Stephanie Williams is the Meme Queen turned Comic Book Pro. An interview about X-Men memes, Nubia, and Street Sharks - The Short Box Podcast Ep. 476

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In this episode of The Short Box:  I think that's why I approach my career the way that I do. Because folks are like, you kind of write everything. And I was like, you're damn right I do. Because if I don't, I am just getting work in February and Juneteenth. Who can survive off of that? And that's why I said, like, when I got in with the anthology for Black History Month, I knew that I was going to have to  work even harder because...

00:26
We've seen time and time again where folks get in on an anthology, but you never see them again after that. um like getting a thing like Street Sharks, I think that was the moment I was like, okay, I think I'm okay now. Like they gave the black lady Street Sharks, which was a thing. I'm a huge Street Sharks fan anyway.

00:47
intro music plays

01:10
Yoo, Short Box Nation. Hello again, welcome back. And thanks for pressing play today. If you're brand new, welcome to the show. My name is Badr and this is the Short Box Podcast, the comic book talk show that brings you the best conversations about your favorite comics with the people that put their blood, sweat and tears into making them. And today I'm joined by Stephanie Williams, the queen of internet comic book memes turned professional comic writer.

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Now before Stephanie made it big in comics, she was already writing articles and think pieces for notable publications such as Sci-Fi Fangirls,  The A.V. Club,  Nerdist,  and Rotten Tomatoes.  She also created several popular webcomics like Parenthood Activate  and Living Heroes, which is a fan-fix series that featured short stories starring beloved Marvel heroines living in a superhero kind of world  who are glad to have their girls. oh

02:03
Look, any chance I get to inject that amazing intro song, I'm gonna take advantage of that, all right? That is a top tier  sitcom intro song. But back to Stephanie Williams, her big time comic book writing credits include Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Wreck and Roll, and Nubia, Queen of the Amazons,  and Spider-Verse Unlimited for Marvel Comics. Stephanie's on the show today to talk about the making the pivot from internet fandom to writing comics professionally.  And we'll talk about her new Street Sharks series, which is being published by IDW.

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Long story short, in the words of Jon Stewart, we got things to talk about today. We've got things to talk about. But before we get started, I want to shout out the official sponsor of the short box, which is Gotham City Limit. It's the actual premiere shop for comics, toys, collectibles and more. Check out this episode show notes for a link to shop their online store where you can buy shop exclusive comics and merch. And lastly, I want to dedicate this episode to all of the short box Patroni's, aka the loyal supporters that make up the short box Patreon community.

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Do you want more short box episodes or how about free comics and short box merch sent directly to you? All you gotta do is become a patron of the show at patreon.com slash the short box. You get all of that and way more. I'm also doing a monthly comic giveaway contest on the Patreon. Big congrats and shout out to Marissa Burton and Kyle Conway for winning September's giveaway contest. They won two copies of the Battle Beast blind bag. And you don't even need to be a paying member of the Patreon to take part in those giveaways. Those contests are open to everyone.

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So once again, support the show, get rewarded, possibly win some free comics and have my undying gratitude by signing up at patreon.com slash the short box. And without further ado, short box nation, let's welcome Stephanie Williams to the show. What up, Stephanie? Let me turn that up a little bit. Give it a little base. What up, Stephanie? How you doing today? I'm doing fine. I just drank some pre-workout, so we'll see how this goes. But yeah. I was 10 years old and learning that you are quite experienced in the realm of podcasting both

03:58
behind and in front the mics. You've hosted a few podcasts, right? Yeah. My very first one was called the Lemonade podcast. Don't ask me why it just was. I talked about- Can I guess that the Beyonce album, the same name came around around the same time? I'm pretty sure. And I was like, well, might as well. And then the other one was Missy Nice Uninformed Afro. That was actually the one that really kicked things off for me made me say,

04:25
Y'all are serious about this, as serious as I am. So let's talk about comics. So there's a lot of different directions we could take this conversation to start. But how about we begin with your origin story? Just because I think it is so interesting that you majored in biological science. You were a legit research scientist. And now you're a comic book writer. Like you went from writing about comics to writing comics.  I guess, is it still a shock for you when you think about like your career trajectory?

04:54
Every day, every day when I don't have to get up at 6.30 in the morning anymore. Well, sometimes I do drop my sun off for school, for work, then I don't have to do that all the time. Today, my very first creator-owned comic came out today, Roots of Madness. And even thinking about that, I'm just like, girl, how did we get here? Like, I know how we got here, but even still, like, looking back, I'm just like, this is...

05:21
This is the type of thing that they make lifetime movies about, right? Like,  this is, this is This is the type of things they make lifetime movies about starring Queen Latifah all Yes, oh my God, yeah, I was thinking Queen Latifah too.  Yes.  Okay, okay, and I guess for those maybe not aware of your story. All right, first of all, you're from Chicago. You live in North Carolina now, right? Yes. Okay.  You majored in biological science. You went to actually work in research and clinical labs after college.

05:50
And then can you fill in the gaps from how you went from a fucking scientist to a comic book writer? Like what happened in between? So the thing that kicked that off was motherhood. So I had my son in 2015 and I don't know if it was just like the hormones, who knows, right? Like you're in just another frame of mind. It made me, one, I hated my job. Not what I did, but my boss was It's like the best motivator ever. Yes.

06:18
So like that's going on and like I always wanted to write, I always wanted to create, but that was just something that didn't seem feasible, like something I can make a living doing. So after having him, I was like, what are we doing? Like, what are you doing? You don't want to go back to school to get your PhD. So like, is this going to be it? And like, this can't be it. So I reached out to an author whose work I really enjoyed. She was a romance author. So next to comics, Black Romance is like,

06:48
my thing, like my Nook, Kindle, whatever, it looks insane. Like the amount of books that are there, it's just, it's gross. So I reached out to the author, name is Maureen Smith, and she was kind enough to email me back. And it was a really long email. You know, she was just extremely encouraging and saying, hey, like, you can do this. I started writing when I became a mom. So there's something that you can absolutely do. Here are some tips. And like, I'm rooting for you. And I was like,

07:18
Okay, so I went out and got a new laptop because I need the one that weekend. uh And I just got to blogging. Now the blog no longer exists, but it was basically  pre-me. So pre  Stephanie that everybody has come to know from Twitter. I would take talking about like, you know, being a new mom and just parenthood in general and like talk about Sarah Connor from Terminator,  Ripley from Aliens and just different things like that.  And then I got on Twitter.

07:47
around the same time, because it was like, you know,  I heard that the best way to kind of become a better writer was to get into community, right? So Twitter was that thing at the time. And once I got on there, I just started talking to folks about the stuff that I love, which was this  nerdy comic stuff  between  that anime, manga, just all of the stuff that  I love so much. um I just talked about it and eventually grew a following. And I  realized that uh

08:15
And I believe the memes really kicked it off. And I think my very first meme was a still shot from Justice League Unlimited. I think it's episode one or two, but there's an Amazon that comes to a man's world and like, she's trying to take all the men out. So she's poisoning everybody. She poisons Clark. And I just thought it would be funny that he would be like, you know, it's not Diana, but whatever. It kind of looks like Diana. I was like,

08:42
He says her like, Diana, like, what did you put in this chicken? And he's like sweating profusely  and he looks sick. And like that took off in a way that I wasn't expecting. um So I was like, OK, so I'm going to talk about comics and stuff that I love. I'm to do it in a way that I like to, which is to make these characters who are superhuman and do all these things, make them relatable. um And I don't think I was necessarily doing anything new. I was just doing it from my perspective and in my own way. The podcasting kind of took off. I took a

09:11
academic approach, again, like me taking some of my past life.  And mind you, I'm still working at the hospital when this is going on. Like I still have my day job.  So um I'm podcasting when I get home from school, I mean, from work  and  also like doing all this research on these characters.  And the focus was black women characters. Cause  at the time, like if you talk to somebody it was like Storm, maybe Miss Unite if you were lucky.

