Dame Darcy is a renaissance woman. The Idaho-born artist has crafted a broad and powerful body of work. Shes an illustrator and fine artist, a musician, dollmaker and designer. Her work has been exhibited in galleries around the world. In 2006, Penguin released a new edition of Jane Eyre heavily illustrated by her. She has an etsy store where she sells not just prints and original art, but dolls and other handcrafted work. Shes collaborated with Alan Moore and contributed to the Tori Amos comics anthology Comic Book Tattoo. Her other books include Gasoline and Frightful Fairytales.
She is an artist in the finest sense of the word. A new collection of the first 10 issues of her ongoing series Meatcake, a comic that she began self-publishing and was later released via independent publisher Fantagraphics, came out last month. Shes currently working on a series of illustrated books, playing dates as part of the band Death by Doll, and putting the finishing touches on a new graphic novel Hand Book for Hot Witches, which she described as a Girl Scout guide for the apocalypse/field guide for the deflowered. We spoke with her recently over e-mail.
Alex Dueben: You just got back from Comic-con. How was it? Bigger than the last time you were there?
Dame Darcy: Yes, and crazier. Every year Comic-con gets even crazier than ever. I was signing my new release from Fantagraphics, a Meat Cake compilation with the best of stories from issues 0-10. I was interviewed by Miguel Cima's Dig Comics, and for a documentary about Tony Millionaire. Self Publishing is the latest thing I am doing with my partner Vincent D. Dominion. We profiled his new poetry book The Penalty of Hope which I illustrated as well as Paper Doll Dreams, a hand crafted one of a kind paper doll book as well as other new releases. To see it all please visit the book section of Dame Darcy.com. I met the art director of Marvel, Mike Horowitz who hired me to write Fantastic 4 characters as a fairytale this year. It was great to see him in person, and I just saw the proofs for these pages, Invisible Girl stars as Cinderella. Robin Ha is doing the art. She's got a great style. Online comics are our new goal now and they were everywhere this year, as well as this weird new big screen that looked like a mega IPhone which everyone was showing me. We have some leads for online comics now, and it seems to be a tough nut to crack, but don't worry boys in comics I'm going to crack that nut!
AD: Do you feel like a part of the comics world and the comics scene?
DD: I feel like I'm part of it all but again like there is a schism. I am in this world and have worked for big companies like DC and Marvel but only as a specialty item. I can only work within my style of writing or drawing, so if the rules can be bent to include me then I am included. I started Meat Cake in the early 90's before the Gothic Lolita scene had formed, and now the goal is to get my books into the hands of my target audience, which does know of me to the degree that due to Press Pop and Fantagraphics Books, my publisher, I got to meet them and do events in Tokyo. There is a big Manga scene there and it's normal to read comics, business men were reading comics on the subway.
On the other side of things, there is the usual alternative comics reader/buyer who are usually guys, they are a big part of my readership from the start, but there are many girls who find out about my comic through a guy who don't usually read comics, and I get a lot of girls saying that my comic is the only one they read or know about that they can relate to. I have a plan though that will unite everyone soon. It's in the works now, but when it's done I'll let you know. My graphic novels, Frightful Fairytales (Ten Speed Press), Jane Eyre (Putnam Penguin), Gasoline (Merrell) and the newest release Hand Book For Hot Witches (Holt) are sold in regular book stores worldwide (not just comic stores) and let me into a more academic scene, they also give exposure to my more underground work.
AD: When did you first become interested in art?
DD: I come from a family of cowboy poets in Idaho who played music, painted and wrote. So I was always exposed to art as a normal part of life. I began drawing sequential stories when I was two. My great Grandma Marler was a cowgirl and a school teacher, she taught me to read and write at an early age, which I am thankful for because without her help dyslexia would have made it even harder for me to be a writer than it already is. I think my will to tell stories got me through it, and I can remember wanting so badly to be able to write the words over the pictures. Vincent has an idea to self publish these books by that my Mom has preserved from my childhood. They are horror stories and fairy tales. I loved Klimpt and Maxfield Parrish when I was a kid, pre-Raphaelites, 20's and Victoriana.
AD: Im curious about your childhood. You mention in the introduction that you grew up in Idaho. What kind of environment was it like?
