Get to Know Our Staff: Part VI

Thought we were done, didn't you? Well, I did, too. Until I realized I forgot to fill out the questions myself. Whoops. 

So here goes.  Time to get to know me. (Gabby) 

Cover of Lumberjanes #1, by BOOM! Studios

1. Are you reading anything right now? If not, what are you watching?

I’m graduating this year so comics have been put on the backburner in terms of priorities. When I do read I usually aim for something that is easy to catch up on. I’ve also been leaning towards a lot of lighter reads to help balance out the stress of school and work, so in that regard Lumberjanes is perfect for me.

Lumberjanes is about a cabin of girls at summer camp and the shenanigans they get up to. These shenanigans almost always surround ditching their camp counsellors and dealing with the various amount of both supernatural flora and fauna of the forest. Think Gravity Falls but with a lot more GIRL POWER. 

2. What do you like/dislike most about it?

Lumberjanes' team of writers are Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, with artists rotating each issue. It’s a really good all ages book, and I love that it's not only female led but the team working on it is women as well. It’s lighthearted and fun, and at the end of every issue there is a track listing for a mixtape made by one of the main characters. Also, this is not a huge priority but I love that the few hints of romance that we’ve seen are between two of the main (female) characters. Representation matters!  

Cover of The Far Side Gallery by Gary Larson 

3. What is the first comic you remember reading?

The Far Side. When I was little, I read anything I could get my hands on. I remember getting bored of rereading my Dr. Seuss books and hunting down some more things to read. I was unsupervised, so one of them was 1001 Dirty Jokes and the other was The Far Side Gallery 4. I didn’t understand the jokes in either book but I remember becoming obsessed with collected editions of comics like Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes.  

Panel from Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and art by Fiona Staples

4. Tell me about your favourite ongoing comic? Why is it your favourite?

Saga!!! It has romance! Drama! Violence! And Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples! It’s one of those comics that I can be alone and I will still have audible reactions as I read. The characters are incredibly diverse, and the world that they've created is just so interesting. I've also got a soft spot for it because it was one of the first recommendations I had from one of my coworkers at the shop! (LET IT BE KNOWN IT WAS MOSTLY JOEY’S DOING)

Cover of Wonder Woman #23 , art by Cliff Chiang

5. Do you have a favourite artist? If so, who is it and why have you chosen them?

If I could have posters of all of Cliff Chiang's covers for the New 52 run of Wonder Woman I'd die a happy lady. I love his use of colour in all his work; the contrast is bright and dramatic without being an eye sore. He also includes details in his illustrations without anything seeming unnecessary. Minimalist without being boring.