Silver Bullet
Abby Denson: Jill of All Trades By Mike Jozic August 3 2001
I had the pleasure of meeting Abby Denson at last years San Diego ComiCon. She was signing Powerpuff Girls comics at the DC booth and I was cruising the convention floor looking for my first ever batch of convention sketches. After spotting the Powerpuff display, I approached the three creators (Sean Carolan, Jenn Moore and Abby Denson, unbeknownst to me at the time) and asked if they were doing any sketches of the girls. Abby looked at me a little funny and responded, “Sorry, we’re the writers.” I think my response was an, “Oh, okay,” or something equally articulate, and I shambled away looking for my next target. Flash-forward a year, and I find myself having the opportunity to meet Abby once again, only this time it’s over the internet, and I’ve tried to keep my foot as far away from my mouth as possible. Luckily, Abby was pretty jazzed by the idea of doing an interview and, whenever she found time between writing projects and playing with her all-girl punk band Mz. Pakman, she would answer my questions by e-mail to be sorted later into what eventually became the interview you are about to read. So, without further ado-
Mike Jozic: I’ve noticed that you are not the only writer on the Powerpuff Girls book. Why was the decision made to feature more than one creative team on the series?
Abby Denson: Yeah, there are several different writers on the book. I’m not sure if it’s a conscious decision to use lots of writers or not. It seems like, for licensed properties, they go over pitches from lots of writers and just approve whatever stories they like.
Jozic: How does it feel to be one of several leap-frogging writers? Do you like the arrangement as it stands?
Denson: How does it feel? It feels great! “Leapfrogging” is a good expression. Honestly, we have no idea when which stories will be scheduled. Jenn Moore, Sean Carolan, and I got a kick out of the first several stories being alternated between us . I think it’s a fine arrangement, though, I don’t think it was planned that way. Of course, I’d like to do more stories, but I guess that’s pretty typical.
Jozic: I noticed that the artists on the book change even more often than the writers do. Is the whole thing done by freelancers on a work-for-hire basis, or is there some logic to the scheduling that I am missing?
Denson: I’m not totally sure how they assign the artists to each book. Sorry I don’t have more info on that one.
Jozic: Since writers will often script a story to an artists strengths, do you find it difficult to write a story not knowing who the artist will be? Or does the fact that it will always be done in the style of the show free you of those concerns?
Denson: Since I don’t know who’s drawing it I just write my usual way. My fave artist on one of my stories is Stephanie Gladden issue 4. She is really cool and once at San Diego Con we met up and she drew me a really great picture of HIM in my sketchbook.
Jozic: Do you communicate at all with the other writers or artists? I saw you, Sean and Jenn at San Diego last year, so I’m assuming you’ve spoken with them, but what about the others?
Denson: Jenn, Sean, and I have been friends long before we wrote for The Powerpuff Girls! We always hit the comic and anime cons together. As for the artists I’ve met Phil Moy and Stephanie Gladden at the con, but nobody else so far. That’s the best part of San Diego Con, getting to hang out with everybody!
Jozic: You actually come from a pretty independent background, as far as comics go anyway. How is it that you managed to land the Powerpuff gig and how do you like it now that you’ve been doing it for a while?
Denson: Yes, it’s true, I’ve been drawing and writing my own comics since 1996 (Tough Love, Night Club, Koi Fish, Jamie Starr, etc.). A lot of my work has run in XY Magazine, and I was recently in a World War 3 Illustrated anthology. What happened is that I’d known Heidi Macdonald (former Powerpuff Girls editor, now she’s at Vertigo) through Friends of Lulu, and she was familiar with my indie work. I stopped by DC and told her I was looking for work and she told me Powerpuff Girls comics were in the works. She encouraged me to pitch ideas, I did, they were approved, and that’s how it went down.
Jozic: Are you still doing the self-published stuff?
Denson: A little, but not as much as before since I have less time. I’ve been writing for other licensed properties ( “Rocket Power” for Nickelodeon Magazine, and I just started some Simpsons Comics with Jesse McCann) as well as doing some cartoon T-shirt designs for Anna Sui. And I did my first art for DC in the upcoming Big Book of Wild Women. You can find some of my strips here: http://www.abbycomix.com
Jozic: When will we be seeing the Simpsons stuff and in which book will it appear?
Denson: I’m not sure about that. Probably not until next year. The turnaround on comics can be pretty slow.
Jozic: Obviously, there is a financial security in licensed comics that you just can’t find in self-published stuff, but do you miss doing mostly your own thing?
Denson: That’s true. There’s definitely more money to be made working on licensed properties than indy comics. I do still work on my own art and comics, but not as much as before. So I don’t miss it since I didn’t quit it, but I am always trying to find the time to do more of my own stuff. The Anna Sui T-shirts I’ve been doing have my own little characters and little stories, so that’s closer to my own work.
Jozic: Were you a comic reader as a wee young lass?
