feature Creator Spotlight - Lorry Jamison
In this edition of Creator spotlight, we talk with Lorry Jamison ( they/them ) a creator focused on writing fun queer characters on an adventure! Their current graphic novel "Party Animals" has already garnered rave reviews and we can't wait for their future works!
About Lorry
A Brief background about yourself and how you got into comics.
I’m a non-binary cartoonist in St. Louis, Missouri, where I make all sorts of queer comics and illustrations alongside my very cuddly orange furball, Sunny. I’ve been fascinated by comics ever since I first laid eyes on those Archie Comics Digests in the grocery store and I was learning how to read. While I grew up reading superhero comics, it wasn’t until a Narrative Comics class in college that my passion really transformed. I discovered how inclusive and unique comics could be, especially within independent and small press communities. Seeing comics that resonated with me so deeply made me want to make comics just like those. So I dove headfirst into my drawing table and haven’t paused until writing out this interview!
What are your favourite comic book characters, Indie and/or mainstream?
What are your favourite comic book characters, Indie and/or mainstream?
Ghüs, from Saga! I mean look at that guy! Now I haven’t caught up on Saga since its hiatus, so no spoilers is anything happens to this precious angel.
And then I have to give a special shout-out to Billy and Teddy from the Young Avengers, along with Xavin from the Runaways comic series! Reading these comics as a child became my first experience with queerness in media (especially with Xavin and exploring different gender identities). They really struck a chord with me, and sort of the first sign I realized I was part of the LGBT+ community!
About their Creative Inspirations
What kind of characters excite you in comics?
Y’know, I love any character who shows a real vulnerability on the page, especially if they eschew any logic and are just there. Like I grew up obsessing over Bone, by Jeff Smith. I still have no idea what a Bone creature actually is, but I love those little dudes!
What kind of stories should your audience expect from you?
Heartfelt, humorous, and/or horrifying! My stories are always going to feature these categories in some sort of combination. And no matter the genre, my stories will center around queer characters experiencing fabulous adventures!
What’s the last comic book you read?
Roaming, by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki for my local graphic novel book club (shoutout to Betty’s Books)! Gorgeously written and rendered, with distinct character voices and such unique page layouts. It’s really been inspiring me while I work on my next few comics!
About their recent project
Party Animals is a queer, young adult horror comic that mixes in werewolves, one insane house party, and some surprisingly deep emotions. It’s like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Heartstopper!
How did you develop the concept behind your latest project?
I really wanted to pay homage to my favorite genre, while centering a story around queer characters who usually don’t get that big a spotlight. And as I began to brainstorm, I quickly realized how tongue-in-cheek this story was becoming. So I followed that instinct and created a script mixing in fun and frights, that I really couldn’t wait to draw.
Who else other than you collaborated on the project?
A HUGE shoutout to Fernando Velez, the CEO and publisher of Kraven Comics! He was a huge champion of this story, organized our successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the comic, and has been delightful to work with on my next projects.
How was your experience collaborating with the rest of the team?
Since this was a small operation, I really have to hand it also to my cat, Sunny. He periodically plops down into my lap while I’m drawing for a nice cuddle break, so I don’t stare at my drawing tablet for too long! And he always sits next to me while I’m writing or drawing my comics, so I feel like his general vibe inspires my creativity.
What's your next project, any ideas you're working with?
Party Animals is only the beginning of my comic work with Kraven! This is the first entry in what I’m calling the Nightshade Anthology, where each story will be a spooky self-contained comic. Each story will have a queer teen facing off against not only some maniacal monsters, but some very realistic emotions in the process. There will be a specific monochromatic color to help set the tone of each comic. Right now, I am working on 6 stories total, with an overarching story coming together in ways the readers won’t see coming!
Where can people buy your books?
You can buy my latest comic Party Animals in print at the Kraven Comics website or now digitally through the Zinio library app
Any words for fellow creators?
Don’t wait for permission to create what you want to. Keep writing and drawing and sharing it, and the people who are meant to will find your work and support it. Also, being done is so much better than being perfect. You learn a whole lot more from the entire creative process of starting and finishing a project, rather than never actually finishing something to keep tweaking it.
