HERoes: Rachel Connor

We get a chance to have a pressure free conversation about comics with women who are  creators in the comics community. Their creativity is inspiring to people throughout the comic fandom who enjoy their work.

They are our HERoes.

 

For the last year British writer Rachel Connor has been tickling our funny bone by writing the quirky yet semi-topical, semi-trippy Regular Show. Before that she had her hand in crafting animated shows such as Cartoon Network’s Ed Edd n Eddy. Rachel took some time out to tell us about the influence of comics, animation and how sometimes silence is golden for her while creating.

 

rachelconnerJessica Boyd: What is your favorite aspect of comics?

Rachel Conner: I love the element of trust given to a comic book reader. In my opinion, a good comic gives you just enough of an ‘idea seed’ to let your imagination run rampant.

As great as movies, TV shows and videogames are, there is a certain degree of hand-holding going on that can make it quite a passive experience. Not so much with comics. There’s no zoning out. There’s no passive participation. Skim read at your own peril. A comic book story is as dynamic as your own mind is willing to allow it to be.

When I read a comic, I hear everything from the sharp scratch of shoes on the pavement to the low murmur of distant traffic. I hear it because the images and words are leaving just enough room for me to fill in the gaps.

JB: What is your favorite part of creating comics?

RC: For me, it’s seeing my narrative and dialogue play out through an artist and watching their interpretation of my words unfold. It’s a feeling I’ve carried over from my previous life as one of the head writers on Ed Edd n Eddy. I would hang around the storyboard artists constantly whenever they got a script (to a point near annoyance I’m sure!). I did this because I wanted to see the moment they took the script’s words to the next step: something living, something tangible visually, the next step of evolution on its way to finished product.

Then of course I loved seeing the reaction to the sum of all those parts coming together. With comics that’s sometimes the exact time it hits shelves and I’m there enjoying it right at the same time as everyone else, the art making it a whole new experience even for me.


regularshow4JB: What issue or series has had the biggest influence on your work? Who is your favorite protagonist/antagonist?

RC: The cartoons I watched as a kid have had a huge influence on me throughout my career. Shows such as Dangermouse, Galaxy High, Willo the Wisp and Duckula gave me an early appreciation for comedic timing and sharp, clever dialogue.

Between the ages of 10-13 I was all about Nicktoons, my own humour being shaped by shows such as Rocko’s Modern Life and Ren and Stimpy. My teens were dominated by Ed Edd n Eddy, Cow and Chicken and Invader Zim. When it comes to comics, I remember being especially fond of the European Disney Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck comics, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and Street Fighter. With the latter I especially loved the use of garish colours and that every panel was chock full of activity. I do prefer this to the more minimal comic art styles (though there are exceptions to this rule).

My early twenties leanings were more geared towards Scott Pilgrim and the pre-Invader Zim work of Jhonen Vasquez with titles such as Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Fillerbunny and I Feel Sick. I would certainly say that Devi from ‘I Feel Sick’ is one of my favourite protagonists. Her despair as an artist is something I’m familiar with and at times indulged in a bit too much.

JB: What is a typical creative working day for you?

RC: During the week I work as a digital content producer in the charity sector, so I have to carefully manouver other creative writing work around my day job. This involves getting up earlier to do some journaling, maybe listen to a writing podcast while I get ready (The Dead Robots Society is one of my current favourites, as is Writing Excuses co-run by Mistborn author Brandon Sanderson).

While commuting I’ll jot down any ideas that might occur to me so I can address them once I return to my writing space back home. Once home, fed and caught up with my boyfriend Rob (who actually co-authored my second Regular Show graphic novel with me that’s due out August 2015 and is always helping to keep me on my creative toes) I get a minimum two hours of writing, plotting and editing done, taking care to have a break every 45 minutes or so for a cup of tea or a cheeky glance at a book or comic I’m reading. This will go on until about 10, sometimes later.

I try to get to bed about 11:30 but I’m often awake a bit later than that. I’ll recap on my day in my journal and read some more. I like to get through at least a chapter per day of whatever I’m reading. Obviously on weekends I have more time to write, and fortunately I have some very understanding friends and family who have learned not to take my disappearing acts deep into creative projects personally.

RegShow_IGN1_CVRredJB: Musical inspirations? Or do you need quiet to create?

RC: I do tend to prefer silence when I’m writing (there’s enough chatting going on in my head between the characters I’m writing about, and they get mardy if they don’t have my full attention!). Sometimes I’ll play some white noise in the background if I’m struggling to get in the zone. Enya’s instrumentals played super-quietly really help sometimes too.

When I’m not writing I get ideas from practically everything I listen to. Each of my own characters have their individual playlists depending on their personality, and I’ll play the lists if I feel that I really want to connect with someone in particular. For example, one of my guys from a YA series I’m pitching at the moment is the modern-day incarnation of the Manx sea deity Mannanan Mac Lir. His playlist is heavily ladened with folksy stuff by the likes of Liam O Maonlai and Laura Marling. He’s also a metalhead, so there’s Motorhead, Rammstein and System of a Down in there for good measure.

JB: What is your favorite representation of women in comics (floppies, webcomics, any medium?)

