Women In Comics Month: Interview With Ashley Witter

In honor of Women in Comics this March, PREVIEWSworld talks with artist Ashley Witter!

PREVIEWSworld: Tell us a little bit about yourself! What are you currently working on? 

Ashley Witter: I’m Ashley Witter, I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and I draw comics for a living. I’m currently working on a comic called Squarriors, written by Ash Maczko. It’s a story set in a 1980’s dystopian world where mankind has disappeared and animals have inexplicably become intelligent. When you look at the cover and title you might think it’s a silly comic about squirrel-warriors. It is, in fact, very dark and will make you weep. It’s also incredibly gory—I mean, it has a lot of heart. So please, check it out. 

PREVIEWSworld: How long have you been working with sequential art? What titles, companies, and creators have you worked with over your time in comics?

Ashley Witter: I’ve been illustrating comics professionally since 2011. In the past I worked with Yen Press. I’ve adapted and illustrated Ann Rice’s Interview with the Vampire: Claudia’s Story and The Wolf Gift. I did artwork for the Twilight graphic novel series as well. I’ve worked with Titan Publishing for a series of Assassin Creed variant covers and an original story by Mark Landry called “Bloodthirsty: One Nation Under Water”.  More recently, Devil’s Due published my comic “Scorch.”

PREVIEWSworld: Did you have a mentor or hero in the industry that inspired you to pursue a career in comics?

Ashley Witter: I had an older brother who was into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,  X-Men, Calvin and Hobbes, etc. My family operated a printing business, so drawing and printing comics was already ingrained in me at an early age. Fast forward to Animation school, I had a handful of great professors who influenced me, and gave me the tools I work with every day. I had the honor of learning from “mighty” Mark A. Nelson, who did the Aliens comics for Dark Horse, further cementing my interest in comics.

PREVIEWSworld: In your opinion, how has the comic book industry evolved in terms of gender?

Ashley Witter: Someone had said to me once that there aren’t enough women in the comic book industry. I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s a ton of women doing comics. There’s just not as many of them doing comics professionally. If I had to make a wild guess, I would say that this industry is highly competitive. That isn’t to say women aren’t competitive, I think they’d rather just cut the bull and get right to telling stories.

PREVIEWSworld: What stereotypes do you see surrounding women in comics? How could people of all genders go about breaking those stereotypes?

Ashley Witter: Things are a lot different today than they were last Tuesday. I don’t see stereotypes; I see an overwhelming variety of women in comics. I know people want to find stereotypes and categorize things to where they belong… but take a walk down artist alley at any convention and really look. 

PREVIEWSworld: How do you want to see women represented in comic books 10 years from now?

Ashley Witter: Ten years from now? That seems a bit far away. I like that we’re embracing the female form in all shapes, sizes, colors, differing amounts of clothing etc. But I also feel like this should have already been established, and yesterday’s news. I’m a classical art kind of girl. I see the nude female form as a work of art. I understand and respect that there are people who do not share this view. I don’t have to change their opinion and I ask that they not try to change mine. I suppose that’s the kind of change I want to see, respect.

PREVIEWSworld: If you could give advice to any aspiring editors, executives, writers, or artists, what would you tell them?

Ashley Witter: If you’re trying to break into this industry, have patience;  be persistent. If you’re a writer or artist trying to make it, don’t wait to get picked up by a publisher. Tell your stories now. Enjoy the process of creating them. That’s the most important part of all of this.

PREVIEWSworld: And lastly, are there any up-and-coming women creators who you would recommend readers check out?

Ashley Witter: I’m going to give a shout out to my friends Beomene Winroth and Adrian Malmgren, creators of “Wicked Hero”, a webcomic about questioning norms and being yourself. 

See more Women In Comics Month interviews in our special section on PREVIEWSworld!