09:37
Uh, but there was just so many other characters that I wanted to like bring a light to. So, uh, got invited to the Kennedy art center in 2018, um, for the, uh, 2018 art summit. And I just thought, wow. Okay. So this is serious. Um, you're flying me out and you're paying for my hotel and you're paying me a stipend to be here. made it to the promised land. That's it. All right. So literally a week after I got back from that trip, the co the podcast completely disbanded and I was like, oh, well, I don't.

10:07
happening where like, am gonna do with this research? Am I going to  either start another podcast? And it's almost like you should write. And I was like, oh my God, you're right. I can do that, right?  So I pitched  Sci-Fi Fangirls. My very first piece was the evolution of the Dora Milaje from comics to movies, because Black Panther came out that year.

10:27
And yeah, I got paid for that  and they made me a regular contributor. So while I was like waiting on experiments to complete, would be writing articles.  Um, I think I remember writing  an Amanda Waller piece, like within two hours, cause that's how long it took that Western blot to get done. And I was like, Oh, okay. So I'm doing this and  I'm, I know I'm still in company time, but whatever. fine. You're preaching to a master  of moonlighting on the job. Sometimes you gotta make it, you gotta squeeze it in where you can.

10:57
You can and I'm like I was looking work done. So like it it was all good. So don't come for me Karen. All right, I'm getting the work done and I'm a little hobby done. Yes. And then eventually 20 towards the end of 2018, I was like, all right, so I need to either resign.

11:17
and find something else  that will allow me more time to really focus on this writing thing. So I wrote my resignation  and I handed that in in December of 2018. My last day of work was  I think like the second week of January and I was gone. um And then eventually  later that year,  what happened? Yeah, later that year, still writing everything and then eventually uh started Parenthood Activate.

11:46
the Heroes, the Kickstarter, and then editor from Marvel reached out to me and here we are. Okay, I've got a few follow-up questions. First and foremost, what scripts or  writers were you studying?  Or  did the college experience, the real life experience working as a research scientist, did that help any? Like is there much overlap between like the research stuff and the science stuff with writing?

12:12
Absolutely. So of course, research papers, I was very familiar with writing that. And with those, like you are trying to hopefully write all this scientific jargon, but express it in a way that a normal person could pick up. So like you're writing towards middle grade level, really. So being able to kind of distill that type of information and take 80 years of Batman lore and like translate that to something that someone who isn't familiar with him could understand.

12:41
That was something I was very familiar with.  Also just the research aspect and knowing like being tenacious and looking for my resources. And again, like reading a bunch of stuff at the same time and being able to absorb that  and then um reshare it in my own way.  So that definitely helped. um It doesn't,  it has  recently helped with my stories, but like if I'm writing a character like Shuri or Moon Girl, they're doing quantum physics.  I barely.

13:10
get out of physics alive. So I don't know anything about that.  But also um just work experience too.  Comics is an industry that I feel is really no different from any other industry. I'm coming from science where there aren't a ton of black women um in high.

13:28
in high places and then moving to comics  is a scarcity in the main front, right? Like there are a handful of us that are writing for Marvel and DC. So being able to navigate that space that came naturally, trying to figure it sucked, but I'm still able to like  figure it out. um then,  yeah, like communication.

13:49
had to talk to doctors all the time. They are some of the most ego driven people ever. I'm so no shade to any doctors that are listening to this, but you know how y'all be.  And  the creative space is really no different.  There are a lot of folks who really believe in the work that they do and they have egos. I do too. So  being able to effectively communicate and um I don't know, uh get my point across  and

14:15
be charismatic, because that's a big thing um with like just editors and just really putting yourself out there. So  absolutely, like I am  thankful that I went the route that I did, because I feel like that has made me a stronger writer, um just a stronger business person in this space. Because a lot of people like that's a bad word when you're talking about comics or art in general, just business, but.

14:39
No, if you're making art, like I would think you would want to be able to pay your bills. So being able to navigate that is just so important. I definitely think you have that in spades, like this perfect amalgam of the creativeness, but also the business savviness. Because I mean, to your point,  it is a reality. like, yeah, you would like to think you would never have to worry about that as a comic creator. But it's like you're also that's a little naive considering comic books is like one of the hardest industries, right?

15:05
You know how many artists and writers have gone broke or had bad deals and  I mean I think it's applicable to a wide variety of any creative space. Look at music, you it's just like, you know what I'm saying? It's like it behooves you to have some skills in the business department. And I think you definitely have that. When I look at like the projects you take, the stuff you work on,  how you promote yourself, like you have a very, you're very internet savvy. And I think that comes among, you know,

15:34
your writing prowess, your research abilities. I think your internet savviness is one of your best tools and powers. What scripts or writers were you studying?  Was there any other creators like you in this space doing what you were doing that you could kind of maybe look at for a roadmap? Or do you feel like you kind of broke down this door?  So when it came time for me to figure out,  how do you write a comic script?

15:58
I quickly learned that there were so many different ways. There is no set standard in the way that screenwriting is. So I actually picked up House of X, Powers of X, the director's cut, Jonathan Hickman's scripts were in that. Now in hindsight, that was insane to try to learn from Jonathan Hickman's scripts. You went straight to Jedi Master. Yes. What did the kids say? Sigma? I went straight to whatever that is.

16:27
Yeah, Beta Alpha.  Yes,  but it worked to my benefit because it made me  ask questions that I maybe wasn't asking before. what um was it? Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. um Who else? think Jim Zub,  his website, like he actually has comic writing tips and breakdowns on that. So.

16:54
I definitely paid attention to that. I'd always been a big fan of Dwayne McDuffie.  So even like going back and reading  some of his other stuff just from a different uh lens, no longer  as just a reader, but as a reader who would like to do this. um And I always approach, or I try to approach most media with there isn't anything that's necessarily bad. Like, yes, there are things that are terrible, but also... um

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there's something to learn from it um or,  you know, take, your editor's hat on and think, Hey, what would you do different or why didn't this thing work? And the same way that I would ask myself why an experiment didn't work  is the same way that I approach  why a certain theme that was,  that a writer was going for in a comic maybe didn't come through or why it did come through all of these things. And then  not related to comics again, back to these black romance authors just because

17:51
With romance, you know how it's going to end, but you still show up to read these books.  And to me that, yeah, it's the journey. But to me, like that is just such  a testament to uh these women and their craft that they're able to just, they have readers that have been around like with them for like 15, 20 years.  And you know what their writing style is like, and you know how this thing is going to end, or you know how these people are going to get together or fall apart. But

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even with that, like they're just so good at the journey that you just keep coming back. And also um for just  the representation of just fully realized black characters, black women, for instance, um that is where I saw that the most.  Even though I really love superhero comics and really saw that  in um the characters that I enjoyed. I think the closest for me was a Monica Rambeau or Storm.

18:48
And I'm thinking like, I'm talking like 80s era stuff too. And I kind of took influence from that. And I was like, okay, so I'm gonna make these stories that I want to see. Let me take inspiration, not just from comics, but from other forms of media where I have been able to see myself in a way that I would like to be seen in comics, in this comic space, especially the superhero stuff or just in the bigger, publishers in general.

19:18
What's your earliest memory of comic books? Like, did you grow up with comic books in the house or either your parents like big into, you know, comic books? What's your earliest memory? So, um no, their thing was like Star Trek and stuff like that, which I also really enjoyed. My grandparents were really huge, you're Westerns.  I didn't really actually get into comics until um the Sunday Funnies.

