FCBD18 Interview: Disney Princess: Ariel Spotlight Creators Discuss What Gizmos Inspire Their Comics

So, humans made a gizmo (or was it a gadget?) about Ariel’s under-the-sea adventures?

Heck yeah, they did! And this crazy gizmo is the Disney Princess: Ariel Spotlight comic book, and it’s available on Free Comic Book Day!

This delightful all-ages tale collects new and fan-favorite comic strips that joins Ariel in her quest to find sunken treasure, understand human gizmos and gadgets, and get into some trouble with Sebastian and Flounder. Read our interview below with some of the creators behind Joe Books lighthearted classic, and find out what inspires them in comics, and where you can find them on Free Comic Book Day! Then, click here to see our PREVIEWS Prevue of the comic

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Free Comic Book Day (FCBD): For those who might be new to your comic book, can you give us a quick rundown of the story?  

Megan Kearney: Disney Princess is a cheerful and lighthearted all-ages romp with all of our familiar favorites from Disney’s beloved Princess lineup.

FCBD: What genre is your title?

Kearney: Comedy.

FCBD: What has been your favorite part of the book or main character(s) to tackle?

Kearney: I especially enjoy coming up with puns and wordplay!

Amy Mebberson: My favorite thing about the Disney Princess comics is the chance to show the funny side of being a Princess. They have a lot of cool adventures, make discoveries, clown around with their friends, solves problems as only a Princess can, and deal with their pets as well as the occasional bad hair day!

My favorite Princesses to make comics of are Rapunzel and Ariel, who are both just adorably funny teenagers. The most interesting Princess is probably Aurora—she doesn’t get much time on screen in the original movie, so the comics give us the opportunity to explore her personality and what her interests might be a bit further.

FCBD: Looking to the future, is there anything you can tease about what's coming up for the title and its characters?

Kearney: One of the really lovely things about the Disney Princess series is that you can jump in at any issue and always know you’ll get a variety of stories from all of your favorite Princesses, and it will always have the fun and fantasy you expect—Tiana’s always got something new cooking, Ariel is always up for a treasure-hunting adventure, Belle is always on the lookout for her next exciting story…it’s fresh and fun, but still familiar.

FCBD: What initially got you interested in comics? (or What is your favorite thing about working in comics?)

Kearney: I’ve loved the idea of comics since I was tiny (see next question!), but when I was a kid, it was really, really hard to find any except for the ones that ran in the newspaper. Then I saw Sailor Moon on TV, and in the end credits it said that the show was based on a comic…written by a woman! I was so excited I could hardly breathe. I didn’t get to actually read any of the Sailor Moon comics until I was much older, but knowing that there were comics out there about girls that were written by girls made me feel like I suddenly had permission to make them too.

Brianna Garcia: I got interested in comics when I was just ten years old! At the time, I was obsessed with Jurassic Park, and when I found out there was a comic series that stemmed from the movie, I started collecting as many as I could. From there, I was introduced to numerous other series and I just became hooked.

FCBD: Many newcomers will pick up comics for the first time on Free Comic Book Day—what was the first comic you remember reading?

Kearney: The first comics I can remember reading were the Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes collections I found in my dad’s study when I was six and having a sleepover with my cousins. I sat on the floor next to a nightlight pouring over them after everyone else had gone to sleep, just amazed that someone had thought of combining words and pictures that way!

Garcia: Definitely the Jurassic Park comic-book series, and also Age of Reptiles by Ricardo Delgado. It fascinated me that Delgado was able to tell an entire story in a graphic novel with no words whatsoever. Everything was conveyed through his visual storytelling, which blew my mind.

Mebberson: The first comic I remember reading was pulling a book off my dad’s shelf when I was about six. It said Krazy Kat on it. That’s strange, I thought. That’s not how you spell it! I opened it and discovered one of the greatest comics ever created by the great George Herriman—a surreal desert world with a dreamy cat, a dog cop, and a mouse with a brick.

FCBD: Tell us why everyone should read comic books!

Kearney: Comics are the best! They have the all the exciting visual magic of a movie with the pacing and portability of a book.

Garcia: Comics encourage people of all ages to engage in reading! I know it’s definitely what I latched onto as kid, and not only did they help me to love reading, they also inspired me to draw and create.

FCBD: What is your favorite part about Free Comic Book Day? What do you think is the best part of Free Comic Book Day?

Kearney: My favorite part of free comic book day is the free comics! And the excuse to visit all of my friends at my local comic-book store, of course! I always try to bring doughnuts or cupcakes so they’re happy to see me too.

Garcia: My favorite part of FCBD is both seeing all the same friends who share a love of comics, and meeting all the newcomers, especially the kids. Working for the Disney Princess series allows me to meet kids and talk to them about their favorite characters, and why they love them so much.

Mebberson: My favorite part of FCBD is comic stores full of families and children, many discovering comics for the first time. With newsstands being rare nowadays, most people wouldn’t know where to even find comics anymore. I’m proud to be a part of FCBD because this is where creators get a chance to pay it back to the retailers who buy and support our work. This is the day we support them.

FCBD: Where do you plan to spend Free Comic Book Day?

Kearney: I will be signing at The Silver Snail in Toronto on Free Comic Book Day!

Garcia: I plan to be at my favorite comic shop, Comics Toons N’ Toys! I was first invited by the owner of the shop, who loves to reach out to all the comic fans in the area. He invites professional artists and food trucks, and makes a big party out of the event, so I make sure to go every year.

Mebberson: I will be at Pop Comics in Anaheim (203 W. Center Street Promenade, Anaheim, California) signing the free Ariel comic and doing free sketches for anyone who buys the new Disney Princess comic collection, Disney Princess Comic Strips: The Enchanted Collection!

 

Find a local comic shop near you to celebrate Free Comic Book Day 2018!