The following is an interview with award-winning creator Mel Gillman (As the Crow Flies) regarding the recent launch of their Kickstarter campaign for the graphic novel, The Goblin Throne, in association with Iron Circus Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Gillman about their creative process in bringing the dark sapphic fairytale to life on the page, the exciting backer rewards available to supporters of the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the launch of your crowdfunding campaign for The Goblin Throne! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this dark sapphic fairytale, and how would you describe its premise?
Mel Gillman: The Goblin Throne is a three-part adult lesbian horror-romance graphic novel, told from three different perspectives. It’s about a kid finding out his mom broke a bargain with the queen of the goblins, promising her a firstborn, then eloping before the queen could collect; and it’s about that mom, who entered into a bargain with an alluring monster without being prepared for the consequences that would follow; and it’s about being an alluring monster who gets your heart unceremoniously broken by a mortal woman, and the harm you’re capable of when you’ve been wronged.
BD: When approaching a project like The Goblin Throne, is there anything that specifically guides or propels your approach to each new character and the overall design of the world?
MG: For me it’s a little different for every book, but in this case, I’m gonna say pleasure and self-indulgence was a big driving force! This is horny, messy, nasty book, and I tried to fully embrace that with every creative decision I made.
BD: Having previously published with Iron Circus (for your award-winning graphic novel, As the Crow Flies), what makes the publisher the ideal collaborator for your work?
MG: Iron Circus is a publisher that’s not afraid to take risks on weird books – the kinds of stories that haven’t already proven themselves over and over again in the market, or that don’t a lot of comparable titles out there in the wider publishing world. Iron Circus has also never shied away from queer literature for adults, or webcomics that can be read for free online, or graphic novels with sex in them. The Goblin Throne exists at the exact center of that Venn diagram, and not every publisher would be okay with that!
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums – no matter the genre. How do you feel that The Goblin Throne‘s story may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
MG: This is a gross, complicated, ugly horror-romance comic for middle-aged sapphics. It’s a story I drew for anyone who’s gonna look at a blood-soaked, one-eyed, scraggly-haired goblin woman and go – yeah, would. We’re in a cultural moment where a lot of mainstream publishers have finally gotten on board with clean, uplifting, feel-good queer literature – which is, of course, a good thing – but to be honest, that’s not what this book is. This book is a big greasy dinner for queers who are HUNGRY.
BD: In light of the Kickstarter campaign, are there any specific backer reward tiers that you are most excited to share?
MG: One of the cool rewards is original art pages from the book! The Goblin Throne is drawn entirely in colored pencil, which is a bit of an unusual medium in comics. I almost never sell original pages, so this is a pretty rare chance to get one!
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MG: If you like original queer fairy tales, you might also like Other Ever Afters – an anthology of original queer fairy tale comics, published by Random House Graphic! The stories in Other Ever Afters are much, much gentler and sweeter than The Goblin Throne, but there’s a lot of shared themes between the two books, and a similar visual art style.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about The Goblin Throne and to support your Kickstarter campaign?
MG: You can check out the Kickstarter campaign here!