19:41
So like I would grab those I grew up in Chicago So the boondocks was definitely in the Tribune and different things like that  And it wasn't it's like a trip to the dollar Dollar Tree of all places  they had they had comics there, but they were kind of like these collections so uh Hagar the horrible was or  Hagar for whatever his name is they had a collection of those stories I think Snoopy the peanuts and all of that and I picked it up  and

20:11
I'm pretty sure all the jokes probably went over my head. I was like seven,  but I really enjoyed it. And then the next time, uh my grandmother really loved going to the thrift store. So before it was a cool thing to do,  she was ahead of the curve.  And I found a lot of comics there, a lot of old comics that were falling apart. But I think that's probably why I have such a love for silver and bronze age comics because of that,  because they're so soap opera-y too.

20:37
And my mother and my grandmother loved soap operas at the time. So just speaking specifically to superhero comics, they made me think of that. Like I was like, oh, these are like the soap operas that they love, but they're just wearing tights. Okay, I can get into this. Especially when you think of like, know, of run like, like, who is Claremont? I feel like, you know, embodies that soap opera novella vibe big time. think X-Men, the X-Men are, you know, maybe the most famous.

21:06
comic book soap opera ever. And I think a lot of your memes and things that you'll post on your Twitter account about the X-Men highlight them in that way so well. I think one of your favorite memes, one of my favorite jokes and memes by you, you had called the, you had posted a picture of the Uncanny X-Men 201, which is a classic cover where Storm, Mohawk Storm and Cyclops, she's avoiding his blast and there's a caption that reads, who will lead them? I think this is the issue where they're trying to figure out who's gonna be the new leader of the X-Men.

21:35
which your caption was, one of my favorite uncanny X-Men issues because it's definitely a love and hip hop Westchester episode. And the whole thread, you go page by page supporting facts. So hearing you talk about the research side, but also the funny side, being a fan of funnies, I can see where that knack for quick punchy succinct dialogue and words comes into play. Where you're very well researched, you know your stuff.

22:03
but you're able to dilute that into something like a quick one sentence that perfectly encapsulates the whole thing. Shout out to the Wayans family  because  I just, um I'm gonna get you sucker,  don't be a menace, a scary movie,  all of their kind of like satire films,  Big Fan, even Blank Man,  which to me is maybe the perfect satire to Batman. I know a lot of people don't see it that way, but um

22:33
love that movie, but I just think that they're just so smart in that way.  I even think of Robert Townsend  and  Meteor Man and Babs and a lot of this classic black cinema where I'm pretty,  maybe that's where I absorbed it from. And also I'm from Chicago. We love telling a good story. We have funny story too  about very serious things that probably should not be funny, but  that's the magic of  growing up there. So I'm pretty sure that played a role in it too.

23:02
I'm curious to hear about  that transition from  a pop culture writer, someone that was observing  the medium of comics, writing about characters you love and, you know, having an excuse to like do the deep dives and researches. You went from being like, you know, an active, a participating fan to a creator. How does it feel to be on that side of the fence, to be the one creating the things that other people are talking about? Man,  these are so different on the other side.  And it's funny because uh

23:31
I always tried to be careful in my critique.  Whenever I was talking about something  or a thing that I felt didn't work and now being on the other side  and seeing that, you know, sometimes it is not in the hands of the actual creators, especially when you're working at these bigger companies.  You're essentially  playing with somebody else's  toys and they do have a set of rules or different things that they would like you to carry out  that you have to do. um So,

24:01
thinking of that now  and  also just not before, not really having an uh actual understanding of how comics are made. And when you see a solicit go out, that does not mean that  the thing is just now getting,  like they're just starting to write it when you see that solicit. No, that thing has probably been written months ahead of time. um So just different things like that. Now it's just kind of like,

24:27
Fans talk a lot and like they should, but also if you only knew half of it, um and I think I just now have a greater appreciation for, greater appreciation for the stories that I really love and that really resonated with me. I knew that it's probably, now I now understand it, it probably took a lot for that to be.

24:47
a theme for a story to have that much impact when you have so much red tape and guardrails and all this other stuff going on to be able to deliver a story that is just still so very much you as a creator, uh especially when you're working at  bigger companies with other people's IP, like it's a miracle. oh and that I just  have a greater appreciation and I'm just.

25:10
also happy that I didn't say anything too crazy when I was a fan, because that's the other thing too, right? You never know who's reading type. Yeah, I've been on panels at conventions where I've been up with other creators and people will legitimately tell another creator to their face, like, hey, I didn't like the way you did this and that. And it's just like, OK, but one, why? And then also,

25:36
man, it takes a lot of guts to sit up and tell someone that and then in the same breath say, but I also want to be in the space that you are. I also want to be a creator. And then sometimes you'll, they'll, those folks will bring you their work and you'll look at it and just like, huh, you had a lot of opinions, I'm not seeing how you're executing those opinions in your actual work. So yeah, that's, that's, that's always the, the

26:03
funnier thing to me. But you know, everybody thinks they know, but no one knows until you actually start doing it and you're in the hot seat. Do you remember, do you have a memory, whether good or bad, hopefully good, of the first time that you got to read a review about a comic you wrote and like how that might have impacted you? Yes. So, I'm trying to think, what was the, it was for the very first Anubia issue. Again, like that was my,

26:32
I know I had written like two anthology stories prior to that. And not saying that those don't count, but when you're writing a full 22 page comic, like that's a whole thing. um And there was one review that was  not the best review. uh It was kind of like, hey, like this is a little slow and  so on and so forth.  And  I had to make a, like that day I had to decide like, am I gonna let reviews and just outside voices,

27:00
rule the type of storyteller I want to be or  am I going to stand for a firm and do the thing that I was hired to do um and have the voice that I've always had and just put my stories out there and hope that um one, the people that are supposed to get it, get it. And then those who don't, then that's not my business. Right. And that was a very defining moment for me because they are like, feelings were hurt.

27:24
Like  no one wants to hear oh that someone thought their thing was boring or whatever, but I had to remember like  I knew the type of story that I was trying to tell uh and that there was a method to my madness  and that it was all going to shake out. And it's just so funny now uh the praise that Nubia and the Amazon is getting now after the fact, but that was something that I knew that was going to happen because we're just so much in the streaming  everything all at once type of

27:53
culture now that  sometimes we forget to let things breathe. Like there's a buildup.  And again, like trying to remind myself of that.  Like I'm the one driving the ship.  So um I know where we're going  and  I can't be worried about  what others think because you'll never make anything worthwhile if you're trying to please everyone. Like that's not the point. I want to ask too, when you think, cause you know, you mentioned like your first, I think big say to your first

28:22
big breakthrough into mainstream comics was Marvel Voices Legacy number one, which is what? Was it 2021? Is that when it came out? Yeah, 2021. So from the outside looking in and on paper too, you go from having this two page story in Marvel Voices Legacy. And then the next time that I think a lot of people saw you or started really paying attention, you're now working for the Distinguished Competition at DC Comics.

28:48
writing Nubia, Queen of the Amazons. know, like DC has decided to take a shot and give you this somewhat legacy character, forgotten character, and they want you to reintroduce it to the world. I remember that, the news of that series of Nubia making, you know, returning to the forefront of comics and making like headlines. So I'm curious to know from your perspective, what was that transition like? What did you do to rise to the occasion for that opportunity?

