Comics Alternative Interviews: Leela Corman

What this episode covers

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:07 - Setup of interview 00:03:01 - Interview with Leela Corman 01:06:25 - Wrap up 01:07:25 - Contact us On this interview show, Andy and Derek have the pleasure of talking with Leela Corman. Her latest book, We All Wish for Deadly Force, was just recently released by Retrofit/Big Planet Comics, and it's a collection of shorter comics spanning a wide range of topic and tone. These pieces have previously appeared in such publications as The Nib, Tablet, Women's Review of Books, and Nautilus, and the guys begin by asking Leela about her work with these magazines. As both Derek and Andy point out, the comics in this collection fall into one of three main (and, at times, interconnected) categories: stories addressing the loss of her first daughter, Rosalie; those focusing on Leela's family and her Jewish roots; and tales involving bellydancing, one of Leela's passions. Indeed, the loss of Rosalie arguably pervades this entire collection in some form or another -- see the guys' earlier interview with Leela's husband Tom Hart for more on this topic -- and the guys talk with Leela about the role that art can play in dealing with trauma. But there are also lighter moments in this collection, such as the occasional comedy found in Leela's Jewishness as well as her exercise in live drawing the Eurovision song contest. The guys also take the opportunity to talk with their guest about her earlier works, such as Unterzakhn and Queen's Day, and her upcoming fictional narrative set in the 1940s.

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