We are keeping it rolling and have our next exclusive interview from Saturday AM Issue 166. The talented Emma has stepped up to the plate. Let’s dive right into it and hear about the magic sauce behind her one-shot.
“Hi! I’m Emma, I was born in Pennsylvania, and currently live in Los Angeles CA. My one shot manga is titled “Witch Family Ephemera”.
How’d you get into manga/comic making and storytelling?
How’d you get into manga/comic making and storytelling?“It’s been with me since a very young age. When I was in elementary school, I would fold pieces of paper and staple them to make rudimentary little comics and draw all the panels the same size. Some were funny comics, some were based around games I liked. I watched anime all through middle and high school via Toonami, but I didn’t actually get my hands on a physical volume of manga until I was in college.
I know I’m dating myself with this, but it was volume 1 of Elemental Gelade! Around that time I started drawing digitally, too, and participated in comic jams and original character tournaments as well as webcomic projects to start honing my skills. I didn’t start really trying to seriously draw manga until just a few years ago, but I’d built up the necessary skills by that time.”
What advice would you give aspiring artists who want to create a manga one-shot or enter events like Summer of Manga? What should they be prepared for in terms of challenges and opportunities?
” I am the worst person to ask this, because I tend to get things done chaotically while under the gun of a deadline… but I think getting the pages done is the most important thing in the end. You could have piles of character concepts and rough drafts, but unless you can actually buckle down and draw those pages it hardly matters. You might not be perfectly happy with what you create. But anything worth doing is worth doing poorly! The more pages you actually finish, the better you can get, and the more you have to show when submitting your work.
Once you’re working on a deadline, you’ll also have a better chance of meeting it as it looms terrifyingly closer! Oh and, once you do work with an editor, be ready to cut stuff out of your story. Pare it back to the absolute essentials. I wanted so badly for there to be a bird girl in my oneshot, but there simply wasn’t any room, and Austin (the editor) helped me realize that.”
What do you want people to take away from your story?
” As long as you’re alive, you’re able to change. And maybe change will come upon you suddenly, and your life will never go back to what it was before. But both seeking out and accepting change are important parts of discovering your true self and ensuring your own happiness.
There was a time in my life where I thought I would never be happy again, and now even though my circumstances aren’t entirely sunshine and rainbows, I’m happier than I ever thought possible. I like to believe that the magick of change is something available to all of us.”
In your story, there are themes such as self-acceptance and embracing the things that make us unique, which a lot of people struggle with. How did you approach writing these themes to make them resonate with readers who may be facing similar struggles?
“I think that yearning is something everyone feels in some capacity, whether it’s yearning for something unattainable like a fantasy, yearning simply to find a purpose, or yearning to spend time with someone who has passed on. Sophie yearned to live a life of magic, but by internalizing the destructive words of bullies she believed that it wasn’t possible for her. By embracing the power offered by Primavera, and using it on her own terms, Sophie fulfilled her yearning and carved a new path for herself.
Maybe it’s overly optimistic, but I hope that everyone who reads Witch Family Ephemera can think of something they’re yearning for, and feel empowered to take steps towards fulfilling it. Oh, and if you’re like I was and yearning to be a girl… then you already are one! If transitioning would make you happy, then do it!! You don’t need any other reason!!!”
We can’t thank Emma enough for pulling back the curtain and letting us in on this magical yet incredibly human story! You can check out her one-shot WITCH FAMILY EPHEMERA RIGHT HERE.
Want some more exclusive interviews with this year’s creators? You’re in luck! We have some more coming your way.
