The following is an interview with Chase Pond regarding the recent release of the comic book, Miss McDonald. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Pond about the creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent release of Miss McDonald! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this story, and how would you describe its premise?
Chase Pond: Miss McDonald is a science-fiction adventure comic about a biker girl who is autistic, going on a journey of self-worth, kindness, and building a new family after her own had been torn apart. She was sheltered from the rest of her family after a divorce happened between the parents, her mother keeping her away from her father’s problematic influence. Years later when her mom is gone, Mariah decides to seek out her brother Matt to escape this country life and explore a new one, where they write their own rules, make their own mistakes and tell their own stories.
The present conflict of the story comes with the dad disapproving of Matt running away with his sister and sends the rest of the family to force them into returning home.
That idea alone is inspired by personal experiences, having lived a life where you are not understood. I wanted to bring a positive spin to it, being that your main character has a disability, but she is the leading force, solving issues throughout her story with selfless acts. I love Paddington and the idea of having a main character just be kind no matter what gets thrown at them, so that also greatly influenced Miss McDonald.
Besides making an empowering autistic lead, I also want this to serve as education for anyone who is not familiar with the disability, more or less facts about us sprinkled throughout in an adventure that has heart and a deep priority on characters. Sometimes, the best knowledge about life comes from the entertaining stories we experience.
BD: How would you describe your creative processes in bringing this story and its characters to life on the page?
CP: My favorite stories are ones where you read it and you come out thinking about it, charmed by it, maybe even emotionally moved. Every character I bring in Miss McDonald is influenced in some way by reality, either replicating from personal experiences or parodying them. I am the writer and creator of this project, so I had a blast writing out dialogue that I would personally get a response from, whether I’m laughing at a chuckle-worthy scene or at the edge of my seat. If I’m not engaged by my own story, then I’ll scrap the idea. I never want to make comics that I don’t care about.
As far as the art goes, I’ll finish my script then collaborate with independent talent online. Having a different art style per chapter was not only a fun spin, but also to bring more awareness to talented artists who deserve credit and pay for their hard work. Miss McDonald is 100% human-made and I plan to keep it that way.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers?
CP: I believe it depends on what you are looking for in a comic. I can simply ask this question: Do you like Pixar, specifically the high-regarded classics that we all have cried to? Do you also like stories where the main character solves her problems with kindness instead of violence? Are you looking for a story with fantastical settings, but grounded, relatable characters? Miss McDonald is a comic for fans of heartfelt storytelling.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
CP: Miss McDonald is the focus right now. I have no plans for unrelated stories at this time, but never say never!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Miss McDonald?
CP: You can read Miss McDonald Volume 1 under the following comic websites:
https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/miss-mcdonald/list
Read Miss McDonald | Tapas Web Community
Read Miss McDonald Volume 2 in English Online | GlobalComix
And follow @missmcdonald101 on X for more updates!
