“You do a book for Tokyopop and you get complaints that it’s not manga enough,” says artist Amy Reeder Hadley. “You do a book for Vertigo and, oh, it’s too manga. So you get to the point where you think, ‘That must mean I’m just right.’ ”
Hadley’s versatility may draw some online criticism, but it’s a small price to pay. A self-taught artist, she has completed two volumes of the global manga Fool’s Gold, the story of a creative, opinionated girl who tries to shake up the high school social scene. Before finishing the last volume, Hadley is taking a break to collaborate with writer Matt Wagner on a new Madame Xanadu series for Vertigo.
PWCW : How did you develop the story for Fool’s Gold?
Amy Reeder Hadley: I [made] different lists of characters I find interesting, books or movies where I like the plot and why, and theories that I liked that could be used in the story. I stared at them for a long time until I came up with a story, and that was Fool’s Gold.
PWCW : Where did you get the idea for Penny, the main character?
ARH: It was with the help of the editor I was working with at the time, Jodi Bryson. I had come up with a lot of plots about people who were worried about popularity, and she said, “Why can’t it be somebody who is spunky, who doesn’t care what people think?” So for some reason it just flowed. A lot of her spunk she probably gets from me.
PWCW: Penny’s self-confidence is reflected in the unusual outfits she wears, which she designs herself. Is that a reflection of you as well?
ARH: In high school I dressed like everyone else. In college I went a little crazy—anything could be clothes. I would wear aprons a lot, I would borrow things from people’s grandmas, and I would wear my hair like Pippi Longstocking, do two braids and then put hanger wire through it so it would stand up. You can pull it off if it’s something you enjoy. It’s really just a matter of confidence.
PWCW: You often shift the point of view in your art. How much do you think about that?
ARH: At the beginning of Fool’s Gold, the diversity of the angles was completely intentional. I didn’t want to look stale, so I would think, “I haven’t used this for a while. What would be a good opportunity to use it?” Now I just think about the story, and because I have forced myself to use the diversity, it comes more easily now.
PWCW: What makes Fool’s Gold manga, as opposed to simply comics?
ARH: The reason I want to work for Tokyopop is, my number one influence is manga. When I got into comics, that’s what I read. I’m so close to [Fool’s Gold] that it’s hard for me to see what it looks like to other people. It has so many of my own biases in it, how I view life and reality and beauty, that I have a hard time seeing how much it looks like manga or how much it looks like American comics.
As far as manga goes, I’m not sure what the definition is. I feel like it’s more of a spectrum. It’s just all comics to me.
PWCW: What is Madame Xanadu about?
ARH: It’s about two immortal characters who have run-ins with each other through different periods of time. It’s kind of a love story that spans centuries. I get to draw things in different historical periods, which is something I am fascinated by.
PWCW: How do you and Matt work together?
ARH: He never writes a full script or a panel and script with quotes. He is much looser. For each page he writes what is going to happen, and I choose the panel numbers and how it is going to be laid out. It reads more like a novel, and I choose how to tell it. Once it’s done, he writes a script to match what he sees. It’s much more collaborative, and it means you get to see a lot more of my character and personality in the story.
PWCW: Is it a big change to be working with a writer?
ARH: In this case, I’m glad I don’t have control over the story. It’s great to work with experienced writers. He’s working with characters that are from the DC universe. Even though it stands on its own, there are so many subtleties that I, at this point, am nervous to try and handle.
PWCW:Blogger Christopher Butcher critiqued Fool’s Gold rather sharply, and a commenter at Newsarama complained about a manga artist drawing Madame Xanadu. How have you been dealing with criticism?
ARH: At first it was a little tough because I was a bit in love with myself. You have to learn to be a professional and allow them to say what they want and allow your work to stand on its own. The Christopher Butcher thing was a really tough spot for me. It wasn’t because of the actual review, but it escalated into this big argument that was cross-posted everywhere. The good thing about it was, it got me less addicted to the Internet for a while. It also helped me to grow up a bit and stop worrying so much about what people have to say.
The Madame Xanadu stuff was definitely a surprise, just because I wasn’t prepared for it. If I had thought about it, I would have handled it better. I had good responses from my editor and writer, and that kept my confidence up.
