Maggie McFee: Q Pride interview Oct. 2005

This is an interview I did for a reporter from Q Pride. I don't know if it ever got published, but I thought I'd share it in case anyone was interested. - Maggie

When did you develop an interest in art and comics?

I was really small. I can remember bugging my dad for Batman comics at a very early age. I must have been 5 or 6. I drew my first comic when I was maybe 10. I used my mom’s eye shadow to colour it. I've drawn all my life. My mom has a framed picture I did when I was about 4. It's awful. *laugh*

What do you see yourself as primarily? A storyteller or an artist?

I don’t know. I really _want_ to be a storyteller, but I’m an impatient storyteller... I’m always anxious to jump right to the cool stuff. But I love weaving a mythos, too. So I’m a bit scattered. And as an artist... I’m not all that impressed with myself. But I get better every year, so that’s something.


Where did the ideas and characters in Katie Galaxy originate?


OK, now you can see what a bad storyteller I am. *laugh* I actually quit drawing for many years. I've always drawn, since I can remember. No matter what I always had a sketch book somewhere in my possession. But in the 80s and 90s, after being knocked out by ‘Love & Rockets’, I just really got enthused and I drew and I drew and I drew. I ripped off Jaime Hernandez a lot... but I kept at it. But eventually I made the mistake of thinking I needed to be able to break into mainstream comics to 'be' something. You know, send samples to the Marvel and DC and the like. All the while I’m drawing comics about three girls who live in an apartment together or about two odd characters stranded in the desert (somethign call ‘If’ which I _will_ resurrect one day - probably as a webcomic). Man was I stupid. I should have been, as it was called then, 'underground'. Nothing ever came of the whole submissions thing. Mainstream comics is not where I belong, nor can I ever compete there. And it _is_ a competition. I did some inking for some small-time guys, but that was about it.

Oops. Bad storytellers digress... So one day I drew a picture of a cartoonish girl dissheveled, dirty and slumped against a bullet-hole riddled wall with the caption ‘I just saved the universe, what’s your excuse?’ I named her after this amazing young girl called Kate that a friend was helping raise (hi, Katiebug!) and decided she should be in space salvage. After a bit I began penciling page after page of a Kati Galaxy comic. Long story shorter, eventually some crap in life absorbed me and my soul and I just stopped drawing. I mean literally. A box sat in my basement labeled "Maggie's art crap" and I didn't touch it for years. I might draw some little thing on the computer for someone, but that was about it. And... oh, man this is gonna cause a collective groan... all those pages of Katie Galaxy... I threw 'em out.

I can't tell you exactly when or even exactly why, but one day I just picked up and started drawing again. And Katie was the first thing that came out. So I sat and thought about her story (OK, I didn't sit... I was probably in the shower and at the grocery, etc.) and I decided I'd just take the very core story from before, except her dad has died, and see what happens. Format, story... the whole thing has been an experiment from day one. The first page was a single panel, later it was a 3 panel strip, but nowadays it's a full 'regular' comic page. I would do something, see what people thought, then try something else. It went from cartoonish to a more semi-realistic style. And I still play around with things. I always said I'd print it one day, but I'm dead certain I'll end up re-drawing the first part so that it matches the end. And I want to go back to hand colouring, too.

The absence of Katie’s father is a driving force throughout the text, why is this? And what was the rationale behind eliminating the ultimate masculine force in Katie’s life?

Oh, man! You cut right to the chase! *laughs* Yeah. From the beginning I put Katie into a precarious world that was on the edge of collapse and I pulled the rug, or in this case 'dad', right out from under her. Well, that's not entirely true... there's the Katie no one ever saw and the reason that, technically, the strip is called 'The New Katie Galaxy'. Her dad was alive in the strips that ended up in the dumpster. Wow... dumpster sounds so horrible. Like I've murdered something.

