I've been asked to participate in an upcoming Time Travel Anthology, put together by the lovely Melody Often, and contributed to by all Baltimore comic artists! These are just my sketches for now, dealing with one of my least favorite topics - BEES!! Keep a lookout for the anthology, due out this year!
I've been asked to participate in an upcoming Time Travel Anthology, put together by the lovely Melody Often, and contributed to by all Baltimore comic artists! These are just my sketches for now, dealing with one of my least favorite topics - BEES!! Keep a lookout for the anthology, due out this year!
For those of you who are new to my blog, welcome! I've been transitioning it from a roller derby-only diary into one where I can post whatever I want, whenever I want! So one of my things is comic books - I write and draw a couple of comics that I update regularly on my site. There's one about college kids meddling with Greek Mythology called Gods & Undergrads, and one about a rollergirl and her day job called Bonnie N. Collide, Nine to Five. (More of my art can be found at the Eat Your Lipstick link to your right). So that's settled. I'll be mentioning when either comic is updated, like ... NOW! Click here to read the latest page of Gods & Undergrads.
I see a lot of Superman insignias everywhere I go - from people's bags to shirts to getting them painted on the rear windows of their cars. Why the obsession with Superman? He always seemed so boring to me. Born with amazing abilities that no one can touch. Ho-hum. I never found him terribly relatable. Only when I was obsessed with Smallville did I get invested in what Superman was up to (and I blame that on the allure of Tom Welling). But then I came across Bill's Superman monologue in Kill Bill Vol. 2, and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and I started to get it. People who like Superman are the same people who value natural talent and ability. Have they had to train to get to that point? Yeah. But training just adds on to their already natural ability. They've got the talent and have discovered what they naturally excel at doing.
So those are the Superman fans. The Batman fans are a different breed - they value technology and smarts above everything else. Weren't born with natural talent? No problem. They'll engineer a solution. They put all their stock in not what they already can do, but what they believe they can figure out. They're crafty, because they've had to be. No one gave them anything they didn't earn.
Both of these types I find can be applied (among other things) to sports. I've met both of these types over and over already in derby. The natural talents who, as soon as they make the league, shoot to the top. They don't understand why other people think it's hard, and it all just seems to fit. The Supermans. Fans especially love the Supermans - they're so glossy and amazing and stand out from the pack so easily. It's hard not to idolize them. Then there are those who immediately recognize that they aren't the Supermans, but have the drive and ambition to get as far as fast as they can with their ingenuity. These Batmans are self aware and not plagued with doubt or uncertainty - they can sum up their pluses and minuses and figure out where to put them to their best use.
Where do I find myself in all of this? My own personal superhero role model? Well, the philosophy I've found fits best with my "style" in life is the House of HufflePuff in Harry Potter. Of course I always wanted and dreamed of being a Superman. But I'm not. And I'm too plagued with self-consciousness to be a Batman. I'm a HufflePuff - I work hard, I plug away, I slllooowwwwlllyyy and steadily improve. Supermans burn out, Batmans get bored. I keep going.
But I might need something a little more than just recognizing I'm a HufflePuff to keep me motivated and going in derby. Who's the superhero who has overcome mediocrity and kept plugging away until they've succeeded and become amazing? That's the one I can get behind. That's the one who's insignia I want on my car. Even though I work in comics, I'm sadly uneducated in the majority of current superheroes. Recommendations?
Today from 12 - 4:00 at Collectors Corner comic book store in Parkville, MD, the Charm City Roller Girls will descend to promote their art, challenge people to Rock Band, and generally awesome things up. I'll be selling my books and signing copies of JAM! so if you're in the area, come pay a visit to your friendly neighborhood rollergirl! :)
Okay I have to take a break from the regularly scheduled griping about learning how to play roller derby to mention .... ... That Oni Press's Derby Anthology, JAM! is out in stores today!!! Woop woop! Written by rollergirls, drawn by comickers, it's the perfect blend of everything ... well, that I've ever wanted!
Comic lovers - Get out there and hug a derby girl!
Derby girls - We've conquered another media outlet!
I have a l'il eight page story in the book about when I was first learning how to skate ... (which was seriously not that long ago ... we're talking end of 2008 - eek!) It's crazy to think how much has happened since then. Rest assured I still feel awkward, still make shrill bird noises when I fall, and still wonder what the hell I think I'm doing out there. But now I feel a part of this world and no longer on my tippy toes, craning to get a look inside. Yay!
Okay I have to take a break from the regularly scheduled griping about learning how to play roller derby to mention .... ... That Oni Press's Derby Anthology, JAM! is out in stores today!!! Woop woop! Written by rollergirls, drawn by comickers, it's the perfect blend of everything ... well, that I've ever wanted!
Comic lovers - Get out there and hug a derby girl!
Derby girls - We've conquered another media outlet!
I have a l'il eight page story in the book about when I was first learning how to skate ... (which was seriously not that long ago ... we're talking end of 2008 - eek!) It's crazy to think how much has happened since then. Rest assured I still feel awkward, still make shrill bird noises when I fall, and still wonder what the hell I think I'm doing out there. But now I feel a part of this world and no longer on my tippy toes, craning to get a look inside. Yay!
Monica Gallagher is a comic book creator, illustrator and freelance designer making work for hire with a positive, feminist spin.
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