STUDIO: DARREN G. DAVIS:
What does the Female Force series hope to accomplish?By putting a spotlight on some of the most accomplished woman of our time who are too often only seen as headlines and sounbites, Female Force ties to provide a more rounded, in-depth picture of how these leaders shape our world. I see the series more as an accessible teaching tool than the continuing adventures of Super Woman. What we are producing is a way for people, not just kids, to appreciate the achievements and recognize their profound influence. We are very pleased that libraries and schools around the country have contacted us wanting to pick up these titles. But I suppose if we accomplish one thing it is to allow people to see both sides of the story before making up their minds about a person and their policies. Our approach is neither from the left or the right. We try to tell portray the facts in an accurate, yet entertaining way, so we get a full measure of the subject.
Where does the series plan to go in the following issues?
The potential is limitless. We started the series with four women from the political arena because the recent campaign, election and continuing current events have really dominated our collective attention. However, in the future we will be featuring successful women from every walk of public life; entertainers, business entrepreneurs, novelists, broadcasters and even historic figures.
Which issue has been the most fulfilling to produce?
I have learned so much with each woman we featured. However, I feel the Hillary Clinton story has had the greatest impact on me. We started this comic right after Barak Obama got the nomination for the Democratic party. Even though she did not get the nomination, we knew that she changed politics . This made her the perfect candidate for the first issue. We also had a strong feeling that she would still be really strong presence in the Obama administration. In fact, this comic ends with her nomination for Secretary of State. But what was really fascinating is that the writer, Neal Bailey, started the project with a negative view of Senator Clinton. However, after extensive research, he grew tremendous respect for her convictions and accomplishments.
Have you heard from any of the subjects about what they think of the comics? We have heard that Sarah Palin knows about the comic book. There is a store in Alaska that is ordering several hundred copies. But I hope if and when they find out about this that they will be pleased. This venture is new to us because it really appeals to a different demographic than our other titles, but we are in it for the long haul. We really want to show these women in a non-biased manner so readers can celebrate their accomplishments despite which side of the political aisle they sit.
NEAL BAILEY: FEMALE FORCE WRITER:
What did you have to do to research Caroline and the Kennedy family?Typically my research process involves books, multiple internet sources, news channels, and television programs, in some cases. My only real personal guideline is to try to remain intellectually honest, which means as broad a source base as I can find. I just throw myself into the person as a character and as a series of statistics and try to find the most creative and active balance for a reader, so they're not bored to tears. In Caroline's case, there's more of a dynastic sense, so I'm researching Kennedy's political impact as well. You have to look at her in the context of her in her family, even though she's a woman on her own, and that's a balance to strike as I find her as a personality for my piece.
How do you go about condensing a whole life into 22 pages?
It's actually surprisingly easy, the writing part. It's the research
that's a bear. Once you have someone's life mapped out as a series of
important events, you simply take a series of snapshots, pick the best
images that create an active portrayal, and try to make it fit. Stuff
gets omitted, which is tragic, but thankfully, a picture usually says a
thousand words. That's what's great about the comic medium for me, as
opposed to, say, when I'm writing a novel. In the same way that the word
"love" when set to music can be so much more effective than reading the
word on paper, the lone image of, say, John-John's salute coupled with
the word "Camelot" can mean a heck of a lot more than an entire dry
paragraph paper describing the era. It's much more emotional, so it's a
process of picking the best emotional moments. Biographies are different
from regular comics, in that regular comics it's usually a sequence of
events told through art in motion. A biography is more events spaced
over a long period of time, so each panel doesn't necessarily follow
into the next, but takes place days, months, or even years later. It's
like writing a Superman comic and showing Krypton, then skipping to
Kansas, then skipping to high school, as opposed to say, telling the
story of the time Metallo came to Metropolis and had a fight, which can
be ten minutes over the course of 22 pages instead of a lifetime.
What was the part of the story that you’re the most proud of? In the draft form I have now, I'm proud of the opening. I like to put biographical figures in the context of history, and I'm profoundly interested in the Kennedy assassination and the impact it had on me. Imagining how that would impact a daughter of the man in question is quite an emotional beat.