29:15
getting to go into the big leagues so soon. It was such a great feeling  just simply because I knew that that opportunity, I got it because of me being me, right? It wasn't me uh trying to catch anyone's attention. It was just me putting out the work that I wanted to see and someone noticed and was like, oh, hey, let's give her a shot because I found out that.

29:41
at the time during the Kakoan era, like my memes were getting shared in the X-LAC. So like they were very much aware of me. So to finally get that opportunity to show what I could do  and to be able to tell the type of story that I did, which was very kind of reminiscent of Living Heroes,  that felt great. Now that I had this opportunity and that was out in the world that I was gonna have to work 10 times harder to ensure that that anthology story wasn't the only thing that I ever did.

30:08
I double down in what I normally do. uh I was like, okay, so  we're here to prove ourselves.  We don't know we'll ever get a chance to write a series or do anything else after this. And I still approach things that way.  So um of course I was like, well,  thankfully I love reading comics, so it's no problem to go back and read uh older Wonder Woman runs and just.

30:33
really try to figure out who the um Amazons are at their essence, because I knew that was important for Nubia, um because I did want her to be a Diana 2.0, and I wanted her to be her own character. um I also,  again, other media. So I read  Madeline Miller's Cersei, which I really love that I did that, because it's a book that  mainly focused on women, and I knew that we were gonna be on Themyscira, so like,  how do I make that interesting? um And I just knew that like,

31:03
ever notes I got back from the editor, I was going to absorb those and try to get better. Like I wanted it to be by the time I got to issue six and I turned that script in, like the editor could be like, oh, night and day difference.  And that's definitely what happened. I also had the good fortune  of  working with Vida Ayala, who sort of pretty much worked like a mentor in that way. And I think Vida is just such a talented writer that

31:28
The fact that I was able to kind of get that mentorship in that way too, was just something that I'm thankful for. And also working with someone like Aletha Martinez, who  I was a big fan  of  prior to even working with her, uh which was amazing. So I took that, I made sure that I made the most out of that opportunity.  Not only to uh prove myself, but just to get better as a writer. There was no critique from an editor or anything that was too...

31:55
That was never the case. love Brittany, Brittany Hoser, who was my editor on that,  because she showed me like what it means to have a good editor and what I should look for moving forward. um And I was thankful for that because I've been able to like carry that one in my career.  And  even now dabbling in some editorial work myself because I want...

32:17
more of us in the comic space. And now that I know how things get made and how decisions kind of go,  just trying to figure out different ways I want to exist in the space  so that we can get more voices,  more unique voices out there on meaningful projects. I also find that that sisterhood is a big theme in a lot of your writing from whether it be Nubia  or I read this short story you did in the issue  of Scarlet Witch.

32:46
She teams up with Storm to go find some flowers to make this tea. But along the way they fight like a magical like evil unicorn, which was crazy. But  you kind of hint at that Storm, even though she isn't necessarily a magic being user, that she's like tapped in with like  the forces and that, which I thought was really dope. And then just seeing like Scarlet Witch and Storm kind of have this bond. know, like sisterhood seems to be a very big theme in your work. Also in your articles, you you mentioned it a lot too, the Dora Milaje. um

33:14
uh article I read that last night. Have you found sisterhood in comics? Like do you have peers or friends in the industry now that provide you that support or you you could talk to about, you know, the woes and like the good stuff when it comes to being a writer?  Absolutely.  That is just something that is so important to me. um I tell folks all the time and like, really mean this, like I am not in competition with you because um I want you to win as well. um You can't do what I can do and I can't do what you can do. Like our

33:43
voices are all unique and there's enough space for us to exist. Like this  whole thing of like scarcity  is made up.  Like there's enough space.  So  I think of like Leah Williams, Teenie Howard again, Vida Ayala,  Sarah Macklin, uh Asia Fullmore, Asia Simone. um Wow,  Jamila. um

34:08
like all of these women and non-partnering folks who are just  amazing,  even men too,  right? I think of Sway, Isaac Goodhart, um just a bunch of folks that I have met that I just ended up finding this kinship with because um again, like I just, I don't operate out of a space  of um I need to see someone as competition. Like I'm not focused on that.

34:37
I just really love comics and good storytelling and those are the folks that I normally vibe with. um And I just think it's great. Like we're all better when we work together. So um not only do I write about sisterhood extensively, like that is an active practice  in my daily life to  just  surround myself with, um you know, women who believe in me and I believe in them.  That's just something that is a gift that just keeps on giving. That's so great to hear.

35:05
And you know, on the topic of working together and uh I guess I'll call it brotherhood over here.  I want to jump into a segment of the show. like to call the short box friends and family segment. And this is the part of the show where I shut up for a little bit and I let someone else ask the questions. And since Stephanie, you're on the show. I reached out to someone very special that we both know to send in a voicemail. I'm talking about a guy, BJ kicks, AKA  Brandon Jackson.

35:31
Host of the Comics or Dope podcast. He's been on the show a few times. I did a panel for him at HeroesCon this year. And he set us up with this interview. He got us together via email. So I owe him for this interview. I reached out to him and said, yo, you got a question for Stephanie?  He sent it so fast, I didn't even have a chance to hit send. So let's hear from BJ first, right? Hey, Steph. It's your cousin, BJ Kicks, here. And I've got two questions. So one,  Roots of Madness is out in the world right now. And I want to know.

36:00
how it feels to one, have this baby out in the world  and also, you know, to hear the responses. How has it been? How's the response been for you?  Second, second question in light of all of these recent revelations in the world,  is your dog's name Denzel or Denzel? Need to know, comics are dope, peace. Big shout out to BJK, love that dude. Okay, I'm gonna answer the second question first. So is Denzel,

36:28
But my son was calling them Denzel. So he was correct. um But it's too late. This is a Cassius Clay thing. We're going,  you know, coming to America. So I'm his mama and we're calling him Denzel. that's what it's going to My mama named  me.  So it's going to be that. And then  it feels again,  deeply satisfying. Now, you asked me that last night. That was not the case. I was like,

36:57
about to spiral into  like another level imposter syndrome that tried to pop up on me because  this is my very first book that is like my thing and to really have it out in the world and for it to be received so positively.  Again, just a testament that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing and I must be doing something right. Like I can't be as terrible as.

37:24
As  I sometimes  those thoughts oh wanna pop up, but I've  gotten a lot better about pushing those back down because I would not be in this four years strong if that was the case. it's been great, especially for it to be a horror thing when people know me for my funny stuff. It's also just,  I don't know, I feel very Jordan Pill-ish in that way.  Great comparison. And  I wanna add to that too, because we are recording on Wednesday, October 1st. It's a new comic book day.

37:53
And technically, Stephanie, have,  by my count, have three new comics. New number one's at that that dropped today. So you have Roots of Madness, which is out through Mad, I'm sorry, through Ignition Press.  You are doing this book alongside artist, I apologize in advance if I get the name wrong, but with artist Letizia Kadonachy? Of course. Kadonachy. Kadonachy, thank you so much.  You're welcome. Roots of Madness number one is out today. You've also got Temporal number one.

38:23
out through Mad Cave Studio with artist Asia Fullmore? Yes. OK. Sanford Green for that connection. Yeah, yeah. We love Sanford Green on this show. um And then you also have bonus uh comic that came out today. You have a  Marvel promo comic.  It's a weird title. It's Custom USTA, United States Tennis Association. 2025 comic number one is essentially a comic book where the Fantastic Four team up with

38:52
Why am I drawing a blank on the face? Althea Gibson? Is that right? Yeah. I mean, come on, Stephanie. You got three  new number ones in one day.  that's the point of imposter syndrome, right? It's like these  thoughts that don't have a lot of weight. It's anxiety. It's fear. It's all these things that  are really loud. But when you look at the facts, it's like, come on, Stephanie. You got a Marvel comic. You have two indie creator comics out today.  You're killing it.

