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Dame Darcy
By Daniel Robert Epstein
Nov 25, 2006
Dame Darcy is best known for her Fantagraphics comic book series Meatcake. But now she has taken on the ambitious project of adding illustrations to the Charlotte Bronte classic Jane Eyre for The Illustrated Jane Eyre. I got a chance to talk with Dame as she was traveling the country doing signings and shows with her band Death By Doll.
Buy The Illustrated Jane Eyre
Daniel Robert Epstein: How is the Illustrated Jane Eyre book tour going?
Dame Darcy: The illustrated Jane Eyre tour is really awesome. We’ve done a lot of really successful book readings and all the shows have been fantastic.
DRE:
So how did the project come to you in the first place?
Dame:
Well, I’ve been writing my comic book series Meatcake for about 15 years. Then in the year 2002, my first graphic novel came out, Frightful Fairy Tales. I began writing my graphic novel called Gasoline in the year 2000, which is now being produced as a feature film. My literary agent has pitched it around to get it published and we got the Jane Eyre gig out of that. We’re still pitching Gasoline to get published, but we have a lot of really awesome leads. My band Death by Doll does all the music for Gasoline the movie and then it also is going to be a CD that comes with the graphic novel.
DRE:
Do you know who is directing Gasoline?
Dame:
Well right now we’re in development. We have a few celebrities attached to it and we have an investor in the process of getting an LLC and we have an animation company attached to it. So we’re just getting everything together. We’re not certain what director we’re going to use, but we’re thinking we’re going to use one of our own producers from our production company Day Of The Spark Production rather than an outside director even though we have interests from named directors.
DRE:
I didn’t know Gasoline was going to be animated. That’s great.
Dame:
It’s probably about 30 or 40 percent animated.
DRE:
Will it look just like your drawings?
Dame:
It’s going to look like that, yes.
DRE:
How did you pick the image for the cover of The Illustrated Jane Eyre?
Dame:
I said that I wanted Jane Eyre to look more punk rock and gothic to appeal to today’s crowd, the crowd that already buys my comic books. So I thought that the image of her in front of her house burning down with fire was one of the most dynamic and punk rock sequences in the book. I want this version of Jane Eyre to appeal to today’s crowd rather than make it seem like it’s all about drinking tea and staring at the wallpaper.
DRE:
So you do feel that Jane Eyre is relevant for fans of your work?
Dame:
Definitely. It’s classically feminist and that’s why it’s immortal.
DRE:
Did you first read these stories in school or on your own?
Dame:
On my own.
DRE:
Did you already consider yourself some kind of a feminist by the time you read these stories?
Dame:
Yeah, I was raised by feminists so I’ve been a feminist my whole life.
DRE:
Obviously when Bronte was writing these stories, the word feminist wasn’t around. Do you feel that her ideas of feminism are as relevant today?
Dame:
They definitely are because in this book, he tries to change her, he tries to tell her what to wear, he’s the one that has all the money, he’s the man, he’s older than her, he owns the property, he has all the power and yet she still holds her ground and says “No. I don’t want that and no, I’m not going to do what you say. If you love me, you’re going to do things to make me happy. You’re going to let me do my own things that make me happy.” She ends up leaving him even when she finds out that he has another wife. Even though she loves him she doesn’t stick around in some crazy co-dependent relationship either. She seeks her love for him and her relationship with him on her own terms, but she does care about him and in the end it ends up okay even though he’s completely maimed and crippled and his house is burned down.
DRE:
What kind of research do you do for these illustrations?
Dame:
Well I researched a lot of interior design and costume designs from the 1840s, so that when I drew these things they would be accurate. Also my style already lends itself to the story. That’s why they picked me. I really love and care about the turn of the century illustrated style.
DRE:
How was it working with a writer that wasn’t around to give you notes?
Dame:
I’m a freelance illustrator so that’s my bread and butter. I’ve done comics online and stuff for magazines and all this other stuff, so working with other people is fine. I’m used to it. Usually people hire me for my illustrated style. Like Poppy Z. Brite is really awesome and I love her writing. I don’t really have conflicts with anybody who is going to hire me for what I do.
DRE:
Do you consider yourself like a Goth?
Dame:
I guess everybody thinks I’m gothic, so yes. I was definitely gothic in high school. But when I was in high school it was considered death rock, it wasn’t called gothic. Now like I’m really popular in Tokyo with the gothic-related crowd. I’ve been reviewed and interviewed in several Tokyo magazines now. I’ve done shows there and in Kyoto.
DRE:
How do you feel like Goth has changed in the past ten years or so?
Dame:
There are different segments of it. I think there’s a segment that cares about the fashion. They take their look from more of the turn of the century or Victorian dark Romanticism, which I think is more me. I think things like Dadaism, surrealism and pre-Raphaelites is all really beautiful. I also like some medieval stuff like songs, literature, design, architecture, fashion. I think there are some people that are considered Goth with different elements of these things. I think some of them also have elements of electroclash and also some elements of industrial stuff. I’m not very industrial, but in the ‘80s when I was in high school, I did definitely listen to industrial music. I liked a lot of stuff on the Wax Trax label but even then I think my favorite bands were still more like the Cocteau Twins and stuff like that, which really isn’t industrial. Now I think I’m less influenced by industrial stuff.
DRE:
What do you think of SuicideGirls?