But I'm getting off track again. I wanted things to be very personal for Katie and, necessarily, very hard. And I felt I had to let her dad go for that to happen - to really give her some angst to work with. I guess the fact that I have a very strong bond with my dad is what colours that idea. And add to this the fact that she, a strong woman who's struggled with the whole idea of being 'tough' instead of taking the fluffy girly route (like Leggs, the daughter of the 'bad guy'), has to fill a man's shoes now and show that she can do it. One of the regrets I do have about doing this strip in a fluid, experimental way, is that I let go of 'Green-eyed Monster' too fast. I thought the readers were getting bored and so I jumped into some action. But I think that exploring more of Katie's struggle with body image and defining 'feminine' would make for a better and stronger story in the end. But, in case anyone missed my heavy-handed metaphor... when the skimpy green shorts went out and she starts wearing the flight suit pants and braces, that's when she lets go to and decides to be Katie Galaxy, Adventurer and not Katie Galaxy, The Daughter.

What part does your identity as a woman play in the writing process and what stories you choose to tell?

It depends. I mean, a lot of what I do is 12 year old boy territory, historically. Whiz bang sci-fi space stories and chasing monsters. But... I guess I approach them in a completely different way. I guess if movies made for women are 'chick flicks', then I do Chick-Fi. I like portraying women in the same way that male characters like Allan Quatermain or Doc Savage or Indiana Jones or Batman were portrayed. So this is necessarily going to include Katie having to overcome not just an antagonist's gender-typing, but also possibly the reader's. Katie kicks butt. She's strong, smart and adventurous. Ava Giddy, from my book project 'Lense of Bast', isn't so strong or confident, but she also kicks butt in her own way. I also have a rarely-updated journal comic called 'Encre de Chine' (http://heyniceshoes.com/encre ) where I vent some of my rage and bile so that it doesn't come out elsewhere.

You play a lot with women’s identity and the concept of ‘woman’, where does this confidence to experiment come from and do you think it is generally well received by readers?

Well, originally most of my readers were just friends. So they were willing to read whatever I did without complaint. *laugh* But after a while I started gaining new readers and I think... well, there's a whole thing about coming in late. You feel a bit of an obligation to be quiet and not ask for explanation as to why the woman on screen is wearing those ridiculous shorts. So, for the most part, I've not given it a lot of thought. Well, except in that I wish I'd actually explored it more. But this sort of thing is definitely why, for instance, her mechanic and only employee, Diesel, is a guy. He's there as the setup for instances where prejudice comes into play - just as it still does in real life. Go out to a couple of car lots and act like you're gonna buy a car and gauge your experience. Come back the next day, but bring a guy. I guarantee you'll have a different experience. You may even become invisible. But Katie will never accept invisible. And Diesel won't either. He's that guy friend who understands - who believes in you and will go the distance to back you up. On the other hand, I consciously made Faust a woman because I don't want all my 'bad guys' to be men. I'm not like that. Bad people come in all underwear types. *laugh*

So... I hope this is all well-received because, if Katie continues for some time, I hope to explore it all a bit more.

How focused on the writing style are you in comparison to your style of art?

Hmm... not enough, for sure. But I do love dialogue. In my head the characters play-act and I enjoy trying to capture their dialogue into a story. In that respect I'm more of a Kevin Smith-style writer. I mean... space nazis? Pretty un-original, but dammit... I loved things like Indiana Jones and Hellboy. They got to do Nazis and I wanted to do some Nazis too! This is my chance to do Nazis! That said, the next Katie arc is more well-defined.

With Ava Giddy ('Lense of Bast') I'm trying to really beat myself into shape. Nothing goes on the page until a story's arc is really worked and worked and I know that it's compelling. Which makes me even later than usual. *laugh* Fortunately I've got some backup. Daniel Lawson, for instance, has done a very cool story for LofB which will both fill out the book and bring in some real 'writing' talent alongside my half-assed storytelling. *laugh* I've also, for the first time, written a story for someone else to illustrate. I can't say who's doing it yet, but it's going to be super sweet visually.

With writers like Joan Hilty, Alison Bechdel and numerous others dealing with the issue of homosexuality in a heterosexual world via more real-world stories, where do you think Katie Galaxy fits in with her dissection of femininity in action?

Oh, wow. I don't know. I mean, they're on another level from me. I'm awed by the very thought of even having the question asked. One day, hopefully, I'll have made at least some mark where people will say nice things about me. But Bechdel and Joan Hilty... well, they've already left wide swaths in the landscape, as far as I'm concerned. Hell, my wife won't go to comic conventions with me, but she's said she _will_ go to San Diego next year if it means she might get to meet Bechdel!

