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Women In Comics Month: Interview with Delia Gable

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In honor of Women in Comics this March, PREVIEWSworld talks with artist Delia Gable!

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

Delia Gable: I’m a native New Yorker who loves reading, drawing and cats. I currently illustrate and letter the serial Dash (MAR151437), written by Dave Ebersole and published by Northwest Press, and the miniseries Eating Vampires, written by Regine Sawyer

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

Delia Gable: I’ve been drawing stories since I was 2 years old, but I’m a total newbie in terms of published comics illustration. My first foray was the 2012 graphic novel A Ninja Named Stan, written by Mike Whittenberger. Shortly afterward I started working through the first stages of Dash with Dave. In 2013, I started work on Eating Vampires and also participated in the illustration and lettering of a comic called Branded, written by Rodrigo Caballero and colored by Shari Chankhamma, which was released on the web.

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

Delia Gable: I wish I had some comics mentors! I’ve had fine arts mentors, but absolutely nobody inspired me to pursue a career in comics. I’ve always enjoyed reading comics and eventually realized I’d be happier if I was also making them, and it was slow going from there. My work would be infinitely further along if I’d had mentors, but my initial comics inspiration came from the work of creators I’d never met, like Mary Fleener, Diane DiMassa, Ross Campbell, Alex Robinson, Pheobe Gloeckner, Terry Moore, Dori Seda…the list goes on and on!

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

Delia Gable: As both a reader and a maker, I’m excited to see so many more interesting stories available now, and a greater variety of creators out on the market. When I was a younger, I suffered through periods of intense frustration where I had read everything available that looked interesting, and what remained looked trite or boring at best and disturbing or repellent at worst. Now I can’t keep up with all the great books being made, and that actually feels awesome. I hope I never run out again!

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

Delia Gable: One particular stereotype that really pisses me off is that adult women just started reading and enjoying comics recently. I’ve been reading comics since I was a kid, and so have lots of other women I know…we didn’t all just monolithically show up one day and gatecrash the party because we saw a blockbuster movie or because “nerd/geek” is suddenly a trend now. As always, breaking stereotypes starts by looking at someone and NOT immediately assuming the worst.

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

Delia Gable: I’d like to see women represented as people, as individuals with different tastes, bodies and faces, personalities and life stories, not merely as living decoration or dead motivation or cardboard cutouts. A lot of comics are doing an excellent job with that already, but I don’t understand how anyone could perceive requests for fuller characterization as “ruining comics” or “asking for special treatment.”

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

Delia Gable: STOP QUITTING. Stop making excuses, stop talking yourself out of making, doing, drawing, writing, producing. As a recovering perfectionist, I can confidently tell you to get out of your own way and just get on with the work.

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

Delia Gable: Of course the first person I think of is Regine Sawyer, who is not only a writer full of rich worlds but also a total powerhouse and a close personal friend. Heather Nunnelly creates a fascinating webcomic called “Vacant”. Micheline Hess just released this great off-the-wall comic called “Malice in Ovenland.” Go buy their books, you won’t be disappointed!

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

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