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Maggie Morrill You're a fellow St. Louisan, what's so great about this place? What needs to change? Curiously enough, while I am not a native St. Louisite, I do have a great affection for this city. It's gritty and rough-and-tumble, and utterly real and charismatic, like Danny Zucco in Grease. There is a lot that needs to be worked on though: poverty, homelessness, the atrocious state of the public school system; but that's stuff I think people here are already aware of...Why an alien? Have you ever wanted to date one? I dig aliens, and the embarassing truth is that after a bit of digging around, I have found countless webcomics that feature an alien sidekick/comic relief. I'm perpetuating a comic cliche' and didn't even know it! But really though, wouldn't it be simply awesome to have a space alien as your best friend? (never dated one though)Which of your childhood memories have been ruined by the internet? After a bit of thought, I've determined my fondest pop-culture childhood memories are ruined NOT by the internet, but by big-budget, headache-inducing movie remakes. (Alvin and the Chipmunks, anyone?) By comparison, Nora the Piano Playing Cat is quite soothing and pleasant.
What sorts of people and aspects of our society does your comic take aim at? Why do you hate these people so? The zombie issue takes a few pot shots at gas-guzzling Humvee drivers, but they're such an easy target that I felt sorta guilty. I also have a great deal of fun at the expense of emos and goths--pretty much anyone who takes themselves too seriously and uses buckets of mascara to do so. I don't actually HATE anyone though... it's just fun to poke them in the ribs and see if they squirm.Have you made anyone angry yet? Got any funny stories about people you've infuriated? Haven't made anyone angry yet, at least not to my knowledge. I've encountered quite a few people who don't quite get the humor (lots of geek jokes crammed in there). At Vintage Vinyl, a guy approached me and told me that he didn't get the comic--that he would've bought it if he had understood it, but he didn't. I was flummoxed. What do you say to that?
What are your religious convictions? Do they play a part in your comic? I am a Christian, and often elements of that peek through the comic. In the aforementioned zombie issue, two of the characters are frantically boarding up the windows while discussing eschatology and the nature of the impending apocalypse (including bits of the book of Revelation). It's important enough to me that I don't hide my beliefs, even if doing so will get me some angsty flaming in my e-mail account.A lot of the characters in the comic I consider to be Christian, and in writing and drawing it, I embarked on my own kind of social experiment: I was interested in seeing portrayals of Christians who are not two-dimensional (well, okay, here they really are two-dimensional, but bear with me) clueless squares, and who are not judgemental, unapproachable, uptight prigs. In other words, Christians who are ordinary people, who are like you and me, and who have a working, functioning relationship with God. List at least ten things that keep you from moving to a small deserted island filled with an abundance of fruit and monkey butlers: Ha! My fantastic husband, my friends and family, decent coffee, my internet connection... wait. Does this island have Wi-Fi?
What are five things destroying our culture? Knee-jerk reactionist jingoism, rampant consumerism, reality television, unstoppable oil consumption, a malingering infection called Fox News, uh... oh, wait, I have to stop there, don't I?What are five things redeeming and advancing our culture? Rapidly emerging underground hip-hop, the slowly growing acceptance of graffiti as valid artwork, the new generation of community activism, and the idea that the digital music revolution will soon lop the head off the RIAA like it's Marie Antoinette.What's the dumbest thing you've ever heard/ seen/ heard of? The continuing media fascination with Britney Spears.What do you think about politics? I don't really consider myself either a Democrat or a Republican. If I had to pinpoint myself, I'd say maayyyybe... Libertarian. Anyway, that Kucinich guy seems pretty nifty.
Where do you draw your artistic style from? Oh geez, everywhere and anywhere. Magazines, graffiti, clip art, zines. It's evolved into a cut-and-paste DIY aesthetic.What comic artists are you trying to emulate? I try my best not to flat-out emulate other artists' styles, but I do consider myself to be influenced by some great comic artists: Jack Kirby, Jim Mahfood, Chris Bachalo, Chynna Clugston, Jamie Hewlett, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, too many to list here completely.What comic artists are you trying to be as different from their work as possible? Rob Liefeld. Ugh.Has your comic been featured/ distributed in any neat places? Where would you like to see your comic? The great folks at Vintage Vinyl, Star Clipper, and Apop Records (along with Tensionhead, R.I.P!) have always been supportive and cool. Every once in awhile I'll have my comics on sale on a merch table at some of the hip-hop shows around town, with crews like Dead Republic, 932, and Frozen Food Section. And of course, I'd love to see it in more bookstores!How long have you been doing Subculture Clash? Has it always been good times? Any hardships? Hmm, I think since about 2002, if you count all the false starts. It hasn't been a dramatic rise and/or fall... just a lot of trial-and-error trips through different Kinko's.
What or who do each of your major characters represent? The basic concept is that they represent different subcultures all interacting together in awkward social environments. The show 'Friends' always bugged the crap out of me, because there were never any punks, no goths, no black people, no hippies... you get the idea.Are any of your character representations of you? They are, in bits and pieces. Drew the barista is my gender-flipped alter ego who gets to convey to the reader all of the strange but true experiences I've had working in coffee shops.Have you ever taken someone in a fight? Who would you love to give a royal beat-down to? Unfortunately, no! But challenge me to Mortal Kombat. I dare you.I see that you are a fellow zombie-lover? What brings you to the fellowship of skulking un-dead appreciators? Because zombies are purists. They want one thing, and one thing only: sweet, sweet brains. I admire their dedication and perseverance in the single-mindedness of their goal.
Do you consider yourself to be "cool"? Absolutely not. Being cool is for people who can afford it.Who believes in you? Who do you believe in? To both of those questions: My husband, my friends, my family, and God.Got any last words before we end this, the most informative of expose's? You know, X-Men 3 could've been SUCH a better movie. Why did Bryan Singer leave? What did Superman have that Wolverine didn't have? I still wonder.<< Back To Artist Interviews |
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