Self-effacing remarks aside, I hope I can do my small part to be an example of a woman participating in comics in an area where we aren't generally noticed or expected and to portray characters who are just as strong and interesting as your average male adventurer. And you can count on some commentary about gender-typing and homosexuality along the way... if my sad storytelling holds up, that is. *laugh* I will say this... one of my characters _is_ gay. But I haven't told a soul, even my wife, who it is yet. I'll point it out when it's relevant, but not until then.

Was it always your intention that Katie Galaxy would increase the visibility of female action heroes around the world?

It would be cool to say that... but it's not true. In fact, I never expected I'd be doing interviews about Katie. The strip was an experiment in forcing myself to produce _something_ and to explore various aspects of making comics -- a self-imposed trial by fire, if you will -- leading up to doing more substantive things like, hopefully, the series I'm working on now.

Your strip is not overtly political but it certainly has a political edge- why is this and how is this received?

People who know me see the political sort of... bubbling underneath. But it's very diluted. I've really thought about going more hardcore 'message' with Katie, but it never seems right. But it has its place in some of my other work. In my everyday life I'm a very vocal person in regards to politics and I read and absorb in great voracious gulps. It spills into my journal comic more than anywhere else. The next Katie story is a bit more political, I'd say, but not a lot more. 'Lense of Bast' will, however, deal with the pitiful state of poverty and homelessness in the US. I feel very strongly about that.

What was the first real piece of your writing that was taken seriously?

Oh, God... eons ago! I feel so old! There was a period where I wrote quite a lot. I was drawing too, but not to tell stories. And I had a thing here or there printed. Small press sort of things. But, to be quite honest, I can't even recall most of them. In my adult years, I guess it was when I was writing for a web magazine called Tripod; back in the dot com boom days. My mom to this day still asks "when are you going to start writing again?" She's not real interested in my comics. *laughs*

What is your opinion on the well-known superhero comic genre and is Katie Galaxy at all a reaction to male-centric genres?

Loaded question! *laugh* I should mention that I run an online forum for Aussie comics fans and creators (pulpfaction.net) and a lot of my friends there are into mainstream comics. I read them as a kid and I'll occasionally pick up and read a really exceptional series here or there, but for the most part I'm not into them. But in deference to my friends at Pulp Faction I feel I should add a Seinfeldian "not that there's anything wrong with that!"

I will say this, though: Even though I'm not a fan of the superhero genre, I think that some of its creators have taken a lot of undeserved heat in the past 10 or 15 years. Sure, there's still plenty of 'big tits and big guns' sexism in the genre. Hooboy is there ever. But there are also a lot of people trying to change mainstream comics from within. And while it might take the collapse of one of the big players before it happens, they just might eventually succeed.

And is Katie a reaction to the genre? Hell yes. *laughs* But I have to tell you that one of the scariest bits for me was when I started the strip, the whole body image lead up... There were butts and tits and... I was terrified someone was going to take it as more T&A claptrap which, on the surface, it might just appear to be. On top of that, there's the just plain human aspect too; I'm gay and I'm human. So I like women and I'm a sexual creature. So I draw things to please my eye and my libido. Even for a woman, it's sometimes hard to know when you cross the line.

Katie is somewhat of an anti-hero, do you find the hero’s call to arms more realistic when it comes after the kind of trauma Katie experiences?

Absolutely. It's that old saw about having greatness thrust upon you. I like stories that are messy from the start. And as Australians and Americans... we love the diggers or the underdogs. I mean... some people just can't get enough of Ned Kelly. Now by any other measure the guy was a rogue and a criminal, but because of who he was fighting against, The Man as it were, and his situation... people just respond to that. And they are willing to blot out that little fact about him being a reckless criminal. In some fashion or other, we all feel like and anti-hero. So we relate.

What other projects (if any) are you working on?

