction they’re heading in on some of this stuff.
Jen: Are you reading The Wicked + The Divine?
David: Oh yeah. I read that every month.
Kara: Oh, that’s one of my favorites right now.
Kara: I don’t know if you can tell from my hairstyle, but it’s very influential on me.
Matt: I guess, if anyone has any other ones, I think it’d be a great point to wrap up. Jen, I appreciate you taking the time out.
Jen: Thank you very much.
Kara: Yes, thank you, Jen.
Matt: An evening with Jen Vaughn. Kara, always a pleasure to chat with you.
Kara: Lovely speaking with you too, Matt. Thank you to everyone who made the grand trek from the Convention Center to chill with us in the library. Much appreciated.
You can find links to the books talked about during this conversation here!