The following is an interview with Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Emma Ríos regarding the upcoming release of her graphic novel, Anzuelo, with Image Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Ríos about her creative process in bringing this impactful dystopian story to life on the page, the conversations that she hopes the story may inspire, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Anzuelo! What can you share with us about the premise of this dystopian story?
Emma Ríos: Thank you! After spending all this time emotionally invested in the book, I still find it hard to believe it’s finally happening.
In Anzuelo the tide rises and absorbs the world, altering a lot of things. Three kids meet by the shore as survivors. The trauma of losing all the social constructs they used to live with strengthens a bond that helps them hold up and on to their resolve of not hurting any living being.
BD: In balancing the writing and illustrative work, how would you describe your creative process in bringing this world and characters to life, and did you find that the story diverged at all from your initial vision for it?
ER: The story diverged quite a bit from the original idea, which was a more traditional sea-horror story on a boat, that would dive into the crew relationships in the little space they had to share; however, it turned into this melancholic environmental-horror one where I indulged myself with, regardless of the page count. Such freedom made me seek a pacing that could feel contemplative, keeping most of the writing in the wide visuals, and the giveaways of information within the boundaries of the characters’ own knowledge.
Of course, the sound is just as vital, so I also asked my dear friend David Brothers to be my editor and help me keep a nice balance between the poetic and natural feel of it, as well as refining anything that might have slipped under the radar because I write in a second language. It was a gift to have him accompanying me all the journey.
BD: Your detailing of sea life and its growth is breathtaking. What can you tell us about any research that may have been involved in the project to encapsulate this aspect of the story?
ER: I ended up sailing several times, thinking of this story. One of the things that fascinated me from those trips was the deep sense of solitude in open waters, despite sharing space with 12 people in a 30-meter-long schooner. Looking around with no land in sight may be overwhelming to some, but to me, along with the boat swing and the wood-cracking sounds, it makes me feel at peace.
I ended up getting pretty close to a Galician NGO called CEMMA, dedicated to the study and divulgation of marine mammals and sea turtles in our coast, as well as to carry out the stranding network and the rehab of injured animals. I’ve also collaborated with GT Atlantic Orca who work for the conservation of a subpopulation in danger in the Iberian Peninsula, that includes the beloved Gladys.
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 Anzuelo’s story may connect with and impact readers, and what – if any – conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
ER: I think people get touched by different things, and it’s difficult to figure out whether or not they will be willing to go with the ideas that I think make the book emotional. But it would be really nice if the book suggested a reflection on how violence is always bestowed in situations of stress, while having other resources more effective for our own self-preservation as species, like compassion or perseverance.
More and more, we get rather indifferent to dreadful things thrown at us on a daily basis. I believe that a more candid abstraction helps put things that one should not take for granted in perspective.
BD: For those who may have enjoyed the themes present in your story, are there any other projects that you might recommend that they explore?
ER: I have a list at the end of the book, but to mention a couple here, for Sea lovers I’d go for Children of the Sea, a manga by Daisuke Igarashi that renders the mystery of the depths better than anyone I’ve ever seen, as well as Philip Hoare’s Leviathan or The Whale, a very poetic historical approach to our relationship with the Sea from the perspective of someone utterly in love with the creatures within. In addition, for existential struggle, I’d recommend an essay called The Last Messiah by Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe exploring how empathy makes our vulnerability as a species unique and precious.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Anzuelo and your other work?
ER: You can find information about Anzuelo on the press note on the Image site, as well as on the distribution main page for the book here.
There’s also an animated trailer for the book that almost works as an anime opening for it: ANZUELO Trailer – Emma Rios. It’s hand-drawn and hand-animated in watercolors. I worked with my friend and amazing cartoonist and animator Luis Yang and with composer Fingerspit for two months to get that minute done. ha ha.
My personal website is belugaskin.com. You can find details of my other books there and also on my page on the Image site. I’m @emmartian on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram, as well.