Denson: Oh yeah, I’ve read comics since I was a kid.
Jozic: What kinds of stuff did you read on a regular basis?
Denson: My mom took my brother and I to the comics store on the weekends and we’d have a blast! I liked the X-Men, Alpha Flight, and Daredevil with the cool girls in them like Elektra and Typhoid Mary. I would only buy Daredevil if those girls were in them. He was boring without them.
Jozic: Are you reading any comics these days?
Denson: Yeah, mostly manga and independents. I like Andi Watson, Roberta Gregory, Sam Henderson, and Love and Rockets of course!
Jozic: How do you come up with your stories for The Powerpuff Girls?
Denson: Well, I think about things I was fascinated with as a kid (or currently fascinated with!) and try to work those things in. They have superpowers, but they’re also kids, so you want to keep that element in.
Jozic: How long does it take you to do a Powerpuff Girls script in comparison to some of your other comic book work?
Denson: Powerpuff Girls goes much faster since I don’t have to draw the stories, just write them. Usually what takes the most time is going back and forth with my editor, Joan Hilty (Hi Joan!) and waiting to hear back on approvals.
Jozic: Does it have to go through several levels of approval with the Cartoon Network and DC, or are you guys given a certain degree of autonomy with the book?
Denson: Oh, yeah! There are about three levels of approval, including Craig (the last level). So, everything is checked over a lot! I guess the order is the DC editor, Cartoon Network, and finally Craig.
Jozic: So, Craig does see the stories you guys do?
Denson: For sure! In fact, we had meetings the past two years at San Diego Con with Craig and Genndy for everyone involved with Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Lab comics. It’s always really cool because you can actually meet everyone and talk to them in detail about ideas you have. He comments on them to Joan when he’s doing approvals, and sometimes those comments will get back to me, usually it’s positive, so I’m happy about that!
Jozic: Dexter’s Lab is experimenting with a severely reduced cover price, for one issue anyway, and I was wondering if you knew if there were any plans to do that with Powerpuff Girls or any of the other Cartoon Network books?
Denson: I really don’t know about that. I haven’t heard anything about it.
Jozic: Have you ever had a story idea turned down?
Denson: Oh sure! Everybody does. But sometimes I’ll submit an idea and then Joan, the Cartoon Network People, or Craig may suggest a different slant on it. So I will get to do the story, but it may be different than how I envisioned it at first.
Jozic: Which Powerpuff Girl is your favourite, or at least favourite to write. The Cartoon Network website recently had a vote where Bubbles came out on top as the most popular Powerpuff Girl and I just wondered where you stood on the subject.
Denson: My fave is Buttercup! I don’t really have a ‘least favorite’, all of the characters are fun in their own way.
Jozic: What about the fan mail you guys receive? Do you read it? Is it cooler getting mail from these wide-eyed kids rather than us jaded comic book fans?
Denson: We actually don’t get the mail. Often the kids address fan mail to the Powerpuff Girls themselves or maybe Craig. One time I saw a letter directed at me printed in the letter column and Joan said she forgot to pass it on to me. So, it’s not the most reliable way to reach the writers. Of course it’s always great getting fan mail no matter who from! There is a definite charm about children asking you to sign their comics though. It’s really fun doing a Powerpuff Girls signing. There were kids and tattooed biker guys in line. They have a very broad appeal. Jozic: Are you looking forward to the Powerpuff Girls feature film?
Denson: Oh, yeah! Definitely.
Jozic: DC recently announced the cancellation of their Batman Beyond and Superman Adventures books, I was wondering if you knew how healthy, or unhealthy, the Cartoon Books at DC are? Are they doing well?
Denson: I think they’re doing well. I hear Powerpuff Girls does well, but I’m not that aware of the overall sales performances on the Cartoon Network books.
Jozic: You also dabble in music and Indie films. How is that going for you right now? Denson: Great! My punk-rockin’ all-girl band, Mz. Pakman, has been playing around NYC a lot and we just got to play a show on the super-cool radio station wfmu! Our band website is: http://www.mzpakman.com You can listen to our live performance on the wfmu archive here: http://www.wfmu.org/Playlists/Joeb/joeb.010628.html As for films, I’ve done one with my guitarist Lisssa called Gastro Glamour. It has live action and stop motion animation. We made it a while ago, but it’s been in a bunch of local film festivals recently. Jozic: To steal a question from the Vertigo ‘On The Ledge’ column, if you were stranded on a desert island with one movie, one CD and one book (and obviously the means to play the previous two), which would they be?
Denson: Oy vey! I don’t know. How about Evil Dead 2, The Ramones Anthology, and Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block.
Mike Jozic has spent the last several years of his life interviewing comic book creators and other entertainment related personalities. He has been published both online and in print, with his work appearing in The Comics Journal, FearsMag.com and Silver Bullet Comicbooks. He maintains his own website at www.meanwhile.net and currently serves as the Features Editor for SBC.