Well, now that our life has settled down again, I'm eager to get some bigger projects off the ground. The biggest is a new on-going series called 'Lense of Bast: The Strange Chronicles of Ava Giddy' (lenseofbast.com). It's a sort of 'monster of the week' book with a character I'm just aching to write for. There's an over-arching story arc for Ava Giddy, but then there's the fun of a weekly (well, bi-monthly) monster chasing romp. If all goes as planned, it will be a long story and a shorter backup story in each issue. As a kid I always loved getting more than one story in a book, so I'm bringing that back in my own small way. And this allows for other people to come in and give their own take on writing or drawing for the character. I'm really excited about that.

Ava is a 30-something woman who lives in an abandoned bank vault. She has a history of mental illness and has lived on her own since she was about 11. She finds, in the vault, a pair of goggles that allow her to see that there are monsters walking amongst us disguised to the naked eye. She reluctantly finds herself having put herself at risk and take on these demons and monsters time and again. The last thing Ava needs, however, is to do is draw attention to herself. And even when she does find herself confronting the authorities, they just think she's nuts. She faces a constant struggle between doing the right thing, she's a bit crazy but she's also smart and decent, and not doing things that will get her arrested or shipped off to some hospital. Along the way she learns of some very mystical aspects of our world that none of us ever imagined.

What else... I did the cover for and contributed a story for another Australian anthology that's coming out any day now, the FoolProof Anthology. It contains stories that all, in some way or other, refer to the fictional Sydney neighbourhood which is home to the Suburban Knights from Foolproof Comix. I did a one off story about a pair of rocket pack wearing cops and a giant robot called 'Sky Corps'.

And speaking of one offs, apparently enough people liked 'Jill Tomorrow: Girl of the Future', my last entry for the 24hr Challenge - where you create an entire comic in 24 hours - that I'm going to print it up and make it available online. It's a story about a girl who has to save her girlfriend from the clutches of evil. And deal with her parents. I also printed the book I did last year, but there seems to be much more interest in 'Jill Tomorrow' and I'm just pleased people want to buy it. Trudy Cooper even said I should do more. Everybody loves a happy lesbian couple story. *laugh*

I also recently inked a book called 'Seasons' with Aussie penciller Sean Lee for an American outfit. I'm not sure where it will end up. And I have every intention of adding some new strips to my journal comic 'Encre de Chine'. I've promised another round of guest comics there, too. If any webcomic/comic artists out there would like to contribute, drop by the site, have a look at last year's and drop me an e-mail.

And last, but not least, I hope to get off my ass and finish the current Katie story so I can start on the next one! It's more developed and there's far less room for experimenting. And it has hackers and snow. So I'm excited. *laughs* And I have tons of Katie gift art I need to get online. And I'm always looking for more (hint! hint!).

You recently contributed a piece to an Australian anthology called Something Wicked; What is it all about and what is your piece? Is horror one of your preferred genres?

A year or so ago Jason Paulos posted online a very old-school horror story he'd done. It was very coll and very much in the vein of those old 'Vault of Horror' and 'Creepy' anthology comics. People started talking about how cool it would be to do a new horror anthology in that tradition. Then one day Troy Kealley put out a call on Pulp Faction (pulpfaction.net) for artists and writers and said let's just do it. I'd never done a true horror piece, but I wanted to be in the book for sure so I asked if one of the writers who'd responded had a story I could illustrate.

I got one from Dan Best that was just awesome, but I knew there was no way I could do it. It needed someone who could faithfully do animals and... I suck at animals, among other things. *laugh* Now, I love Dan Best's writing so this was a hard thing to turn down (please Dan, send me another one way!). But Andy Finlayson did an incredible job and did the story ('Wolf') real justice. Troy said Liz Argall might have a short atmospheric piece and, well it was sci-fi and zombies so I figured it was fate! *laughs*

That's the first horror piece I've done and... let me tell you... drawing guts is hard!

What graphic novels do you keep that you never want to lose?

Hmm... I love Mike Mignola's 'Hellboy'. I think I'd have to say those. Oh, who am I kidding... I can think of 50 more! *laugh*

What led you to publish directly on to the web in addition to submitting a graphic novel publishers and going the minicomics route? Or do you publish hard copy (and where can Australians buy them?)?