RC: I want to read about characters – male or female – that display realistic flaws, desires and fears, even if they themselves are fantastical. As I already mentioned briefly earlier, Devi is such a character from I Feel Sick which I really enjoyed. Recently there’s also Suzie Dickson from Sex Criminals, easily one of the funniest yet surprisingly grounded comic series out there right now. I’m also enjoying Jason Latour’s razor-sharp depiction of Spider Gwen. Janice Lincoln a.k.a Beetle from Superior Foes of Spider-Man is another great character.

As for women who actually work in comics, I would have to say that Hiromu Arakawa, writer and artist of Fullmetal Alchemist, is high up there if not at the top of my ‘I’m not worthy’ list. Plenty of amazing female character to be found throughout her work too. Clint Barton would most likely wet himself before Riza!

JB: What is one of your favorite story or cover you have ever been part of creating?

RC: Last year I wrote my first Regular Show graphic novel ‘Hydration’ which was incredibly fun to do. I’ve been a fan of Regular Show for some time now, and ‘Hydration’ allowed for some great callbacks to the show.

As it was a long-form story, I could go nuts with elements already available to me such as Super Eagleman, Rigby’s legendary slovenliness and also give Margaret and Eileen a taste of action. It was wonderful to go online and read feedback from the fans along the lines of ‘oh my god, there was this reference to such-and-such an episode from way back’.

JB: What do you think is the biggest impact of female voices in the creation process?

RC: Women supporting other women is fantastic to see. So many industries – the beauty industry chief among them – depend on pitting women against one another, on being one another’s yardstick against which our usually baseless self-doubts are magnified. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some truly great females who knew the importance of having integrity in your work and supporting each other throughout. I’ve also worked with great males who knew this too of course!

regshowbackupJB: What role do you think social media plays in comics or the comics industry? How has that changed since you began?

RC: Social media has obviously proven hugely important for the comic book industry in recent years. It’s never been easier to get the word out about your comic, enjoy comics created right across the world, and for creators to hear feedback the day of release. As long as you can access the internet a couple of times a week, you can feasibly write a webcomic and push it out to an audience.

There’s so many different formats that you can present your work in, there’s so many different audiences you can tap into. I know from my own perspective that it’s great to have such ready access to people who read and enjoy my work. I’ve had some great conversations over Tumblr with readers of the Regular Show graphic novels. I didn’t have this luxury back in the Ed, Edd n Eddy days as it was a larger less-connected world back then.

JB: What do you feel is the biggest impact of the growing number of comic fans who are women or the acknowledgement of women fans?


RC:
Girls have been reading comics for a long time, but we may just not have been so vocal about it in the past. Again in the wake of social media, the phenomena of ‘girls in comics’ is going to seem like it came surging out of nowhere, but as these photos show, we’ve always been there and our readership has always counted in particular areas of publication. I guess these days we just have more stuff to choose from, which can only be a good thing and that even things like the somewhat skewed to male superhero space have opened up across the board.

Basically for me, it boils down to this: if a girl has a story only she can tell, and is prepared to toil her butt off to be the best version of herself she can possibly be, then nothing should stand in her way, least of all her gender. The same applies to fans and readers; there are no gender blocking gatekeepers on what you can and can’t read. Its all there to enjoy.

JB: What is some advice you wish someone had given you before you began working in the comic medium?

RC: I wish I had read more, consumed more varieties of entertainment, and studied it all more. I was quite lazy in this respect. I stuck doggedly to the comics and art styles I liked and didn’t often deviate away from it. Only by feasting on as much content as possible can you start to notice what new storytelling techniques and approaches work (and those that don’t!) and how you can apply those principles to your own efforts.

JB: What message(s) do you hope people get when experiencing your work?

RC: I want my stories and the moments therein to linger with my readers for a long while after they get done reading. I want to see the internet awash with the kind of passion-fuelled fan theory inspired by masterpieces such as Gravity Falls and One Piece. Frankly, I’ll be damn lucky if I create something half as wonderful in my lifetime, but creating or writing characters that others accept so absolutely as living breathing entities is a creator’s dream.

JB: When it comes to comics, “all I want or dream is …” 

RC: For the best quality projects to rise to the top of the pile, regardless of who created them and why. Our precious time as readers cannot be squandered on bland, timid half-stories that have all the backbone of a dollop of marshmallow. I want a courageous comic book industry, because only out of courage can stories worth telling be born.

Also I dream of a beautiful graphic novel adaption of one of my in progress YA novels one day (after it goes million selling nuclear of course!) and writing on lots more cartoons-turned-comics that are finding second lives. Then I’ll be happy. Maybe.

 

If you’d like to learn more about Rachel Connor and her work check out the links below-

my website – itsrachelconnor.com
My twitter: @itsrachelconnor
Regular Show – Hydration: US- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608863395
UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hydration-Regular-Show-Graphic-Novels/dp/1608863395

Regular Show Volume 2 Amazon Pre-order (Release August 11, 2015 in US): http://www.amazon.com/Regular-Show-Vol-2-OGN/dp/1608867129

 

Authors

Related posts

Top