Graphic Novelist Marjorie

CULTURE 142 “We’re always searching for the heroic and for inspiration,” she says of the enduring allure of fantasy worlds and comic books. “There are [superhero] characters that are larger than life and have powers, but there’s something human and relatable about them. And within that connection is the endless possibility for ourselves.” WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER ABOUT YOURSELF THROUGH WRITING YOUR NOVELS AND COMICS? In all my romance novels there is this “monster” — a shape-shifter, creative when you have a certain amount of space gargoyle, merman, vampire, to work with, because you have to think about psychic, you name it — someone what’s essential for the story. It’s a distillation who feels like an outsider, who’s process — everything has to count — and the looking for a home, community, end-product is more powerful. that, unless you grew up with them friendship and love. When I started, I or feel and live with them every day, would have said I wrote paranormal WHY DID YOU DESIGN THE WORLD IN MONSTRESS you may not relate to. Of romance novels such as Beauty and TO BE DOMINATED BY WOMEN? Monsters the Beast, but in hindsight I was As a child, I loved reading fantasy and science DO YOU FEEL WOMEN WRITERS AND writing about race and my version fiction. I accepted as normal most characters in ARTISTS HAVE TO PERFORM BETTER of the mixed-race experience, of these stories were white men, and the few female THAN MEN JUST TO BE ON PAR? people feeling as if they are on the ones might be plucky princesses or warriors, but When I was working on the Marvel and outside looking in and trying to ultimately they were a means for the hero to be comics series, I did feel a lot of Men figure out where their place is. inspired. I didn’t realise everything I loved was pressure — I knew if I messed Z rather reductive until I went to university. The up, there’s a good chance the Graphic novelist MARJORIE LIU talks to ZARA ZHUANG about creating WHAT WAS MOST CHALLENGING blockbusters coming out now still adhere to this next woman might not be given a ABOUT GOING FROM WRITING FOR formula. I caught Rogue One: A Star Wars Story similar opportunity. It cracks me comic book universes, fighting for representation, and finding her voice MARVEL UNIVERSE CHARACTERS TO on TV last night; the characters were nearly all up because folks will say, “We just in the male-dominated arena CREATING YOUR OWN UNIVERSE? men and maybe two women with speaking roles. I want to hire the best person for the At Marvel, the characters are thought, “Wow, the Star Wars universe has almost job, we don’t want to think about Z established — you’re playing in no women! What happened to them? Were they gender or race.” It’s the same thing someone else’s sandbox. But when killed off?” (laughs). With Monstress I wanted to with superheroines (in films). We I started working on Monstress, reverse all that, so I wrote a book in which nearly had a talking raccoon (Rocket, in I realised how little I knew about all characters are women of colour. Guardians of the Galaxy) before COMIC BOOKS WEREN’T a prominent “That really stung,” the Boston-based author says and what it means to be fully human writing comics. To create worlds, we got Wonder Woman, and it’s sad feature of Marjorie Liu’s childhood in when she dropped in for the Singapore Writers and for others to see you as such.” characters and conflict from scratch IS IT ENOUGH JUST TO HAVE DIVERSE CHARACTERS? that the misogyny of Hollywood and Seattle, but being treated differently Festival last November. “I began to retreat and Liu is now a celebrated writer is difficult; I was effectively writing a HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT THOSE CHARACTERS publishing can’t look at women as due to her biracial heritage was. became defiant.” and graphic novelist. Monstress, novel in a comic book format. It’s a ARE DEVELOPED BY A DIVERSE POOL OF AUTHORS equal human beings. Though she considered herself That episode serendipitously led her into her epic fantasy set in a matriarchal 3D process, so in every panel I think AND ARTISTS? “very Chinese on the inside” from the world of comic books. Having grown up Asia, was nominated in 2016 for about character, conflict and moral, I can’t overstate how important it is. For how HOW CAN WOMEN WRITERS AND growing up among her Chinese enthralled by the X-Men cartoon series of the Eisner Award for Best New Series. as well as which moments are most many years have we had to read stories about ARTISTS BREAK OUT OF THAT CYCLE? cousins and spending weekends in 1990s, Liu popped into her university town’s She has written the Dirk & Steele important and where on a page they ourselves written by white people? That’s what I You just have to keep working at her grandparents’ laundromat — comic bookshop for a peek, picked up issues of paranormal romance novels and the create the most impact. read growing up. The argument I hear most often the top of your game. It’s the same “the Chinese-American stereotype” X-Men, Wonder Woman, Batman and Deadpool, Hunter Kiss urban fantasy series, is, “We’re all human anyway, so I just think about hustle women have had to go — she was rejected membership in and never looked back. “I became obsessed,” and worked on Marvel titles such WERE YOU LIMITED BY THE COMIC the humanity and not the race.” But race is part through for all eternity: You keep her high school’s Asian-American Liu says. “Part of what drew me to these stories, as X-23, NYX, Astonishing X-Men, BOOK MEDIUM? of a person’s character, background and culture. knocking on doors and eventually, club for not looking Asian enough. particularly X-Men, was the theme of otherness Dark Wolverine and Black Widow. Not at all — you learn to be more There are these subtleties and essential details hopefully, break through. JANUARY 2018 PRESTIGE 143.

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