Originally I started publishing on the web because it was easy and because I could make mistakes along the way and no one could say they weren't getting their money's worth. I wanted to push myself and explore and webcomics were the in thing at the time. And it's been good for me. It's been a sort of hothouse for me and it's helped me grow a lot faster than sitting around trying to figure out how to get something printed.

Australians can find some of my anthology work in 'Eat Comics', 'Something Wicked Horror Anthology', 'Pirates', 'Foolproof Anthology' and I have some pinups in the upcoming 'Dreams of Tomorrow'. Most, if not all, are available from PhaseTwo Comics (http://www.phasetwocomics.com). I also try to keep links to other books on my portfolio site () See 'about me' for links to a compilation book and some other things. 'Lense of Bast' will definitely be available from Phase Two when it comes out. I'm still an honorary Aussie!

Publishing on the web only, do you get a lot of interaction with your audience? Who seems to be reading your stuff?

No. And that sucks. I do hate that about the web. Hello! I know you're out there, I see the traffic come through, so please drop a line even if just to say hi. I'm just a regular person and I promise to reply. :)

What makes you make comics? Why work in this medium, rather than prose or another visual narrative art?

I don't know. I just do. Because drawing is a part of who I am it needs to be expressed. And I'm a frustrated wannabe filmmaker. So drawing comics lets me express some of that. Fish gotta swim, I gotta draw.

You seem to be draw towards Film Noir and Sci-fi (in fact you have an interesting hybrid of the two- Sci-noir!), why and how conscious are you of your influences?

Oh, I'm totally conscious of it. :) I love film noir and I love sci-fi. Sci-Noir. I like it! I also love monster movies and old radio and TV/film serials. I used to sneak out of bed and watch old monster movies when I was a kid. A local TV station played them late at night when they didn't have much else to play. I still get a tingle in my spine when one of them comes on cable now. So for me, a movie like 'Sky Captain' is almost pornography.

What is it like being a woman working in the industry? What hurdles (if any) do you face?

It's good, actually. At least in Australia. I really feel like I'm treated with the same level of respect as a guy would expect from the Australian community. But back in the US it's a little different. The mainstream is SO dominant here that you really have to work at screaming loud enough to be heard, and _then_ you can go about trying to get some respect. But it's still early days for me in the US, so ask me again in a year. :) Having said that, I have to note what a boon to publishing print-on-demand has been. It's the real world equivalent of the web - anyone who wants to can access it and use it to get your story out to the world. And I see a lot of women taking advantage of this.

My day job is heaps harder as regards gender-typing. I'm a system administrator at the physics department of... a certain Ivy League university in Boston, Massachusetts. For the most part it's not a big issue as the field is attracting more and more women, but it's traditionally been a predominately male field of study -- hell, my building didn't even have female toilets until really late in the 20th century. So sometimes I feel like I've got to really shine a bit brighter to show that I'm good at what I do. But, I'm really psyched as the latest batch of graduate students was over 1/4 female!

So, comparing the two, being a woman in comics is a breeze.

You lived with your partner Sarah for some years in Australia, what were your impressions of the comic industry here?

Great! I love the Aussie comics community and I was welcomed with open arms into it. So on a personal level my experience has been really positive. And I continue to be active in the community as much as I can. But, sadly, the 'industry'... it's disconnected, scattered. I run a pretty big Aussie comics forum and there are still books and artists I've not even heard of who are selling well in, say, Perth, but I've never seen their books. The North, the South and the West - none of us communicate very well with one another. One of the most frequent answers to questions similar to this is, "what industry?"

But there are people trying to change that. And the Internet is helping. Gavin and Emma at Phase Two have built a great online store that anyone can submit books for sale to. That's been a big change. This year's 24Hour Challenge got heaps of print, web and radio time. Diamond, the big worldwide distributor, has been very supportive of Paul Abstruse and Christian Read's 'Witch King'. And the sheer quality of 'Something WIcked' has apparently gotten some traditional retailers going "wait a minute... that's rather nice!" Now if we had a decent print-on-demand service and a bit more cohesion... we could _just_ about make an industry. And I think the public at large, through things like the success of 'Sin City' at the box office, are learning that comics are not necessarily kiddie books. They can be as cool and as hard hitting as a movie or television show. And they can be about anything. The people who do them are burning to tell a story. And there's nothing more compelling than a story someone's just bursting to tell. And draw.

