For the Spotlight on Kelly Sue DeConnick panel, her husband Matt Fraction sat down with Kelly Sue DeConnick to reflect on her career in comics, an exciting project she’s currently working on, and to “have the opportunity to sit and talk to each other uninterrupted for an hour.”
This was immediately after an elated Kelly Sue had been awarded a coveted Inkpot award, bestowed by Comic-Con International.
DeConnick began by sharing her earliest memory of story.
“I remember in Germany, we used to go to a friend’s family’s house that had comics. They would dress up Barbies and I felt it was a stupid game,” DeConnick said.
“But we would end up taking a deck of cards and played as pretend characters based on the face card; that was my favorite.”
Born an only child in Columbus Ohio, DeConnick moved a lot between relocating due to her father’s military employment and rifts between her parents.
“In Germany, I was in third grade and that’s where the big memories kick in and I started reading and collecting comics. The Stars and Stripes Book Store had a huge wall of comics that cost $0.45 each and I earned $0.50 a week,” she said.
“Wonder Woman was my favorite and I didn’t read Marvel until I was an adult,” DeConnick admitted.
“I read DC horror books and I loved them.”
Her big epiphany came with the discovery of a swap meet that would take place on Saturdays.
“For $0.50 I could get a stack of comics. That’s where I disovered George Perez and my favorite Batman character, Nocturna.”
Eventually she moved back to Texas with her mother. She admitted that frequent relcation “wasn’t awesome.”
“I entered the Texas public schools. I hated moving all the time. But I knew how to make friends and how to entertain myself,” she shared.
She didn’t first start writing until she was an adult. She recalled the moment she ‘realized’ that she’d never be able to write a story. “I was wrong, as it turns out,” she joked.
“I had been asked to tell a Dungeons and Dragons story. I had read all the manuals but never played the game. I struggled and told myself that I could never be a writer.”
DeConnick went on to become a theater major where her views on the creative arts matured.
“We romanticize the creative arts,” she explained. “Either the muses have chosen youy or they have not and that’s just not true. It’s okay to pursue (the creative arts), it’s not irresponsible. You can learn.”
Fast forward to the near present, after finding a successful career in the comics industry when she received a mysterious call from Las Vegas. She received a message originating from Vegas and that she’d have to go under NDA (Non Disclsoure Agreement) to engage in discussion. The combined curiosity of herself and her husband compelled her to concede. It turned out to be a show for the Wynn hotel.
“Because it’s Las Vegas, and the audience doesn’t’ necessarily speak English and there may be some drinking, they wanted a visual story. It’s a 100 million dollar show and they knew it was going to be a dance spectacle. There’s a 360 degree theater and they built a stage with a new technology; they invented a way to make the pixels spin,” she said excitedly before continuing to illustrate her potential part in the process.
“The story wasn’t working out, and they were looking for a new writer. Someone on the staff recommended me. They said they want the lead to be a woman with crayon-colored hair.”
The concept of writing strong female leads is not foreign to her, as can be demonstrated throughout her comics career. This coupled with her theater arts background made her a natural fit for the project.
“So, I got the gig.”
Titled Awakening, the show is described by the Wynn as featuring personal speakers built into every seat and invite the audience to, “…experience never before seen worlds that are infused with modern day myth and magic.”
Kelly Sue concluded her panel by returning to the subject of comic books. She discussed the process of creating characters.
“Empathy and research. You have to be humble and ask people questions. None of us can ever transcend our own experiences. If it feels like a lie, it’s a lie. Your gut will tell you. Just like if you’re bored, the reader’s bored.”
Finalizing her thoughts on comics, she spoke about the industry’s status in popular culture.
“I love that comics are considered a low art because we can take risks. It allows us to innovate. The more we can legitimize the form, we can get it into more hands. Comics are powerful teaching tools.”
