DC's Minx imprint has made a splash recently by bringing prose authors in to write graphic novels aimed at teen girls. Now author Rebecca Donner is making her graphic novel debut for the imprint. Donner is best known for her novel Sunset Terrace, the colorful story of a broken family living in Southern California. She has alsotaught writing at Wesleyan, Columbia, Barnard, and the New School. In contrast, Burnout moves from the vibrant and energized backdrop of California to a small town where a love story is set against hard, real life issues. Teenagers Danni and Haskell must come to terms with a relationship that is as passionate as it is complicated as larger events unfold around them, including the fact that their own parents are supposed to marry. The book will be published in June.
At the recent New York Comic-con 2008 Donner, who is currently writing her third novel, sat down with Comics Week to discuss her new graphic novel and its place in the Minx lineup.
PWCW: What can you tell me about Burnout?
Rebecca Donner: It’s set in Oregon, high in the mountains in a logging town where there’s a culture clash between those who would protect our natural resources to the point of eco terrorism and those who use up our natural resources. The conflict igniting in this town is what forms the backdrop of Burnout; against the backdrop is set a love story. Her mother (Wynona) and his father (Hank) are soon to be married, so it poses a complication.
PWCW: How do you feel teenagers will be able to relate to Burnout?
RD: One thing that I tried to do with Burnout was stay very authentic and convey the emotions dealing with falling in love and fractured families. I don’t talk down to the readers; my concern is just to tell a good story. I show them at school, I show them in their home and kind of deal with a situation that I think teenagers can relate to— the idea that "no one understands me."
PWCW: The love story in Burnout is complicated; the main character Danni has fallen in love with her soon to be stepbrother, Haskell. How did you deal with such a complex relationship?
RD: When the story opens up Danni has to move into her mother’s boyfriend’s house and she knows he has a son. She doesn’t want a stepfather, she doesn’t want a stepbrother; everything about the situation just sucks. At the beginning it’s very antagonistic. Slowly she starts to become intrigued by him, in part because she sees how he deals with his father. He falls into these violent alcoholic rages and Haskell copes with this; there’s a sort of quiet strength he has. She sees him talking to another girl and she realizes she’s starting to fall for him when she realizes she’s jealous.
PWCW: Eco terrorism is also an issue in the book.
RD: I really wanted to take on and pose some serious questions about issues facing us. It’s fascinating: how far do you have to go to make a point. There’s a line in the book, ‘sometimes you have to do something extreme for people to take notice.’ And we see in the book how this resonates in terms of politics and in terms of their relationship
PWCW: What do you think of Minx’s goal to make graphic novels more accessible to teenage girls?
RD: I think what Minx is trying to do is commendable; to reach out to population that’s not being targeted. I think the rationale behind this is that with the number of girls reading manga there seems to be an untapped market. It's also an attempt to writing books that concern girls that don’t talk down to them, don’t exploit them and don’t fall into clichés or stereotypes. I know if I was a teenage girl now I would respond to this.
PWCW: Were you exposed to comics prior to writing Burnout?
RD: I was exposed to graphic novels. I would walk past [the comics store] Forbidden Planet on the way to my writing studio and walk in and browse. But I really delved into it when I started to pursue this project.
PWCW: You’ve previously written novels and short stories, was it difficult to make the transition from novels to sequential art?
RD:It was easier than I thought it would be. I think because I’m an author I’m a very visual writer. When I construct prose I’m often visualizing the scene. It helps when you have someone like Inaki Miranda, who’s my illustrator. I thought that his ability to evoke nuanced emotion was extraordinary.
PWCW: How did you choose Inaki Miranda as the artist?
RD: There was something about Inaki that set him above the rest. Because I knew my story involved some very weighty themes like alcoholism and family dynamics, I knew I wanted somebody who would be able to evoke all of the nuances of emotion as they went through. He executed the drawings beautifully.
PWCW: Would you consider working in comics again?
RD: Oh, absolutely. I had such a magnificent experience with this. In the end though it was very gratifying to explore some of these things in this particular format in this genre. There’s a freedom of the form that I enjoy. Sometimes it’s more powerful just to have an arresting visual image.
PWCW: Do you have any possible genres you’re interested in or projects in the works?
RD: I think I’m excited by the possibilities of all of these forms. I’ve been talking with a few illustrators about possible projects. I always like to maximize opportunity and not draw an artificial border around myself and say this is the kind of writer I am.