39:22
I'm actually getting ready to start work on a third one. I got an email today that said, hey, uh what are you thinking for tone and cadence? And I was thinking they were talking about like, how do I plan on approaching this project? And I was like, oh, like it's satire and it's,  you know, meets judge, it's like dread meets  the running man. I'm like, you know, all of this is explained in the pitch. And they're like, no, we know that. We're talking about when do you want to get the first issue in? I was like, oh, my bad. uh

39:50
Very excited, but November. So  I have to remind myself um and look at the books that I have.  I have like a long, like  four long boxes of just stuff that I've written, which is wow. That's impressive. Yeah. Like that's, that's very wild. um And the fact that it's come and I don't have any ongoing, it's just the testament to my scrappiness and again, just my ability to figure it out. So.

40:19
Must be doing something right.  feel like you also write. You're someone that has like you've dabbled in superheroes. You've got these indie creator stuff. You mentioned was a roots of madness. That's that's horror themed. But then also I look at like this this tennis association comic with Marvel. That's not like the first promo uh kind of comic you did. You also did a Nord VPN promo comic I think earlier this year as well.  And  those comics to me can be  really fun as someone that likes collecting kind of like oddities.

40:48
Last month, I went to a comic shop here in Jax and picked up this Islands of Adventure promo comic they used to give out. Those can be really fun, especially when you find an artist in there that you're like, oh, shit, I know Chris Boccello did this two-page story in this random comic.  I guess I'm curious to hear from you.  Are they as fun as they seem? Do  they come with extra limitations, considering that a lot of times

41:13
It'll be like Marvel working with NordVPN or  trying to do something with the tennis association. Are they good paying opportunities? How do you go about vetting? I don't know, just interesting projects. um Those are fun.  They are definitely good paying projects. So that in itself is a win. um But also they range from very easy to sometimes difficult.

41:38
There's one that I did that I don't know if it'll ever see the light of day, but it was like Adidas Real Madrid and then also a rugby team the all blacks and I was like all blacks. I'm like why did they name that but anyway? Okay, but where that one they wanted Something about some the Cree the Cree and skull were got scrolls were gonna be there was like a bunch of portals opening it was like

42:08
of very difficult things. like, a lot of times  when they come up with these ideas and they give it to you, like it's somebody who is not familiar with comics. So they're just saying whatever. I'm like, okay, I don't know how I'm going to make this work, but I figured it out. Like I figured it out in a way that even some of the editors at Marvel that saw they were like, oh, this is brilliant. But then.

42:27
Once  Adidas saw that, they were like, we changed our mind. We wanted it to be Ultron. And it kept changing.  And I was like,  wait, what? It's like a game of Madlib. They're like,  we want a story about, OK, Miles Morales,  hot dog, and Tommy from Martin. Go. You're  It definitely is that. So in that way, I enjoyed that type of challenge. My very first one that I ever did was  for the NBA G League.

42:57
which I was like, oh, this is cool.  I am a sports fanatic.  In fact, don't even try to call me on Sunday because I'm in front of the TV watching football all day.  It was just cool to finally  be able to marry the two things that I really love, sports  and  comics. And then I got a chance to go to Washington, D.C. to go to the game, which I thought was really cool. Yeah, because quiet is kept. know,  a lot of me writing comics is just so I can go places for free.

43:24
That's like 99 % of why I still podcast after 13 years. It's just that I get to go do cool. It does not pay. All let me go ahead and tell everyone listening right now, podcasting does not pay. But you get to do some cool stuff. Yeah, I'm here for the travel. that was one of my first. The NordVPN was actually a very interesting one because to me, this was like the ultimate marketing test. Like, how good are you at doing with

43:52
executing what the client would like you to do, but also still managing to like inject your voice into that. And so far I've been able to do it. Thunderbolts, I did a comic that they handed out at Regal. I didn't even know that was gonna be a thing. So that was one of the things where they were like, okay, so we don't know who the sponsor is gonna be, but we need you to like leave ad space. So I had to figure out like, what was the smart way to write the script so that the artists could, you know.

44:19
draw something that left ad space. So I think I had like a coffee cup just in case it went to Dunkin' Donuts, a billboard just in case it went to whomever, and then also like a laptop just in case it was like Dell or something like that. So I found those projects very fun. I called them SideQuest. I even had a baseball one with the X-Men, which was really fun. And that was for the minor leagues. I had no idea there was this many. I was like pretty excited about just finding the NordVPN one. so many. That is crazy. OK.

44:49
I think it goes back to what you were saying about that relatability, the power of making something relatable. But also at the same time, walking this fine line of artistic merit. But then also, like you said, hey, this is a job. There is a client on the other side that needs x, y, and z done. And it's like, yeah, I guess you would be the absolute perfect person for these side quests. Listen, when I saw how much they were offering, I said, oh, sign me. I was like, I'm going to figure that out. I love that.

45:16
Yeah, because  I've been trying to be a  lot, be more comfortable and vocal about just the business side of things, because when I entered this, you know, I would see things like comics broke me and so on and so forth. And I feel like we need to be transparent um and again, just get better about being um business savvy in this space,  because again, like comics.

45:42
This industry and some of the pitfalls that it has, it is not unique in that. I see it across  every other job that I've had, whether I was a waitress or working retail or working again as a researcher, working with  doctors and stuff like that. There is always going to be, um you know, some shady stuff going on, but you just got to learn how to kind of navigate that  and use the power of discernment. have to be able to stand up for yourself.

46:08
Oh yeah, for sure.  And you know, you mentioned Dwayne McDuffie and him being like a big influence.  was actually recently like down at Dwayne McDuffie rabbit hole a couple of weeks ago. You know, Dwayne McDuffie is a perfect example of someone that was very vocal about the behind the scenes stuff. You know, his treatment as a black man,  in this space, you know, like the headaches and hurdles and  obstacles he had to go through. think there's a really good, it wasn't a web comic, but it was like kind of like a comic strip that I think he wrote. Yeah.

46:39
I'm trying to recall what I think it was about some series he was writing and how they were giving him like, was it Nighthawk? Something like that. I cannot recall off the top of my head, but. Oh no, Nightthrasher, think, because of the skateboard situation or whatever. And I forgot what he said, but that quote sticks out in my mind because it is precisely that. Because I was just so aware of just how bulky he was and reading a lot of his stuff.

47:05
I think that's why I approach my career the way that I do. cause you know, folks are like, you, you kind of write everything. And I was like, you're damn right. I do. Because if I don't, I am just getting work in February and Juneteenth. Who can survive off of that? And that's why I said, like, when I got in with the anthology for black history, when I knew that I was going to have to work even harder because we've seen time and time again, where folks get in on an anthology, but you never see them again after that.

47:34
um I think about different initiatives that have happened, different writer and artists initiatives that companies have done. um But sometimes  the folks that were a part of that  cohort, mean, like that group of people that came in, cause I can't talk today, um they are not where  I think that they should be if they were given this opportunity and  shown the, uh

47:59
to learn these greats and stuff, but  it's more than that. there are other things that um people that come into this space need to know so that they can navigate it and know how to survive and  how to um get editorial attention  and what jobs to take, what jobs to say no to, all of these things in the back of my mind, um because I was like,  if Duane McDuffie.

48:26
Dennis Cowan, um even um Colts  had it bad. I can only imagine how terrible it will be for me or how much harder it be for me to  really  exist in this space in the way that I want to. um like getting a thing like Street Sharks, I think that was the moment I was like, okay.

