Destiny//Career Interview with Amy Ganter

Career Interview with Amy Ganter by Lynn Le

What happens when you start a manga? Do they give you an outline and deadlines? Do you have assistants to help with toning? Do you need a computer to work? Is there a specific procedure?

I make my own story outline and deadlines, then show them to my editor for approval. At first I didn't have any assistants but I had the help of several volunteers at the end of production for the final crunch. There is no specific procedure, Tokyopop doesn't care how you make it as long as the final product is ready for printing. I use a computer, but you don't necessarily need one to make comics.

Where do you work? In a Tokyopop office, or at home? Where did you work before your current job? What's it like working for Tokyopop?

I worked at home for most of Sorcerers & Secretaries, but now I work in a shared artist space with my husband (another graphic novelist), a concept artist for film, a computer programmer, and a gallery owner. Before doing my own comics, I worked at Barnes & Nobles, as a receptionist for a graphic design firm, as an English tutor, and an animator/character designer for a company called Gamelab.

Working with Tokyopop was okay, they mean well and are truly doing the best they can. The difficulty is that many publishers including them are new to producing graphic novels. All this time Tokyopop has been translating work that has already been finished, so the artists and the publisher here in the states have to work together to build an industry that is fair to both.

How long does it take you to create one chapter, or volume, or series? How long did it take you to become published, and how long did it take to publish a manga?

It takes me a month and a half to do one chapter, a year and a half for a volume, and three years for both books in my "series". I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan with my cartooning degree in 2002, and got my publishing deal in 2004.

How did you choose your career? What influenced you? Did you have any idols and were they the ones who influenced you?

I decided to be a comic book artist when I fell in love with comics, sometime when I was 11 or so. I wasn't sure what format until I was in the middle of college and met other girls who liked manga when they were in high school, like me. Rumiko Takahashi and Hayao Miyazaki are my comic book idols, but I draw all my writing influences from movies and books that I love. I chose to do comics more because of family and friends than because of the artists I admire, though.

What paths, education, and experiences did you have to be in this career? How long did it take for you to get the job you wanted?

(See two questions above for answer)

What classes did you take in college, and which college did you go to?

Most of my classes at SVA were figure drawing and sequential storytelling classes. But my most valuable experiences were in fine art classes, Latin American fiction, Arthurian literature, and storytelling for animation/film classes.

What challenges did you face in getting to this career? Were there any obstacles? What pushed you forward or motivated you?

How hard is it, being a manga-ka? Does it take a lot of time and effort? What influences the manga you make?

…Does it pay good, great, enough to live, or not enough?…

Do you have any advice for me, if I were to apply for a job at Tokyopop in the future?

Friends and family's love motivated me to keep going, as well as readers from the internet. It's very difficult to stick to it when your work only comes out once every two years or so. Imagine locking yourself in a room and trying to fantasize about one story for a whole year. That's the reality of making "manga" in America right now. The industry is still too new to truly support comic artists and no one can pay them a living wage because not enough people buy comics made by Americans. Tokyopop calls it manga, but it isn't really manga. The system of production is nothing like manga, it's like graphic novels and comics. If you were to apply to Tokyopop, I'd say don't go in imagining that you'll be making something like Inuyasha or Naruto. Barely anyone will see your book and it won't happen on the scale of Naruto or Inuyasha unless there's a movie or tv show tie-in, and the chances of that happening are truly slim. You'll have to get a second job, find some other source of income, or live with your parents while you make the books. This is the reality of the comics industry right now. If you want to grow up and draw "manga" in America, you have to look at the history of comics in America first because you'll be working with people that are familiar with production methods of comics and graphic novels, not manga.

Having that said I love what I do and I'll definitely keep working at it. As an artist, comics is one of the only mediums where you can have the freedom to show and tell exactly what you want, but they're incredibly difficult and take a lot of energy, patience, stamina, humility, and imagination to compete and stay in the public's eye. Because I worked very, very hard for three years on Sorcerers & Secretaries, I now can afford a little more in terms of creative control, social life, and workspace. I'm never alone these days because of the new studio space, and I have an agent now that helps me work out contract negotiations with publishers. But I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for hard work and friends I've met over the years who are going through the same thing.

Do you think you can map out my life? Can I make my dreams come true…?

You're the one that will have to map out your own life. Think about what you truly want to achieve in life, and go for it all the way! The comics/manga/graphic novel/whatever industry in America is kind of difficult, but it'll never change if artists aren't there to create the material. Hopefully by the time you're my age, things will be easier for you.

My Reflection

I really learned a lot from this interview, even though in some parts I’m still confused, and some things I already knew. But she told me: some things I’ll have to experience for myself if I want to find the answer to my questions. She may have skipped over some questions, but those words kind of answer it all.