DD: In the summers we lived on a appaloosa horse ranch in the mountains. In the winter we lived in a craftsman house from 1902 in town (town was Idaho Falls).The beauty of the ranch (Bone Idaho, population 15) has been unparalleled by anywhere in the world I have been since.I dreamed about it all last night, it had a crystal clear lake that the Rocky Mountains reflected in like a mirror, forests of aspen and pine trees, fields of wild flowers, running creeks with rainbow trout. We were so excited to go to the little general store once a week to use the pay phone for a dime and drink pop. It was like we lived in another age. A summer storm would come over the valley and make all the ions in the air go crazy before the thunder struck, setting fire to a tall tree and frightening the horses. Cowboys and Indians blended into the same thing, they both lived close to the land and seem to have had the same kind of concerns. The cowboy would wear beaded Indian fringe leather and Indians would wear cowboy hats. My Grandpa knew what every flower was named, every kind of bird and insect, all the animals, like they were neighbors he knew for a long time. I'll always think of him when I hear old cowboy songs that he taught me and the day we went horseback riding and he showed me a sweet water creek where you could drink right out of the ground, that water tasted like malted clear ambrosia. I have never had anything like it again. When I last went to Idaho with my brother in 2007 I went to the ranch and was walking in the woods. I felt the presence of my Grandpa very close so I called out to him, and told him I loved him. I turned around and saw a huge owl about 4 feet tall perched in a tree staring at me, I know that my Grandpa has the same kind of Native American beliefs about animal spirits, and I know this was his spirit come to visit me in the form of an owl. He blinked his eyes once slowly then turned his head around completely like owls can do, then with a 4 foot wing span flew into the woods soundlessly.
AD: What was the kind of work that really made an impact on you when you were young?
DD: I learned to draw and paint when I worked as a sign painters apprentice for my Dad until I was 16 and he sold his shop. My Dad also taught me how to play banjo and electric bass. He was in a bluegrass band which played festivals and shows to bring in some extra cash for our family. My mom is a nurse and really loves to craft, sew, knit, and embroider; she made us dolls and quilts. She is very creative in her own right and is a feminist and environmentalist. She sewed all our clothes and grew and canned lot of our food herself. She read to me every night, a lot of the things she read were classics and fairy tales.
AD: What made you create a comic initially. Were you a big comics fan as a kid or afterwards?
DD: Most comics were not the kind I could relate to, but I loved illustrated books. I had a great copy of Alice in Wonderland and my Grandma had the complete Oz series from when she was a kid, these books were from 19-teens through the 20's, and have greatly influenced the way I design my graphic novels today.
My Dad had some Zap comics and heavy metal magazine which I wasn't supposed to see, due to the fact they were racy, but I'm glad I did know they existed because I realized at an early age comics could be more than just Superman. I also liked Tales from the Crypt and my brother and I had some of these and some Little Lulu comics from the 50's we found in elderly yard sales. What made me think I could do what I do were Edward Gorey books. I liked those books that came with records, in the past I put out a lot of 7 inches or booklets with CD's that had stories with them. Everyone at school always said I was going to be a childrens book author but by the time I was in High School my comic strip for the school news paper, Tumor Humor, was too edgy and controversial to be considered for children and they didn't say that any more. I thank god for the 60's cartoonists, like Crumb, Deitch, and all the ladies Trina Robbins knows because this is the weird scene and early ladies in comics that paved the way for someone like me to even be able to get published, this is such a niche market. It's kind of a miracle I have a career at all.
AD: I love the comics but it feels like a side project for you. Is that fair?
DD: It is interesting you say that, because I always saw comics as a stepping stone to making a feature film or animated TV show. Although, I will never stop making comics and graphic novels no matter where all this ends up. Whenever a new book comes out I also do a corresponding fine art gallery show to sell the illustrations, (my gallerist is Sloan Fine Art in NYC) in this way the comics are in the fine art genre as well and I exhibit some paintings too. I've always loved animation and I majored in film at the San Francisco art institute so I would know how to design and animate. After that I moved to NYC where I started doing freelance illustration and comics.
AD: Are you into many other comics?
DD: I am aware of ones I like, there is a new one I found out about recently called School Bites by Holly Witch that is really cute and also Gothic Lolita style, it is a comic on line. I kind of like the weird comic Bleach, its Japanese Manga. I also like the classics, Alan Moore's old and new releases, particularly League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. But sometimes I get exposed to new titles self published Zines etc, that I like a lot, lately it's been Princess Witch Boy by Storm and Out Of Control by David Drexler. He is a genius btw. I lately found out about a wonderful lady Carolyn Turgeon who does novels that rewrite fairytales, she did Cinderella, and her new one is called Mermaid. In general though, I am multitasking a million times at once every day and it's super exhausting and difficult to keep track of anyone elses career. Plus I move a lot. I'm currently planning and saving up for yet another move.
AD: How has the comic changed for you over the years?