48:46
I I'm okay now. Like they gave the black lady street sharks,  which was a thing. I'm a huge street sharks fan anyway.  But I'm like the fact that I was even thought of and considered for that, that told me like, okay, so everything you've been doing up until this point, you have been operating in the way that you want to so that you can exist in this space as a comic creator and a comic writer and not just someone who is relegated to  only writing black women characters. I'm always going to do that.

49:12
Um, that's just, I'm just, I will always do that, but there are other things that I can do. Um, so I'm gonna Christopher priest about this at fan Expo Denver. And he talks about,  he talked about, you know, what happens once you're considered.

49:26
the black writer or the black artists. Brian Stelfreeze also talked about like, you know, after he did Black Panther, all of a sudden it was like, ooh, we Brian Shaw, all the black people. And Brian was like, wait, y'all didn't even know I was black until After the Fact. And the same thing, like, you know, with Priest saying that, and not at all that, you know.

49:44
I'm not happy to exist as a black woman who writes comics, but I am a writer at the very end of the day.  And that is the way that I would like to be seen. I'm gonna bring  my experiences and my type of my voice to whatever I write. You're gonna know that I wrote, like a black woman wrote this. I mean, if you read  the family snick and I got Wolverine yelling at his kids to sit down in the back, he's gonna pull the car over,  very reminiscent  of car trips when I was younger. So anyway.

50:12
Well said. Your work does have, uh it is very grounded.  You bring a very modern take and sensibility to comics where it's like internet culture, meme culture, manga, anime culture, and obviously like the black experience all rolled into one. And it's really refreshing. You know, it's really refreshing as someone that's been reading comics for so long.  You brought up this  passion for getting more people into comic books, which brings me back to the segment, Short Box Friends and Family Segment.

50:42
I want to introduce you to someone who is just as passionate about getting people to read comic books. This next question comes from  Ben Kingsbury. He's the owner of Gotham City Limit Comic Shop, which is the official sponsor of the Short Box podcast.  And he wanted to send in a question. So here is Ben. Hey, Stephanie. Ben K. from Gotham City Limit, a comic shop down here in sunny Jacksonville, Florida.  Thanks so much for taking some time to answer a question from me real quick.

51:10
So I love comics and I love great storytelling.  The Wonder  Woman universe is something I especially love, especially the side characters.  The trial of the Amazon run, the Nubia and the Amazon run  absolutely loved it.  So my question for you is this,  how do I convince DC to let you write an ongoing Yara Flora comic book?  And no, seriously, my question is,

51:36
If you could pick one character that you've never gotten to flush out or write or rewrite in your image, what character would that be and why? Thanks so much for everything you do. I'm going to go ahead and get off and listen to your answer. And remember, short box nation, we'll always take it to the limit. Peace. Yo, big shout out to Ben. Can I also say, when he said that voice, I was like, why is he out of breath?

52:03
And it's because we are recording  on a Wednesday, which means a new comic book day.  is extremely, he probably submitted that as he's trying to like lug in some boxes from UPS or Diamond or whatever. So big shout out to Ben for sending in that question. ah Yeah, Stephanie, if you could, I guess, write any character in your vision,  or, know, I guess you have any white buffaloes out there. Is white whales, white whales, white buffaloes? I don't know. Do you have any of those when it comes to characters that you always wanted to write?

52:31
Actually, this is kind of a recent  one, um Amanda Waller, just because  she's a fascinating character to me. um And another one who's like her existence in the eighties, I really love. Like, I feel like that's where we got a lot of good character development for her. And then it just kind of got a little stagnant. But  there's a black label book  specifically that  I have jokingly pitched.

53:00
um And now I have seriously started  being like, hey, I'm actually very serious about this.  But I would like to show her  in  not necessarily a different, well, no, no, I want to show in a different light, like not change anything about her, but really um just give her  more depth than she has right now. Cause right now she just kind of seems like this maniacal black woman who just wants.

53:27
to get her job done. Like she reminds me of somebody that would meet at the DMV.  I, cause  Amanda Walter would run the DMV like a tight ship.  She running like the Navy. oh But I wanna, I wanna give her, her more of that. This is a woman who  really  control is everything for her.  There's a reason for that because of just some of the tragic things that's happened in her life, the way that she lost some of her children, her husband.

53:54
um and why she ended up going into going back to school and getting into the work that she does. But  there is,  yeah, I want to take some  things that I've learned from the romance world and kind of infuse that into that character in a way to really flesh her out. And I think this book will eat.  So essentially it's Amanda Waller with a BDSM take to it, because I feel like somebody who

54:21
has so much control  and is the go-to woman,  she would need  a safe space to um maybe be submissive.  And I know that that is something that  some of the research that I've done, like that is, that's the thing. So what does that look like for her?  And does that cause some troubles and things like that? So  Amanda Waller,  slightly erotic,  VC Black Label book.

54:49
that I would love to do one day. um So that's my white well, because I know that is like, that's shooting for the stars. But I don't know, maybe it'll  happen. I never thought I'd hear the words Amanda Waller and BDSM in the same sentence.  But now I'm so interested.  On the topic of that, and hearing you kind of  pitch this  idea and stuff,  you mentioned the research background. I'm someone that I like to think that I do

55:16
fairly good research when it comes to my interviews and preparing for it. But I am in no way a professional. So I'm curious to hear from a pro or someone from a legit background of a research,  how deep do you go into your research?  Is it,  for example, like this Amanda Waller pitch, or we could use any scenario, does it involve reading?

55:42
everything that she's ever been  involved in. mean, how far back do you go? I mean, what type of interviews are you like? What? are you researching someone like Amanda Waller? Oh, I'm going all the way back because I get this a cheat code when you're doing a black woman character because they didn't really showing up like that anyway.  it's not like it's a whole lot of reading you got to do. So you get lucky in that way. um But even when I did a strange and unsung,

56:06
They, not DC, but my editor sent me a hard drive that he got from DC with all of their comics from the very, very beginning to 2016. So everything is there. a hard drive? On a hard drive. I'd never sent it back. I still got that. There's no beginning and that back. Yeah, no. That's part of job. That's a perfect. I forgot, there were a couple characters that had like really long histories and I would either, I would start where I was kind of familiar.

56:36
and then kind of go from there. But if I can, I will try to go all the way back to whatever the beginning is,  or at least very important storylines. But sometimes I find that the stuff that people don't necessarily consider important  ends up being that, like little outliers and stuff. Like I think about this character, Magpie, that I cover who was both a Batman and a Superman villain.

57:01
Um, she named herself Magpie. Then I learned that, um, the actual birds themselves don't actually steal. They were maligned and somebody lied on them. They don't actually steal stuff in real life. So I found that interesting.  Um, I even think of,  um,  what's another character? Um, there was a Jack Kirby character, a black racer. It's a black guy on skis.  They say that we still haven't seen a black guy on skis since that comic.

57:30
We have been, we need to bring a black racer back.  But even that, it's not like he had a ton of appearances, but because Jack Kirby's writing can be so dense sometimes,  I had to really like, I'm like, how am I gonna explain this to people in a way that is one, gonna make this character interesting, and two, um not take the Kirbyism away from it, but still  give that, but without.

57:56
people scratching their head and saying, well, this is doing too much, so I'm moving away.  So if I can,  will go back to um the character's very first appearance,  if it's feasible, because again, I love reading comics, so any excuse  to do that, I'm gonna do it. There's no limit, there's no limit to reading. um And I like the wordy stuff too, so.

58:19
I'm, I know like, know bronze age, silver age, even golden age. A lot of people don't like it because of how wordy it is, but I find it fascinating. I really do. Um, just because those comics, because they are so wordy, um, I feel like they really give you a chance to really get to know that character. So by the time we get to this amazing feat that they've done, actually care.

