AN INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER HAYDEN THAT'S SO NOT JUST UNDER THE WIRE

[Z. Julian Cenac]

An Interview With Jennifer Hayden

Interview conducted by Z. Julian Cenac, Comixfan Staff

Jennifer Hayden's background in writing and illustrating combine to make her an up-and-coming talent in the field of comics. Her webcomic, Underwire, debuted last September on Act-I-Vate. Featuring autobiographic episodes, it has a rather fresh and interesting feel to it. The tone is not simply cookie-cutter 'slice of life'; it has an almost pioneering quality to it, and will hopefully inspire more variety in comics. Her graphic novel, The Story of My ****, is set for a 2011 published through Top Shelf; it charts her experiences with cancer. A free preview is available here.

Comixfan would like to thank Jennifer Hayden for the interview.

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Comixfan: Did any graphic novels in particular convince you that it was possible to tell more mature stories through comics?

Jennifer Hayden: Absolutely: Lynda Barry's One Hundred Demons, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, and then, of course, Maus... These were the first graphic novels I read, and I quickly realized that pretty much anything was possible in comics.

CXF: Who is Underwire mainly aimed at?

JH: Women in the prime of life (i.e. middle age), who probably have families and don't necessarily read comics.

CXF: Underwire strikes me as something that would be very appealing to people who do not normally read comics. Has this been the case so far?

JH: I e-mail all my friends the link when I post, so they have to read it or delete it--and some of them do read it, and seem to like it, even though they don't read comics. But it's been really hard for me to publicize the webcomic to women outside my circle of friends, because most websites for women aren't covering or carrying comics. I'm amazed at how many people relate to my comic who are outside my "chick" demographic, and I'm really touched by this, actually. I did not expect to be welcomed by the comics community, but Dean Haspiel, the founder of ACT-I-VATE where I post, has been wonderfully supportive. And even young guys are reading it and finding something there.

CXF: Does presenting Underwire on Act-I-Vate as individual frames rather than as full blown pages make it more accessible to people who do not normally read comics?

JH: This was a format suggested by Dean Haspiel when he invited me to post. I don't do page layouts, just boxes, with obsessively detailed pen-and-ink inside every box, so this presentation made sense. People could really appreciate the panels when they were larger and one-by-one. Maybe you're right, though, that my insistence on simple boxes does make my comics more accessible. I resist certain artistic devices that are part of the mainstream comics tradition.

CXF: Are there any plans to release more Underwire in print form?

JH: You can buy my minicomic right now at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn--it's a collection of UNDERWIRE strips laid out in book format (6 panels per page), as originally intended, rather than webcomic format (one per page.) My intention is to keep producing monthly strips that are multiples of six panels, which will eventually be collected in a book sometime after my graphic novel comes out.

CXF: Do you have full creative control over the webcomic and your forthcoming graphic novel?

JH: Incredibly, I do. Right now I am doing whatEVER I want. This is because ACT-I-VATE has no editorial oversight--once you're a member, they trust you. Which makes you feel free to keep challenging yourself, and that's why the comics there are so great. And Chris Staros, who is my publisher, is just patiently waiting for me to finish my book. I'm sure he'll have something to say once I hand it in...

CXF: Looking at comments on the webcomic, they all seem to be positive. Have there been any negative criticisms?

JH: Oh yeah, I got slammed within minutes of my first post. The comment read: "These are all characters I don't care about." Okay, dude, don't hold back on my account... This really made me see that I was not a typical comics creator and was going to have to deal with that.

CXF: Is there a lingering, Earth-shattering fear that your daughter will one day make her own comics that feature you?!

JH: Fear? Bring it on, little lady! Do your worst! You can't hurt me--I gave birth to you! I'd pay anything to see her comics about me.

CXF: On to your graphic novel - The Story of My ****. What is the story behind it?

JH: Five years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was quite lucky, it was very early, but since my mother had it, I dealt with it aggressively and had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. While I was laid up, I started reading graphic novels. And I realized that this was the way I wanted to tell other women about what had just happened to me. I wanted to tell them it was really survivable--sexually, psychologically, emotionally. Then, being a thorough person, I thought, well, I better begin at the beginning. So I started the story with myself as a child, with no ****, and I am telling my story up to the point where I have no **** again. It's The Story of My ****.

CXF: What made you approach Top Shelf to publish it?

JH: Chris Staros is a great man. When I sent out my first eight pages, he sent me a kind rejection email. As time went on, I met him at comic conventions and he always talked to me and I was always impressed by his gentleness and his sincerity. I also found that his books were the books I kept buying and reading. He was literally my favorite graphic novel publisher. Then one day he read some more of my graphic novel and offered to publish it. I knew that he would give me the emotional space I needed to make the book what I wanted it to be.

CXF: Were you concerned that the title would be misleading or attract pervy (or otherwise dodgy) attention?

JH: There are a lot of problems with the title--it can't be in the window at the bookstore (Mom, look, a book about ****!), it leads to emails like "Really Enjoying Your ****", etc. But within seconds of seeing the art in my book, any wack job can tell that the **** in this book aren't going to look sexy. Also I'm foul-mouthed. Always have been. This just IS the title. It has nothing to do with me.

CXF: Both Underwire and The Story of My **** are autobiographical and very personal, but (from what I've seen) never cross the line over to blatant shamelessness. How have you managed this - surely it must be tricky to judge it?

JH: It's the art of spilling your guts without making a mess on the rug. I think, honestly, it involves what I have to call "taste." Good musicians have this--they know when to lean in and go for it, and when to pull back. I'm always checking who might be hurt by a given comment and then framing it, hopefully, so that it reflects worse on me than on them. The thrill is in finding that line between my point of view and the other character's point of view, so that the reader can sit there laughing, right in the middle. And also, if you stay true to your theme, and the theme is everything, then any personal detail you include will mean something, and therefore will not be shameless.

CXF: Is there a strong market out there for the genre of comics that you're making? Because it's pretty 'niche' so probably high-risk, but it seems like something that should be doing bloody well a few years down the line.

JH: If the general interest in graphic novels continues to swell, then my type of comics should do well. If the general public just can't swallow that many more comics, and the market evens out, then my type of comics will, I believe, continue to push the boundary of comics toward experimental fiction.

CXF: After your graphic novel is finished, do you have any other projects in mind?

JH: Hmmmm-how about while I'm finishing it? I've got a comic in an anthology coming out this fall, an ACT-I-VATE primer from IDW Publishing, and I'm contributing a comic to another upcoming anthology called The Big Feminist But. And when my graphic novel is finished, I want to put together an UNDERWIRE collection, adding some longer stories. Then I'd like to do another graphic novel, probably cannibalizing some of the fiction I wrote in my twenties, when I wanted to be a writer. Possible subjects: Fred Astaire, Woody Allen, and vampires.

CXF: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to produce their own comic that's very different to what's out there?

JH: Oh, it the same advice I got as a young artist, but I just couldn't relate to until I had a serious illness. Follow your heart. Be fearless. If a project you have in your head scares the :swear::swear::swear::swear: out of you, makes you feel like you're standing on a ledge somewhere, then that's the one. Why wait? You'll be dead soon--might as well make your mark.