DD: I like multimedia, and I don't mind the tech way that things are headed because I think books will always be a classic and will always be desirable even if just as a art object.The only daunting thing is that I don't know how to use computer technology very well, so to put out my comics on line and on phones and kindle is to rely on other people and put the fate of everything in the hands of something virtual. The way things are going is very elusive. Technology changes all the time and you have to do all kinds of insane things to keep up with the latest gadgetry. This costs a lot of time and money, and I'm still not sure of the pay off, but I'll do it, because I know the classic form of publishing will always be a staple and will never die. AD: You seem intent on being defined as an artist in a broad sense and not tied to any style or even form. Is that a conscious decision youve made?
DD: No, it's just what happened. I have to do different kinds of art and marketing my art so that I can patchwork my income together and make a living.Though I also think different kinds of art have to be expressed different ways, and I don't see a reason why if someone can sculpt dolls, draw, paint, make films, write, or play instruments, that they should limit themselves to just one thing. It has always been beneficial to the promotion and sales of my books that they can be sold at music shows and at galleries as fine art.
AD: So the book is out. What else are you in the midst of?
DD: I did a tour in Portugal this summer to promote Meat Cake Compilation and all my other books. I also just finished some shows in California as Death By Doll with my Dear Mr. Vincent D. Dominion, he does it all. Death By Doll can travel easily and we have had a lot of fun shows with other great bands and audiences. Right now I am creating childrens book pitches with an 85 year old French Boudoir doll and calling it Isabelle Red Riding Hood, Isabelle in Wonderland, etc. I am taking photos of her in the Ancient forest near Astoria Oregon where Goonies was shot. My latest graphic novel Hand Book for Hot Witches is in full swing and this Girl Scout guide for the apocalypse/field guide for the deflowered will be out just in time for 2012 on Holt. It features Eco-fem philosophy as well as how to make your own makeup, raw food recipes, feminist fairytales, self defense tips, fun spells, and womens history, the how to start your own E.Z. Bake Coven, sew, knit, doll craft, play instruments, ancient lore and so much more!
I also have some other book pitches, getting things published in other languages, online and phones etc. A fashion line pitch, mixing the new Death By Doll album Electrococo, starring Skippy Spiral on keys and Charlotte Antique singing and of course drawing more Meat Cake Comix. The biggest things I am under contract to not divulge, but if any of you lovely readers want to keep up on the latest hi-jinx, books, art, etc. please feel free to join the mailing list at Dame Darcy.com. Just go to "join" and put in your e-mail address. Also we post events and updates every week or so, on Dame Darcy Facebook. I always have new art/illustration/fashion/music/dolls/craft items at my Etsy store www.damedarcy.etsy.com.
She is an artist in the finest sense of the word. A new collection of the first 10 issues of her ongoing series Meatcake, a comic that she began self-publishing and was later released via independent publisher Fantagraphics, came out last month. Shes currently working on a series of illustrated books, playing dates as part of the band Death by Doll, and putting the finishing touches on a new graphic novel Hand Book for Hot Witches, which she described as a Girl Scout guide for the apocalypse/field guide for the deflowered. We spoke with her recently over e-mail.
Alex Dueben: You just got back from Comic-con. How was it? Bigger than the last time you were there?
Dame Darcy: Yes, and crazier. Every year Comic-con gets even crazier than ever. I was signing my new release from Fantagraphics, a Meat Cake compilation with the best of stories from issues 0-10. I was interviewed by Miguel Cima's Dig Comics, and for a documentary about Tony Millionaire. Self Publishing is the latest thing I am doing with my partner Vincent D. Dominion. We profiled his new poetry book The Penalty of Hope which I illustrated as well as Paper Doll Dreams, a hand crafted one of a kind paper doll book as well as other new releases. To see it all please visit the book section of Dame Darcy.com. I met the art director of Marvel, Mike Horowitz who hired me to write Fantastic 4 characters as a fairytale this year. It was great to see him in person, and I just saw the proofs for these pages, Invisible Girl stars as Cinderella. Robin Ha is doing the art. She's got a great style. Online comics are our new goal now and they were everywhere this year, as well as this weird new big screen that looked like a mega IPhone which everyone was showing me. We have some leads for online comics now, and it seems to be a tough nut to crack, but don't worry boys in comics I'm going to crack that nut!
AD: Do you feel like a part of the comics world and the comics scene?
DD: I feel like I'm part of it all but again like there is a schism. I am in this world and have worked for big companies like DC and Marvel but only as a specialty item. I can only work within my style of writing or drawing, so if the rules can be bent to include me then I am included. I started Meat Cake in the early 90's before the Gothic Lolita scene had formed, and now the goal is to get my books into the hands of my target audience, which does know of me to the degree that due to Press Pop and Fantagraphics Books, my publisher, I got to meet them and do events in Tokyo. There is a big Manga scene there and it's normal to read comics, business men were reading comics on the subway.
