Women In Comics Month: Interview with Noelle Stevenson

In honor of Women in Comics this March, PREVIEWSworld talks with writer Noelle Stevenson!

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

Noelle Stevenson: I'm working on developing my second graphic novel for HarperCollins to follow my first one, NIMONA. I'm writing for Lumberjanes and Disney's Wander Over Yonder, along with some other projects that haven't been announced yet!

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

Noelle Stevenson: I've been working in comics since 2012, when I started publishing NIMONA online and I interned with BOOM! Studios. Since then, I signed with HarperCollins to publish NIMONA, started co-writing LUMBERJANES for Boom!, and I've done work for DC and Marvel as well!

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

Noelle Stevenson: I've been inspired by a lot of badass comics ladies! Shannon Watters and Dafna Pleban at BOOM! really mentored me when I was interning there, and Joan Hilty was my Sequential Art teacher at school and really encouraged me to pursue comics. And webcomics artists like Kate Beaton were the first female comics creators I was aware of who were doing their thing and being successful at it, and made me feel I could do the same.

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

Noelle Stevenson: I think women are just more visible right now. The rise of social media has elevated women's and marginalized people's voices and it's harder than it once was to just ignore criticism of sexism in comics.

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

Noelle Stevenson: Stereotypes that women are only doing it for attention or don't really care about comics and want to ruin it for 'real fans.' We can stop those stereotypes by not thinking that way anymore and confronting those who do.

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

Noelle Stevenson: Support the female voice in all its forms. Support other female creators and work to make an environment that is inclusive and allows female-led projects to thrive organically.

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

Noelle Stevenson: Lumberjanes has worked with a bunch of female creators on the rise! I recommend checking out everyone who's worked on variant covers or short stories for Lumberjanes, along with our main crew.

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