Saturday, March 22, 2014

Interview 2- Comic books and more!

 For my second interview, I wanted to interview someone who reads something other than the genre type of books I read. I chose Cici because she's hilarious, honest, and trendy. I think she's awesome sauce and I'm glad that I met her while she lived in Maryland. My favorite part of this interview was that she included her love of pancakes in the 'tell me about yourself' question. For anyone who hasn't read a comic in a long time, I think Cici does a great job explaining how to start and I think you can feel her sense of love for comic books in this interview.
Enjoy!


1. Tell me about yourself. I am an air force wife, mother of 2 girls, photographer, and avid reader. I love pop culture, pancakes, and roller derby.

2. What captures your attention about comic books?  I am so captivated by these complex stories and characters that are represented in illustrations. Most people assume that there is no depth or symbolism to these stories because they are in picture-form, but you find a lot of relevant and important issues represented in the stories. And as times change, so do the issues. I especially love that you can find these incredibly empowering female characters to love, who fight alongside the men.

3. Do you like to read Manga, Anime, and graphic novels?  Even though I grew up in Japan, I do not like anime or manga. At all. I think the closest I get to reading it is through a character called Empowered, but its comic book superhero genre that happens to be drawn in anime style.

4.  What are your top 3 comic books that you'd recommend to people new to comic books?I know it can seem pretty daunting to start reading comics and not know where to start. The beauty is that in 2011, DC comics relaunched their monthly titles in the New 52 and basically started from the beginning. If you want to catch up, you can start there. And you don't even have to get the single issues, you can buy trade paperbacks which are a series of issues in book format, printed in volumes. Personally, I love Nightwing and Wonder Woman, but you can visit your local comic book shop and they can eagerly help you pick a title to love. Marvel comics also have trade paperbacks as well. My top 3 reccomendations for newbies: The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Superman Birthright by Mark Waid, and Saga by Brian K Vaughn & Fiona Staples. Saga is my favorite, though. Its still an on-going series so hurry and catch-up!!!

5. Favorite Superhero/herione? Why? Favorite superhero? Its actually a tie between Wonder Woman and the Scarlet Witch, and i think the two are very different. Wonder Woman is the mother of all female superhero characters. I think all women should love her. She's the first to really stand out on her own, and I love that in the Justice League she is among the top 3 most important members: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. She fights for justice, equality, and truth. Unlike Superman and Batman, Diana was born a warrior and has trained to fight since she could walk. Its what she does best. She's immensely powerful, but also extremely compassionate, and above everything she believes in love and kindness. On the flip side you have the Scarlet Witch- who is a member of The Avengers and daughter of X-men villain Magneto. Her powers are ever evolving, she controls probability, and can also perform hex magic. Sounds cheesy, I know. But I love Wanda because even with all of this strength and power (I think she's easily one of the most powerful superheroes out there) she's extremely volatile. Her powers shift with her emotions, which I realize can be a pretty stereotypical representation for a female character, but its still relatable. In fact, she eliminated most of the world's population of mutants by just saying "no more mutants" all because she had a bit of a mental breakdown. Call me crazy, but who hasn't had a day like that?

6. When I want to see the latest trends and things, I usually go to your Facebook to see what you've been posting. What are some things that you think are trending now (comic book, books, technology)? Things that are trending? Its good to be a nerd right now. Nerd culture is really hitting it big lately, which can be a little bittersweet. We grew up being teased for our love of these things, and now its the cool thing to do. Superhero films and great tv representation has helped. Game of Thrones is amazing. Doctor Who is huge. Marvel and DC are finally bringing us great comic book movies. New Star Wars films are on their way. Video games are getting better. People are happy to proclaim that they love old 80's movies. Its a great time to love what you love, and not give a damn. Also- everyone should be watching Comicbookgirl19's videos on youtube. She is the best thing EVER!

7. Anything else you'd like to add? I'm sorry I rambled, I'm just passionate about these subjects. People need to read more comics! Go to your local library- they usually always have a graphic novels section. No matter what you like, you will find something to enjoy. There are even graphic novels and comics made for Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Star Wars, the Mortal Instruments, and yes (dare I say it) the Twilight series. Don't assume that this is only a boy's world- women in comics is the largest growing demographic for the industry and we are kicking serious butt with the writers and artists being hired. And not everything has to be about superheroes. There are comics for westerns, sci-fi, noir, comedy, thrillers, fantasy...whatever you want, I know there's something you'll enjoy. If you enjoyed movies like Blade, Hellboy, Wanted, Kick Ass, Ghost World, Scott Pilgrim, Watchmen, V For Vendetta, or The Walking Dead: you will also enjoy comics. You've got nothing to lose!

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