On the other side of things, there is the usual alternative comics reader/buyer who are usually guys, they are a big part of my readership from the start, but there are many girls who find out about my comic through a guy who don't usually read comics, and I get a lot of girls saying that my comic is the only one they read or know about that they can relate to. I have a plan though that will unite everyone soon. It's in the works now, but when it's done I'll let you know. My graphic novels, Frightful Fairytales (Ten Speed Press), Jane Eyre (Putnam Penguin), Gasoline (Merrell) and the newest release Hand Book For Hot Witches (Holt) are sold in regular book stores worldwide (not just comic stores) and let me into a more academic scene, they also give exposure to my more underground work.
AD: When did you first become interested in art?
DD: I come from a family of cowboy poets in Idaho who played music, painted and wrote. So I was always exposed to art as a normal part of life. I began drawing sequential stories when I was two. My great Grandma Marler was a cowgirl and a school teacher, she taught me to read and write at an early age, which I am thankful for because without her help dyslexia would have made it even harder for me to be a writer than it already is. I think my will to tell stories got me through it, and I can remember wanting so badly to be able to write the words over the pictures. Vincent has an idea to self publish these books by that my Mom has preserved from my childhood. They are horror stories and fairy tales. I loved Klimpt and Maxfield Parrish when I was a kid, pre-Raphaelites, 20's and Victoriana.
AD: Im curious about your childhood. You mention in the introduction that you grew up in Idaho. What kind of environment was it like?
DD: In the summers we lived on a appaloosa horse ranch in the mountains. In the winter we lived in a craftsman house from 1902 in town (town was Idaho Falls).The beauty of the ranch (Bone Idaho, population 15) has been unparalleled by anywhere in the world I have been since.I dreamed about it all last night, it had a crystal clear lake that the Rocky Mountains reflected in like a mirror, forests of aspen and pine trees, fields of wild flowers, running creeks with rainbow trout. We were so excited to go to the little general store once a week to use the pay phone for a dime and drink pop. It was like we lived in another age. A summer storm would come over the valley and make all the ions in the air go crazy before the thunder struck, setting fire to a tall tree and frightening the horses. Cowboys and Indians blended into the same thing, they both lived close to the land and seem to have had the same kind of concerns. The cowboy would wear beaded Indian fringe leather and Indians would wear cowboy hats. My Grandpa knew what every flower was named, every kind of bird and insect, all the animals, like they were neighbors he knew for a long time. I'll always think of him when I hear old cowboy songs that he taught me and the day we went horseback riding and he showed me a sweet water creek where you could drink right out of the ground, that water tasted like malted clear ambrosia. I have never had anything like it again. When I last went to Idaho with my brother in 2007 I went to the ranch and was walking in the woods. I felt the presence of my Grandpa very close so I called out to him, and told him I loved him. I turned around and saw a huge owl about 4 feet tall perched in a tree staring at me, I know that my Grandpa has the same kind of Native American beliefs about animal spirits, and I know this was his spirit come to visit me in the form of an owl. He blinked his eyes once slowly then turned his head around completely like owls can do, then with a 4 foot wing span flew into the woods soundlessly.
AD: What was the kind of work that really made an impact on you when you were young?
DD: I learned to draw and paint when I worked as a sign painters apprentice for my Dad until I was 16 and he sold his shop. My Dad also taught me how to play banjo and electric bass. He was in a bluegrass band which played festivals and shows to bring in some extra cash for our family. My mom is a nurse and really loves to craft, sew, knit, and embroider; she made us dolls and quilts. She is very creative in her own right and is a feminist and environmentalist. She sewed all our clothes and grew and canned lot of our food herself. She read to me every night, a lot of the things she read were classics and fairy tales.
AD: What made you create a comic initially. Were you a big comics fan as a kid or afterwards?
DD: Most comics were not the kind I could relate to, but I loved illustrated books. I had a great copy of Alice in Wonderland and my Grandma had the complete Oz series from when she was a kid, these books were from 19-teens through the 20's, and have greatly influenced the way I design my graphic novels today.
