Wednesday, February 26th, Amethyst #1 comes out, and we’re excited to have an interview with writer and artist Amy Reeder. She will also be here on the 26th for the Amethyst release party and signing at 6:00 P.M. Here are some of the highlights of our interview.
What got you into comics?
Back in 2004, I made it into this [Tokyopop] contest where you draw a twenty page comic. The top ten are compiled in an anthology. It was a nice way to get in because I knew nothing. If you know nothing and are not very good at trying to push your way in, it’s a good way to get people to read what you made… I noticed things like this crop up every couple years. It’s good to take those opportunities. If you see them, jump on them, whether you think you’re ready or not.
What is the weirdest or most unique property you are into?
I’m a huge fan of Mickey Mouse. Just his designs, not even the whole Disney franchise. I’m also that way with the Mario franchise. I find them instantly recognizable, and I like the colors, so I’m always wearing stuff like that. I love iconic looks. I’m into the Sanrio characters for that reason. I love that they can be incorporated into clothing and accessories. Anything that’s basic and works well for stuff like that I get into.
Would you say those characters inspired your artwork?
With Amethyst she has two big crystals on her head where Mickey would have his ears, but not so much. That’s something I should work on, simplifying and thinking outside the box. That’s why I’m doing Amethyst. I’m a rule abider. I’m obsessed with exactness and accuracy when I draw. I did this partially because I’ve been craving to come up with things that don’t seem real.
Can you tell us who Amethyst is and what her solo run entails?
Amethyst is a character from the 80s, created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, and Ernie Colon. She is a very 80s cartoon character. She lives in a magical world called Gemworld. It’s divided into twelve different realms based on the birthstones. She’s from the Amethyst one, and she’s a princess. Her parents died when she was a baby, and she was sent to Earth and raised by parents there. She’s got this Superman vibe because of that. She doesn’t find out until she’s thirteen that she is from Gemworld. She’s an earthling, in a way, in a strange land.
I’m in the Wonder Comics line, so I talked with Brian Bendis about her. We figured we want her older. She turns 16 at the beginning of my arc. We’re past the stage of her being in wonder and figuring out how to deal with this villain called the Dark Lord Opal. We’re getting to this point where she’s squarely a teenager and has to figure out who she wants to be as a leader. She returns to Gemworld and finds the Amethyst realm completely empty. None of the people are there. The land is destroyed. She has no idea what happened. No one wants to give her answers. It’s a quest. I wanted to go through Gemworld and come up with a lot of cool landscapes and cultures.
What inspirations did you pull from to create such a beautiful and diverse Gemworld?
I’m from Colorado, and I spent a lot of time in the national parks of Utah and my own mountains. I’ve also been to the Fjords of Norway. Those are breathtaking places. I’ve always been interested in that. I’ve also always been into fantasy and sci-fi with cool landscapes. My favorite Star Wars movie is Rogue One and a lot of it is because it feels like this tour of their universe. I wish they had a Star Wars travel show for people in Star Wars to learn about the planets they can visit.
I was also going to be a social science teacher, so I’ve always been interested in different cultures. It’s a tough thing to tread, because when you come up with these cultures you don’t want them to be too derivative of other ones. I’ve made sure in each realm people have things that are distinctively different, but racially they are mixed. I wanted to create a sense of wonder and give us stake in this world, understand why we want to save it.
The original story deals with the royals, but in my story Amethyst will be talking to everyday people because the royals rejected her. It gives me a chance to have her see things she’s never seen, meet people she hasn’t before, and think about things in new ways. Hopefully I can pull it off. With the mini-series, it’s tempting to keep going because I keep thinking of new things that I can do that are trippier. I’m just scratching the surface and figuring out what I want this to be. It’s well written and designed, but it’s one of those things, after a while spending time in that world, that you can think of all the possibilities.
You’re wearing multiple hats with this as the writer and artist.
This is the thing I’ve been dreaming of for most of my career. I started out doing that for Tokyopop. When I got discovered by the mainstream comic market, the assumption is you have to break up the responsibilities. I’ve been playing the game for a while, so I can finally do it all myself. What’s happening now is I am nervous in anticipation of it coming out. I think it’s good, but I also need it to be good, because this is what I’ve been wanting.
What are some of the notable differences between writing and drawing?
Drawing is more involved. You decide a lot of what happens, the acting, how to stage things. You pull off what someone has come up with as a story. Writing is great because you have control of the pacing and story. You guide the artist. I prefer drawing, but I love that writing is quicker. Down the line I might write for more artists because I have all these ideas, and I don’t have enough time to get them out.
What’s the difference between working on an independent character and an established character?
They’re not hugely different for me. The best way to approach it is to read who they are, if they are an existing character, and get at the core of who they are. I think it’s more fun to come up with my own characters. With Amethyst it worked out because I had this fantasy, and I realized Amethyst worked perfectly for it. I read the original maxi-series and familiarized myself with it, and I picked what I would incorporate. I tried to keep it open enough so I could come up with my own ideas. That’s the best way to do it instead of making everything fit perfectly.
With Madame Xanadu and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, I kind of reinvented the characters. With Moon Girl I helped create the character, but the whole point was updating. I try to get into projects where I can rethink the character. Maybe that means I prefer making my own characters.
For younger readers, what advice do you have for them if they want to jump into comics?
I want them to know it’s possible. Somebody has to do it, so it may as well be you. The requirement is you have to be obsessed. It’s a lot of work to improve and get to the point where you can do it, but if this is your passion, don’t let people talk you out of it. It’s not as hard to break into comics as it is to break into other creative industries, so go for it.
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