Okay now the easy questions…

What cds are in your cd player at this moment?

Our Cds are still in Australia! But recently, on my iPod, I’ve listened to NoFX. Liz Phair. And I just got turned on to New Pornographers. I listen to a lot of news podcasts, too.

What book is in your bag or on your nightstand?

Kids' books! ‘Operation Red Jericho’ by Joshua Mowll, ‘Bloody Jack’ by L.A. Meyer. I have it in my head to one day do a book for the 7-12 year old set. So I read a lot of what’s out there.

What is the coolest, most unusual thing you own?

I have an Iron Giant figure that’s about 56cm tall. I was crazy for the movie.

If you could have dinner with ten people, dead or alive, who would they be and why? (Who is your personal hero?)

I think I’ll pick mostly dead people ‘cuz that’s more fun. A table of spooks! Einstein and Nils Bohr for a good science fight. Alan Turing, a queer genius of epic proportion, Grace Murray Hopper and Charles Babbage for computer nerdiness. Maxfield Parrish, probably the greatest illustrator who ever lived, because he’s my biggest non-living art idol. Mike Kaluta and Jaime Hernandez because they’re my biggest living art idols. Alex Raymond because he could draw comics like no one else could. And, finally, Trudy Cooper because I love her company and I couldn’t deny her a chance to meet Maxfield Parrish and Jaime Hernandez!

RIght now my personal hero is Jon Stewart of ‘The Daily Show’ because his ‘fake’ news show does more to expose the real news than any ‘real’ news show does. And America needs a lot of that right now.

What is your favourite movie of all time?

I’m a HUGE movie fan and this is a question I’m never able to answer well. But I’ve decided to go with the movie that had the most impact on my work: The Day The Earth Stood Still. But that’s not to say that ‘Rear Window’ and ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Dark City’ are any less favourites. Man that’s hard...

What TV show would you never miss?

Right now this is a really easy question to answer: The new Battlestar Galactica. All sci-fi aspects aside, it’s just a really great drama. I only wish my friends back in Australia were able to watch it too.

Which part of the world would you happily live in forever?

It'’s hard... Right now I’m really happy to be back ‘home’. But I have a great interest in exploring the world. But at my core I’m most comfortable in America.

Who is your favourite writer?

I adore Neil Gaiman. But I’m fickle. I love many writers and cheat on them regularly with other writers. *laughs*

What is your favourite word?

”Awesome”. Well, it’s my favourite in that I use it way too much. That and some words you probably shouldn’t print. *laugh* I’m a smart-assed butch woman with a potty mouth.

If you had to go to a costume party, who would you go as?

I don’t know! And my first good Halloween in 4 years is coming up and I need to decide! That’s one thing that Asutralian kids need to reconsider; Halloween - it means FREE CANDY! Why aren’t you doing it? Last year I went very punk, mohawk and Siouxie-like makeup. The last really neat costume was Catwoman. But that was several kilos ago... *sniff* No way I could do it now.

One last question (this one I have to ask) - Are you happy being “identified” as gay?

Absolutely! I’m here, I’m queer, get me a Diet Coke! It’s just a part of who I am. It’s like Neil Gaiman is British. Or Kean Soo is Canadian. I’m Queernadian. Or Gayish. *laugh* And I’ve long ago given up caring whether it influences people’s judgement of me. Considering what Sarah and I went through just to stay together I’m right damned proud of who we are. How many straight couples can say they've gone so far just to stay together? Not many, because they don't _have_ to jump through hoops just to keep from being separated. We've each had to leave a career and our families and friends on either shore and then suffer through _two_ international moves. We now live in the only state in the US that allows same-sex marriage and, by god, we deserve it!

LINKS:
Portfolio and bio
http://heyniceshoes.com/maggie
Katie Galaxy
http://katiegalaxy.com
Lense of Bast
http://lenseofbast.com
Encre de Chine
http://heyniceshoes.com/encre
Pulp Faction
http://pulpfaction.net