58:42
Because now I know like when Beast and Wonder Man are on the clock at Avengers, they're like going out together to go pick up women  and Thor is broke. There's different things like that  in Captain America, even though he's working for the government, like the benefits aren't great, so he's also broke. So everybody in the Avengers mansion, except for Tony, is broke. Damn, and poor Jarvis probably is the only one that, you know, he's got to clean up after these slavs. And sometimes he loans money to them and he don't get it back.

59:11
That has happened. Beast, think he loaned Beast like 60 bucks and like Beast never paid him back. Damn, you know, there is someone out there tracking that in continuity. Oh, for sure. It would be me. All  right. I want to take a wild pivot from that very, you know, deep thought about process and bring up the Street Sharks. Yeah, let's talk about them. We got Street Sharks issue one. I picked it up in shops today in  preparation for this interview  and

59:40
Stephanie, my first most immediate question is how many ocean puns can you fit into one comic? And did you come up with all of the fight, the names for the fight moves? I did.  Some of my favorite include the Great White Clothesline, Seismic Slam Powerbomb. I was like, is this a Dragon Ball Z comic? Everyone has- Oh my God, yes! Wait.  There's a couple, I mean, like there is a couple of more fight,  you got the uh Streaks special, you got the Shark Ground and Pound. I mean, it's like every,

01:00:09
And you know what? Hearing you talk about your influences of manga and anime,  obviously, you know, this is based on a cartoon. I think all of that shines through. It is such a fun first issue. As someone that grew up on street sharks, you helped remind me. Yeah, it'll never not be cool to watch a shark swimming through some asphalt. Yeah, m I'm also just happy that like for the first issue, we got to do something that was just really fun. um Because I know like, initially I was like, oh, street sharks, so they didn't want to gritty.

01:00:38
thing but this and they're like, no, want it to be something that could be like a continuation of the show. And I was like, oh, thank God. All right. This is a good question about the research. How did you go about researching and preparing for Street Sharks? Wrestling, WWE down. So that's why all that's there. Of course, I went back to watch the show because even though like the show, they're selling you toys. That's, that's, that's the thing there.

01:01:04
But even just kind of sitting and either having on in the background or actually paying attention to what was going on, um I always find that helpful because you just kind of absorb things through osmosis and just really trying to  get the vibe and like how would this look in 2025  and like how can I get new fans who have never seen the show interested?  And then also just, I think I watched, what  was it? uh OK KO, which is a show that I missed and I hate that they canceled it.

01:01:34
A lot of early  2000s, late  90s cartoon network stuff. Cause I don't know, for whatever reason,  I felt like that would be  the type of energy that I needed to bring. And once you get to issue two, that shines through. And as we progress, can  kind of see  all of these different influences. Like Shark Tales  of all things.  Not a great movie, but it's a...

01:02:00
iconic memorable one because the fish looks so crazy in it, but that also has some influence oh on  street sharks. And  I wanted to be a marine biologist at one point in time.  So uh the aquatic puns, I hate to say it, but I already had them in my back pocket just because  of that.  And like when I found out that I was going to be working on the project, like I literally started a notes app of just aquatic puns and shout out to SpongeBob because

01:02:29
I definitely went back through and I was like, okay, I'm going to watch SpongeBob seasons one through like three or four, just because the jokes were really hitting in. And I was like, okay, I'll, I'll, I'll take inspiration from Bikini Bottom. This first issue definitely feels like, I mean, it gives me, it teleports me back to just sitting in front of the tube, in front of the TV on Saturday, just watching cartoons for hours, hoping that I can watch every single show I was supposed to.

01:02:59
You know,  I mean, come on, wild cats. um know, Spider-Man.  Oh  my God, the reboot. cat. uh Bobby's world. uh What else? um Gargoyles. Gargoyles. This first issue feels like prime Saturday morning cartoon days, right before. And that makes me happy. Right before mom cut off the TV. It like, we got a whole house to clean.

01:03:24
OK,  so I know Or we got to go run areas.  Exactly. So  it's so much fun. But also I found that there's a deeper story here, too. It's  about acceptance.  The sharks are trying to be accepted by the rest of society, but they're not very trustworthy because they keep fucking things up. But at the same time, they're saving people. um Can I also say the artist on this, Ariel Medel.  Yeah, I guess can you talk about what it is like working with Ariel Medel?

01:03:52
Cause you work with a lot of interesting artists for the record. Chris Allen, you've been really lucky with the artists you've been working with. So, so lucky. And that is why I try to make my scripts as enjoyable and readable so that they are like, when they get a Stephanie Williams script, they're not like, oh my God, why? So Ariel is fantastic. To be able to make the sharks as expressive as he has is next level to me.

01:04:22
And I think also faithful to the look  of the show, of  what I remember. Yeah,  because again, that is something that Mattel wanted. So the fact that he's able to deliver on that  just makes me so happy. And  as the  series continues, you're just going to see both of us really settle into this world and get  really creative.  Not saying that the first issue wasn't that, but

01:04:50
The first issue to me, I treated it like a pilot. um like,  it's, you know,  it's a thing where you like, you wanna get people to come back, but also like you're still  settling into the world.  And  the facial expressions and just some of the ways that he drew the sharks in issue two, three,  and  we just started on four.  I just can't wait for y'all to see, especially issue two. Cause yeah.

01:05:14
And we got some  moments for the sharks, like we're having fun, we're doing all this cool stuff, they're destroying things and saving the city, but also we've got more of this,  you know, these relatable heartfelt moments  that I think a lot of people know me from like four. I'm like,  I'm going to inject that in here. You're gonna see these sharks in a way that makes you really want to both  high five them and hug them at the same time. That's adorable. Or as adorable as it comes with,  you know, sharks. Oh, right?

01:05:46
We'll be right back after this short break.  Hello, this is Rick Motion from Resolute Bliss Publishing coming to you from the Short Box Podcast.  Check out our new title on Kickstarter,  Oz the Nightmare and Emerald.  You've never seen Oz like this before,  and this chilling reimagining Dorothy returns to a land that has rotted under the rule of Odin, a world where witches steal faces, scarecrows guard severed heads,  and the Ten Men carve hearts to remember how to love.

01:06:14
Illustrated by the great Les Elgarner, this is a twisted fairy tale of horror, loss, and redemption.  Various covers in the series will include Jay Lee, Keith Williams, Chris Boculo, Sam Payne, Joe Rubinstein, Jim Starlin, and many more. And don't forget our new horror anthology series,  Gas on Kickstarter now. Check us out, resolubelists.com, horror done right.

01:06:43
comic books that you're like, hey, these four comic books kind of make up like who I am. They inspired me, they kind of showed me the power of this medium. Like  I'm aspiring to hit these levels. Like what are those comic books or  if you want to go create a route, you can go that route too. But what makes up the Stephanie Williams comic book DNA? All right, so it's going to be Amazing Spider-Man, Annual 16. That is the introduction of Monica Rambeau. you've got  numbers. I got the numbers, yes.

01:07:12
It's that it is going to be a Scarlett Witch in Vision, but the entire series, the Maxi series from the eighties, that entire thing, I can't just pick one. So that's another one. It is also going to be, I know people are gonna be like, girl, what is wrong with you? But it is Superman, I believe it's 268. This is when Superman is trying to figure out whether or not he is racist.

01:07:40
And he meets Mohammed X  of all people  who only appeared one time for that issue. No way. It's not Superman 278.  is a very wild issue. And I think I got the number wrong. Um, Jeff Lowe wrote it. So take that for what you will. Issue 179, 179. Yes, I was close. Um,  so that one. And then the third is going to, I mean, the fourth is going to be.

