Past, Present, and Future with...Rachel Masilamani

A cartoonist and librarian here in Pittsburgh, PA, Rachel has been creating comics since 1997. Her first collection, RPM Comics, received a grant from the Xeric Foundation and was named “Best Comic Book” by the Baltimore City Paper.  Her work has also appeared in Meathaus, Street Runoff, Graphics Classics, The Indiana Review and other anthologies.

(Photo credit Jen Greenwald/Comic Book Pitt)

Past, Present, and Future with...Rachel Masilamani

What got you into comics?

"Reading Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud.  Up until then, I read comics, but it didn't occur to me that I could make them myself.  It helped me understand how they are constructed."

What are you working on these days?

"I am working on balancing a day job, a toddler. art, and sleep!  I am also continuing to work on "Nonpartum", my series about contemporary pregnancy, birth and parenting at Mutha Magazine.  I completed an additional chapter earlier this year, and I've been making comics about America after the 2016 election."

Do you have a dream project?

"Yes!  I have been thinking about a big project for almost 20 years now.  I think of stories as very complicated puzzles that I need to solve before I start making them visible.  This one is still too difficult for me to construct, but I am getting there. For me, the work is 75% mental preparation."

What one piece of creative advice would you give?

"Try not to think about what other people will think."

Thanks Rachel!