Dame:
I know a lot of girls that are like SuicideGirls and I think it’s a good platform for them to be able to express themselves and be accepted on their own terms and not have to look like a pin up or a Playboy model or a Barbie cut out. It celebrates the differences of women and I think that’s feminist and important.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Dame Darcy is best known for her Fantagraphics comic book series Meatcake. But now she has taken on the ambitious project of adding illustrations to the Charlotte Bronte classic Jane Eyre for The Illustrated Jane Eyre. I got a chance to talk with Dame as she was traveling the country doing signings and shows with her band Death By Doll.
Buy The Illustrated Jane Eyre
Daniel Robert Epstein: How is the Illustrated Jane Eyre book tour going?
Dame Darcy: The illustrated Jane Eyre tour is really awesome. We’ve done a lot of really successful book readings and all the shows have been fantastic.
DRE:
So how did the project come to you in the first place?
Dame:
Well, I’ve been writing my comic book series Meatcake for about 15 years. Then in the year 2002, my first graphic novel came out, Frightful Fairy Tales. I began writing my graphic novel called Gasoline in the year 2000, which is now being produced as a feature film. My literary agent has pitched it around to get it published and we got the Jane Eyre gig out of that. We’re still pitching Gasoline to get published, but we have a lot of really awesome leads. My band Death by Doll does all the music for Gasoline the movie and then it also is going to be a CD that comes with the graphic novel.
DRE:
Do you know who is directing Gasoline?
Dame:
Well right now we’re in development. We have a few celebrities attached to it and we have an investor in the process of getting an LLC and we have an animation company attached to it. So we’re just getting everything together. We’re not certain what director we’re going to use, but we’re thinking we’re going to use one of our own producers from our production company Day Of The Spark Production rather than an outside director even though we have interests from named directors.
DRE:
I didn’t know Gasoline was going to be animated. That’s great.
Dame:
It’s probably about 30 or 40 percent animated.
DRE:
Will it look just like your drawings?
Dame:
It’s going to look like that, yes.
DRE:
How did you pick the image for the cover of The Illustrated Jane Eyre?
Dame:
I said that I wanted Jane Eyre to look more punk rock and gothic to appeal to today’s crowd, the crowd that already buys my comic books. So I thought that the image of her in front of her house burning down with fire was one of the most dynamic and punk rock sequences in the book. I want this version of Jane Eyre to appeal to today’s crowd rather than make it seem like it’s all about drinking tea and staring at the wallpaper.
DRE:
So you do feel that Jane Eyre is relevant for fans of your work?
Dame:
Definitely. It’s classically feminist and that’s why it’s immortal.
DRE:
Did you first read these stories in school or on your own?
Dame:
On my own.
DRE:
Did you already consider yourself some kind of a feminist by the time you read these stories?
Dame:
Yeah, I was raised by feminists so I’ve been a feminist my whole life.
DRE:
Obviously when Bronte was writing these stories, the word feminist wasn’t around. Do you feel that her ideas of feminism are as relevant today?
Dame:
They definitely are because in this book, he tries to change her, he tries to tell her what to wear, he’s the one that has all the money, he’s the man, he’s older than her, he owns the property, he has all the power and yet she still holds her ground and says “No. I don’t want that and no, I’m not going to do what you say. If you love me, you’re going to do things to make me happy. You’re going to let me do my own things that make me happy.” She ends up leaving him even when she finds out that he has another wife. Even though she loves him she doesn’t stick around in some crazy co-dependent relationship either. She seeks her love for him and her relationship with him on her own terms, but she does care about him and in the end it ends up okay even though he’s completely maimed and crippled and his house is burned down.
DRE:
What kind of research do you do for these illustrations?
Dame:
Well I researched a lot of interior design and costume designs from the 1840s, so that when I drew these things they would be accurate. Also my style already lends itself to the story. That’s why they picked me. I really love and care about the turn of the century illustrated style.
DRE:
How was it working with a writer that wasn’t around to give you notes?
Dame:
I’m a freelance illustrator so that’s my bread and butter. I’ve done comics online and stuff for magazines and all this other stuff, so working with other people is fine. I’m used to it. Usually people hire me for my illustrated style. Like Poppy Z. Brite is really awesome and I love her writing. I don’t really have conflicts with anybody who is going to hire me for what I do.
DRE:
Do you consider yourself like a Goth?
Dame:
I guess everybody thinks I’m gothic, so yes. I was definitely gothic in high school. But when I was in high school it was considered death rock, it wasn’t called gothic. Now like I’m really popular in Tokyo with the gothic-related crowd. I’ve been reviewed and interviewed in several Tokyo magazines now. I’ve done shows there and in Kyoto.
DRE:
How do you feel like Goth has changed in the past ten years or so?
Dame:
There are different segments of it. I think there’s a segment that cares about the fashion. They take their look from more of the turn of the century or Victorian dark Romanticism, which I think is more me. I think things like Dadaism, surrealism and pre-Raphaelites is all really beautiful. I also like some medieval stuff like songs, literature, design, architecture, fashion. I think there are some people that are considered Goth with different elements of these things. I think some of them also have elements of electroclash and also some elements of industrial stuff. I’m not very industrial, but in the ‘80s when I was in high school, I did definitely listen to industrial music. I liked a lot of stuff on the Wax Trax label but even then I think my favorite bands were still more like the Cocteau Twins and stuff like that, which really isn’t industrial. Now I think I’m less influenced by industrial stuff.
DRE:
What do you think of SuicideGirls?
Dame:
I know a lot of girls that are like SuicideGirls and I think it’s a good platform for them to be able to express themselves and be accepted on their own terms and not have to look like a pin up or a Playboy model or a Barbie cut out. It celebrates the differences of women and I think that’s feminist and important.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