01:08:07
This is Dwayne McDuffie.  is a Monica Rambo. It's another Monica Rambo.  This is when she makes her comeback.  It's a one shot.  She had lost her powers  and left the Avengers and then she gets her powers back. I love that one shot.  is  to me, you get to see  Monica Rambo. Of course she's depowered and I have feelings about like when, you know, soups get depowered, especially black women, but.

01:08:34
It really works with her character because again, you get to see that this woman  is who she is and her reward for saving the day  and being someone who is just going to do right are these powers that she has that are just  next level being powers. um I just really love that. You also get to see her with her mom and her dad,  which  I think that they're just such a great family.

01:09:00
And also just like her teammates,  Cap is in it and  trying to support her, same thing with She-Hulk. um Those four, even though I kind of cheated because one is a whole maxi series, um yeah, like that, that goes into the Stephanie Williams  DNA. And if I could cheat one more time and add a fifth one to it, um it is an X-Men comic,  When Storm Loses Her Powers.

01:09:26
And I could see it in the forge is on the cover with the painted. I know exactly what you're talking about, So those would be the ones, yes. Like, yeah, you really do hone in on those slice of life. What's going on in between the big adventures? What is going on in their personal life? I think that is a phenomenal Mount Rushmore. And I definitely want to check out this Mohammed X. Please. This cover is so fucking dope. It says, the power. And this character looks amazing.

01:09:55
So please check it out because  the fact that Superman  one they need to bring black  being bring black.  Wow. Bring back  Dr. Claire Foster. She is a psychiatrist in soups.  She also was a psychiatrist to star fire. That's actually a really great Teen Titans issue. But um he's like on the couch with her and he's like, yeah, like, am I racist because I X.

01:10:20
He goes and he talks to Stills niece Natasha and Natasha and her other friend are there and the one friend is a young white girl and she's like, oh, soup, you're my favorite. And then Natasha is like, Mohammed X. And he's like, who the hell is Mohammed X? So he flies to Harlem of all places and Mohammed meets him and is like, dude, what are you doing here? Like, you're never here. So like, why are you in my, why are you on my turf? And it like.

01:10:46
It turns in his whole thing. He randomly flies to Paris to meet Lois for dinner of all places.  like Lois is telling him like, no baby, you're not, you're not racist. Like, how could anybody say that? And I'm like, girl,  y'all are in Paris  in the middle of a work week  talking about this. What do mean? whole different like privilege. Check your privilege Lois.  But uh it's one of those comics where uh the social, the social commentary is definitely hit or miss, but

01:11:15
um It's something that I can  appreciate because comics are very, um they're periodicals that are just very indicative of what is going on in the cultural zeitgeist at that time. And I love it. Even when that one time Punisher turned himself black so that he could fight crack with Luke Cage in Chicago.

01:11:36
Go read that. You're not going to find it on Marvel Unlimited. You're going to to look there. You're going to search for it. Yeah, the high seas. Mm-hmm. You got to find that on the deeper webs.  you have such a great point  about comics being indicative of their times. Because how many times have you read a book from the  80s or 70s and there's some sort of faux pas or  something that's outdated? The slang  is.  And I do feel comic books.

01:12:02
As much as they are indicative of the time, I think they're also  usually like five years,  maybe less behind like what's really popular. Unless you've got like a young writer that's in tune with like the Zeitgeist like yourself. That part. Which I think is important that we get more young writers who are in tune with the Zeitgeist that are into different mediums. But anyways, I say all that to say, anytime I think about like, you know, white superheroes feeling like guilt about, you race relations, I always go to the classic, which is  the Denny O'Neill and Neil Adams, Green Arrow.

01:12:32
Green Lantern run where it's Green Lantern gets confronted by you know the old black dude You know you'll help the purples and the red skins and the yellow skins, but what about us black skin? Yeah, you know it's like damn. Yeah  Yeah, yeah social commentary and comics is is really interesting. It could be either really insightful or really cringe  And the cringe I love so I got one more question to wrap us up  And this is for all of the back to the aspiring writers and aspiring creatives what piece of advice would you give?

01:13:02
to them, to  the aspiring creators that  look at your story, that are like, wow, she came from working a full-time job to  striking out on her own. And then she got this awesome opportunity. She's killing it in comics. Or what would you tell your younger self to make things easier? If you go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice that would have made things a lot easier, what would that advice be? Be confident in being self-assured in your art.

01:13:29
When you  are making things first and foremost like creatively this is for you. This is for no one else uh And I don't mean that in like the egotistical way like no literally like when we are imagining things a lot of times It is things that we want to see things that we feel are missing.  We have this unique perspective like  Have faith in that um and lean into it. Don't try to appease what you think

01:13:58
folks might want  or  what might be hot right now or any of that, like focus on um your voice, the things that you want to see and just trust that it is going to find other folks who  are like, oh, I also want that or oh, I also like that. Like  you just do your thing and have confidence in that.  And trust me, you are going to find your audience. cannot stress that enough um to just

01:14:27
bring your unique voice because it is needed. We don't need another Jack Kirby. I don't mean that in a disrespectful way, but like there can only be one Jack Kirby. There can only be one Dewayne McDuffie. There can only be one Octavia Butler. Like there can only be one of those, but we need you and what you bring. So just have faith in what it is your vision is and trust that people will see it. And those that don't, they just don't. They were never meant to.

01:14:57
Well said it. And I think for that being said, ladies and gents, this is Short Box Podcast. We just finished talking to Stephanie Williams  about the origin of her comic writing career,  her new projects, which seem plentiful. She's all over the place. You can check out Roots of Madness number one, uh Temporal, Street Sharks. can, I guess, check out uh her next promo comic with, I don't know, the Jacksonville Jaguars one day. You being funny, but it probably will be.  I might be writing a comic for Marble and Depends. Who knows?  Exactly.

01:15:25
We went into all of that, all of her new comics you can pick up at your local comic shop right now. I advise that you stay tuned to everything else Stephanie has got going on by following her on social media. If anything, at the very least, you should give her a follow on Twitter or X now because she posts still some very funny memes that only come in, you know, like for the comic heads out there. So give her a follow on social media, give her a follow on the website. I'll have all of that linked in this episode. Show notes. Stephanie, any parting words or shameless bugs before we wrap up?

01:15:54
Yeah, look out for DC Solicits for October. um Very, very big, exciting news that will be dropping  from me in that. So I'm  very,  very stoked about this  news and this announcement.  I'll be on the lookout for that. And I wish you all the success, Stephanie. This was fantastic. Yeah, thank you.  There you have it, Short Box Nation. That's the end of the show.  Thank you for hanging out. Thanks for being here.

01:16:21
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01:16:49
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01:17:18
Bo Evers, Brian Brumleaf, Chad Landenberger, Chris Hacker, David Morales, Greg Lichthae,  Hershel,  Mack Jacobson,  issue number three, Brad, Jay Center,  Jeff Fremid, Jerome Cabanatan, Jose Sepulveda,  Justin McCoy, Corey Torgeson,  Matt Godwin, Amanda Maron, Melissa Burton,  Nick Wagner,  Ryan Isaacson, Steven Gammett,  T-Mix, The Wait For It Podcast, Tony A. Uppie,  Trey Namo,  Walter Gantt,

01:17:48
And last but not least,  Warren Evans. Big shout outs to the patrons.  And with that being said, that's it. That's what I got for you this time. Thanks for listening. Tune in next week for another episode. And most importantly, take care of yourselves. Read a good comic and continue to make mine and yours short box. I'll catch you soon. Peace.