Mark Sable’s new original graphic novel, Hazed,is an all-too-real dark comedy that details the sordid reality of sorority life for three young women on an American college campus. Written by Sable and illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez, Hazed has just been published by Image.
The genesis of the work, Sable explained, came down to this: "How is it that some of the smartest women in the country make their appearance and social status their raison d'etre the second they step on campus? Hazed was my attempt to answer that question."
Using his own experiences at Duke University, Sable outlined the disturbingly credible story of two college roommates, James and Ileana, and their desperate efforts to be a part of the Greek system. Hilarity and eating disorders ensue. The evil antagonist, Val, opts to admit smart and sarcastic Ileana rather than the beautiful blonde James, not wanting to have any real competition with the boys.
"I had a range of artistic influences, mainly cinematic,” Sable said. “Everything from teen movies like Heathers or Cruel Intentions to dark looks at human nature [in such films as] Full Metal Jacket and The Company of Men.
Sable came to comics in 2005, writing Grounded, a story about a powerless teenager at a school for superheroes. He followed it up with Fearless, co-written with David Roth and illustrated by P.J. Holden, a story about a vigilante addicted to an antifear drug. “Both offer unique takes on familiar superhero tropes,” said Eric Stephenson, executive director at Image.
After the modest success of those titles, Sable pitched the idea of Hazed, which he had been working on in various forms for nearly 10 years. He was pleased with the response he got. "Image seemed open to publishing something a little riskier. I wasn't sure if or when a major publisher would give me a chance to do something like this, so I jumped at it," Sable said.
Stephenson said that Image is always on the lookout for something different. “Our overall aesthetic is really less mainstream superheroes,” said Stephenson. “We just want to publish good work that people can relate to.”
Sable quipped that the most impressive aspect of Hazed is all the drawings of “girls throwing up” in their dorms. “Seriously, I think the greatest thing [about the book] has been the reaction from women who thought I did a good job of capturing what sorority life was like,” Sable said.
