by Mike Rhode
Angela Hsieh and I first met at Fantom Comics in summer 2023 at a booksigning, and then
again as she tabled at SPX in 2023 and 2024. We talked about doing an interview all three times. Her first book was
illustrating
Antarctica: The Melting Continent, a picture book written by Karen Romano Young. Finally her graphic novel is coming out and she's answered my usual questions.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?Graphic novels take up most of my time, though I've been known to do a
short comic or
two on the side. For the past three years I've been working on my debut graphic novel,
Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology. It's finally coming out in May 2025. You can even
preorder it!
Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology is
a middle grade fantasy story about two friends who travel across the
fantastical land of Lirrin in search of Lu's missing ah-ma (grandma).
All they have to guide their way is Ah-ma's journal. One major problem:
Ah-ma wrote it in her native Cylian language, which Lu can barely read.
As Lu and Ren follow Ah-ma's footsteps and encounter incredible geofauna
such as colossal axolotl-like ambystufa and adorably massive guinea
pig-shaped cavioliths, they find out more about the complex
relationships between geofauna and people—and between each other.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?I
write scripts in Scrivener, or in Google Docs, or on a piece of paper
if that's what calls to me at that moment. I thumbnail on paper and
sketch/pencil in an iPad app called Comic Draw.
Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology
was colored in Procreate. Procreate really isn't designed for comic
pages, though, so I'm looking to other programs such as Clip Studio to
improve my workflow.
Why are you in Washington now?I
moved to DC in 2018 when I got an internship at NPR. Said internship
turned into a contract gig, and when that year was up I'd put down roots
in DC and didn't want to pack up my life yet again and move to another
city. Now I freelance from here.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?I
took a grand total of one (1) sequential art course at my alma mater,
RISD. I went through art school thinking I'd make a career as an
editorial illustrator—which, to be fair, I did for a few years—so I
focused on that and didn't seek classes in comics or cartooning. I wish I
took more comics classes when they were more easily available to me,
but I'm not going to be too hard on myself for making decisions that
made sense at the time.
Who are your influences?It changes depending on what I'm working on at the moment. While I was making
Geozoology, for example, I found inspiration in Kay O'Neill's
Tea Dragon series, Tim Probert's
Lightfall books, and Shaun Tan's
The Arrival. More broadly, nature, science, and history are core influences in my work. The world is vast and very, very interesting.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?I
would float backwards in time and rasp ominously into 12-year-old
Angela's ear, "Your spine will never be the same again if you don't sit
your ass in a chair with proper back support starting NOW."
What work are you best known for?Probably these
Bulbasaur Brassica cultivars
or this mini comic I made about
my cat staring into a hole in the bathroom wall.
What work are you most proud of?Finishing an entire graphic novel. That's 256 pages!
What would you like to do or work on in the future?I
have another graphic novel I'm working on with Harper, so that'll keep
me busy for the next two to three years. There isn't much I can say
about it at this point in time except that it'll be in the fantasy
genre, but tonally a bit darker than
Geozoology. Because I always
need to have multiple irons in multiple fires, I'm also working on a
pitch for yet another graphic novel in collaboration with a writer. If
you like gays in sports, you'll like this one.
What do you think will be the future of your field? I don't know what I'm going to eat for lunch tomorrow, much less what the future of comics will be.
What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Awesome Con, or others? Any comments about attending them?DC
Zinefest and Small Press Expo are my favorites! I table at them if the
lottery is kind to me. I had a great time last year at Graphic Novel
Fest in Baltimore—it was their first year, and I'm looking forward to
seeing it continue!
What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Recently, I've been really into DUNGEON MESHI by Ryoko Kui. She lands every single joke. Her expressions are priceless.
Do you have a local store?Fantom Comics!! They always have some fun event going on, and the folks that run Fantom are the best.
What's your favorite thing about DC?That
cliche-but-true characterization of it being a big city with small-town
vibes. It's walkable, it's green, the buildings are short enough that I
can actually see the sky, and more than once I've bumped into friends
while running errands.
Least favorite?The rent. :'|
What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?I always take visitors to that most respected of DC institutions, the Q Street Barbie pond.
How about a favorite local restaurant?It's
so hard to choose! Chercher (Logan Circle) is my go-to for Ethiopian,
and Sharbat (Adams Morgan) has a honey cake that's, in a word, divine.
If sushi's your thing, Umai Nori (Downtown) has fantastic hand rolls.
Do you have a website or blog?My website is
www.angela-hsieh.com. My newsletter, currently the most reliable source of updates, can be found at
angelahsieh.substack.com.
WHY’RE AUTHORS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT PRE-ORDERS?
In
short, pre-orders help increase the chances of the book’s success. They
signal interest in the book to publishers and retailers. Pre-orders
help build “buzz” around a book, which can lead publishers to adjust
print runs and encourage retailers to make larger orders. If you
pre-order from an independent bookstore, not only does it help the creator, they help independent bookstores by guaranteeing sales for their stock.
Pre-orders
also count towards first week sales numbers, which is how books end up
on those bestseller lists when they’ve only been out in the world for
less than a week. I’m not saying that I’m anticipating bestseller status
for Geozoology, but I’m not gonna say no to the possibility. ;)