My Dad had some Zap comics and heavy metal magazine which I wasn't supposed to see, due to the fact they were racy, but I'm glad I did know they existed because I realized at an early age comics could be more than just Superman. I also liked Tales from the Crypt and my brother and I had some of these and some Little Lulu comics from the 50's we found in elderly yard sales. What made me think I could do what I do were Edward Gorey books. I liked those books that came with records, in the past I put out a lot of 7 inches or booklets with CD's that had stories with them. Everyone at school always said I was going to be a childrens book author but by the time I was in High School my comic strip for the school news paper, Tumor Humor, was too edgy and controversial to be considered for children and they didn't say that any more. I thank god for the 60's cartoonists, like Crumb, Deitch, and all the ladies Trina Robbins knows because this is the weird scene and early ladies in comics that paved the way for someone like me to even be able to get published, this is such a niche market. It's kind of a miracle I have a career at all.
AD: I love the comics but it feels like a side project for you. Is that fair?
DD: It is interesting you say that, because I always saw comics as a stepping stone to making a feature film or animated TV show. Although, I will never stop making comics and graphic novels no matter where all this ends up. Whenever a new book comes out I also do a corresponding fine art gallery show to sell the illustrations, (my gallerist is Sloan Fine Art in NYC) in this way the comics are in the fine art genre as well and I exhibit some paintings too. I've always loved animation and I majored in film at the San Francisco art institute so I would know how to design and animate. After that I moved to NYC where I started doing freelance illustration and comics.
AD: Are you into many other comics?
DD: I am aware of ones I like, there is a new one I found out about recently called School Bites by Holly Witch that is really cute and also Gothic Lolita style, it is a comic on line. I kind of like the weird comic Bleach, its Japanese Manga. I also like the classics, Alan Moore's old and new releases, particularly League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. But sometimes I get exposed to new titles self published Zines etc, that I like a lot, lately it's been Princess Witch Boy by Storm and Out Of Control by David Drexler. He is a genius btw. I lately found out about a wonderful lady Carolyn Turgeon who does novels that rewrite fairytales, she did Cinderella, and her new one is called Mermaid. In general though, I am multitasking a million times at once every day and it's super exhausting and difficult to keep track of anyone elses career. Plus I move a lot. I'm currently planning and saving up for yet another move.
AD: How has the comic changed for you over the years?
DD: I like multimedia, and I don't mind the tech way that things are headed because I think books will always be a classic and will always be desirable even if just as a art object.The only daunting thing is that I don't know how to use computer technology very well, so to put out my comics on line and on phones and kindle is to rely on other people and put the fate of everything in the hands of something virtual. The way things are going is very elusive. Technology changes all the time and you have to do all kinds of insane things to keep up with the latest gadgetry. This costs a lot of time and money, and I'm still not sure of the pay off, but I'll do it, because I know the classic form of publishing will always be a staple and will never die. AD: You seem intent on being defined as an artist in a broad sense and not tied to any style or even form. Is that a conscious decision youve made?
DD: No, it's just what happened. I have to do different kinds of art and marketing my art so that I can patchwork my income together and make a living.Though I also think different kinds of art have to be expressed different ways, and I don't see a reason why if someone can sculpt dolls, draw, paint, make films, write, or play instruments, that they should limit themselves to just one thing. It has always been beneficial to the promotion and sales of my books that they can be sold at music shows and at galleries as fine art.
AD: So the book is out. What else are you in the midst of?
DD: I did a tour in Portugal this summer to promote Meat Cake Compilation and all my other books. I also just finished some shows in California as Death By Doll with my Dear Mr. Vincent D. Dominion, he does it all. Death By Doll can travel easily and we have had a lot of fun shows with other great bands and audiences. Right now I am creating childrens book pitches with an 85 year old French Boudoir doll and calling it Isabelle Red Riding Hood, Isabelle in Wonderland, etc. I am taking photos of her in the Ancient forest near Astoria Oregon where Goonies was shot. My latest graphic novel Hand Book for Hot Witches is in full swing and this Girl Scout guide for the apocalypse/field guide for the deflowered will be out just in time for 2012 on Holt. It features Eco-fem philosophy as well as how to make your own makeup, raw food recipes, feminist fairytales, self defense tips, fun spells, and womens history, the how to start your own E.Z. Bake Coven, sew, knit, doll craft, play instruments, ancient lore and so much more!
I also have some other book pitches, getting things published in other languages, online and phones etc. A fashion line pitch, mixing the new Death By Doll album Electrococo, starring Skippy Spiral on keys and Charlotte Antique singing and of course drawing more Meat Cake Comix. The biggest things I am under contract to not divulge, but if any of you lovely readers want to keep up on the latest hi-jinx, books, art, etc. please feel free to join the mailing list at Dame Darcy.com. Just go to "join" and put in your e-mail address. Also we post events and updates every week or so, on Dame Darcy Facebook. I always have new art/illustration/fashion/music/dolls/craft items at my Etsy store www.damedarcy.etsy.com.