We are delighted to be joined by Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Emma Ríos. Emma has worked on a number of comics, including Pretty Deadly, I.D. and Mirror. We chatted with Emma all about her new graphic novel Anzuelo, releasing from Image Comics in November.
Hi Emma, it’s so wonderful to have you here with us.
Thanks so much for having me!
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m a cartoonist based in Spain. I worked for Marvel for some time, a long time ago, but you may know me for Pretty Deadly, the book I co-create with Kelly Sue DeConnick at Image Comics. I have another two creator owned books there, Mirror in which I worked with Malay cartoonist Hwei Lim, and I.D. a short solo graphic novel about three people wanting to swap to another body.
I like comics and videogames, big robots, whales and cats.
Can you tell us about the origins of Anzuelo?
I originally wanted to write about the synergies of a crew in a small boat disguised as a classic sea-horror story, more traditional than what Anzuelo came to be. Eventually, I got eaten by the ideas of isolation, bonds and trauma coming to my mind in the process, and found myself developing all that after finishing Pretty Deadly: The Rat in 2020 like a method writer, with the whole world turned into a mess.
How would you describe Anzuelo?
In Anzuelo the sea rises and submerges the planet. Three children unmoored meet each other by the shore and face together the changes of the world, and within themselves, after having been touched by the tide. They decide not to harm any living creature to anchor them to their past selves and confront the loss of all the social constructs they knew.
What can you tell us about Izma, Lucio and Nubero?
Anzuelo is a choral story but I think it’s safe to say they’re the characters leading the book. I built them based on ideas I thought could reflect different mechanisms in the shape of flaws that at the same time could endear them against catastrophe. Nubero, for instance, tries to escape reality, even physically; Izma looks for an anchor to protect them from losing how they used to live; Lucio tries to comprehend all the changes they’re going through from an empath perspective. They’re all very sensitive and compassionate, but also broken for pushing themselves perhaps too far. I wanted to give them ways to complement each other and see where they could go from there.
You created all of the art for the Anzuelo. What part of that process did you enjoy the most?
My favorite part is always working on layouts and dialogues, because you get immersed and see the story happening right in front of your eyes. In this moment you lose track of conversations sometimes, or try to sleep thinking about the world and the characters. It’s almost like role playing to me.
How did Image Comics get involved with Anzuelo?
I had the chance to personally talk with Eric Stephenson about the story when I was starting to think about it, on a short trip I did to Portland. Years later, I sent him a more decent pitch, after finally finding the moment to focus on it entirely. It was going to be a demanding project and Image agreed to help financing the book.
Can you tell us about the world that Anzuelo is set in?
I think it’s important for the story to keep the information on hold and limited to what the characters get to know, each one according to their possibilities. The world gets rather small to everyone overall, yet it looks similar to the one we have, cleaned up after the sea attempts a rewilding, changing it whenever it pleases according to ideas that don’t feel so obvious from a human perspective.
What has it been like working with Image Comics?
I’ve been working with Image for ten years; actually, we released a Vault edition of Pretty Deadly: The Shrike this year to celebrate, and it was incredible to see my work in such a lavish presentation.
I started making comics for small press and self-publishing, seeing every step of a book come to life. Thus, I’m pretty fond of Image’s way of working and their policies in defense of creator’s rights. I also feel comfortable having so much freedom to work. This encourages me to alternate between being a full cartoonist or a collaborator, thinking of every book as my own, and trying to refine myself every time I do a new one. All the people I worked with so far in Image Comics showed a lot of care and worked really hard.
Of course, as a creator, working on your own books demands a lot of risks. For people on my scale, it’s difficult to make the same money you get working for hire upfront. And even with help, you depend a lot on your own ability to be visible in this merciless market. It is a lot of pressure. However, in terms of the years you won’t be able to work as much, the control over my own books and the decency shown in the agreements are more than enough to keep me fighting on this side of comics, as long as I can afford it.
As a creator, do you prefer writing or creating art?
My favorite thing is doing my own books, whether it is alone or in collaboration. I probably enjoy writing and drawing myself the most, and doing my own thing. However, working alone also takes a big toll on me, while collaborating feels chill and brings all the fun back in times of struggle. Both help me find a balance and keep enjoying the medium at its fullest.
Was it a challenge creating the Anzuelo graphic novel?
Yes, it was the longest and the most daring thing I’ve ever done. Even if I did a few short things in the middle to keep some peace of mind, It took me almost four years to finish, doing a big part of the thinking in the pandemic. Four years is quite a chunk of one’s life. If only, I’m really glad to have been able to finish it.
With Anzuelo releasing in November, how do you feel?
I get very nervous every time!
I know people get touched by different things. And I want to believe the story will resonate with some or a few. Of course nobody needs to know, but I put so much of myself in this it’s difficult not to overthink.
I was so worried about how the watercolors would look and it helps seeing that the book printed incredibly well. I think it’s a beautiful object overall, with soft materials and comfortable sewn binding. It still feels surreal to see all this work ready to go out in the world.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Thanks so much for reading the interview and showing interest in this book. Since Anzuelo is a love letter to the sea, if you were in the mood to chill and take a walk along the coast after reading the book, my mission would be accomplished.
We would like to say a big thank you to Emma for chatting with us and wish her all the best with the release of Anzuelo.
