First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Robin Ha, I am a Korean American cartoonist based in Virginia. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States when I was fourteen. I grew up reading and drawing comics and continued to pursue art after I moved to the States. I am the author of an award-winning graphic novel memoir, Almost American Girl, and a NYT bestselling cookbook, Cook Korean!: A Comic Book With Recipes. My newest graphic novel is The Fox Maidens, released in February of this year.

What can you tell us about your latest project, The Fox Maidens? What was the inspiration behind this book?

The Fox Maidens is inspired by many of the Korean Comics (Manhwa) I read as a kid in Korea, as well as the TV shows that I watched in the 80’s and 90’s in Korea. I loved watching K-Dramas set in the Joseon period because I was fascinated by the costumes and martial arts…etc. There was a show called, ‘The Home Town of Folklore’ which retold a Korean traditional ghost story that was one of my favorite shows. I also watched a lot of Chinese martial arts movies which were very popular in Korea back then. All of these movies and comics I grew up with definitely had an impact on me and led me to make this book.

The Fox Maidens is a LGBTQ+ reimaging of the gumiho (nine-tailed fox) from Korean mythology. What led you to explore this creature, and center a queer narrative around it?

Gumiho is one of my favorite characters in Korean Folklore. I’ve always been more drawn to the villains in fairy tales than the heroines. I felt that Gumiho had a lot more to give than being just a one-dimensional demon, or a love-sick, wanna-be-human character, tropes that were prevalent in Korean traditional folktales. I wanted to explore her backstory, and make her a complex character that embodies both good and evil and has her own desires and agency.

I was also pretty sick of the gender dynamics in most of fairy tales around the world. I wanted to break the stereotype of female characters who are subservient and only get rewarded for what they do for other male characters, usually their fathers or their love interests. I also wanted to show that love is love no matter what gender the characters are. The way Kai pursues Sura, and trying to cook and clean for her without wanting to be thanked for her domestic labor in the later part of the book is a trope that I see in many folktales. I had a lot of problems of this trope growing up- that it is always the female characters who do these domestic labors, as if that is something that they are expected to do, or all that they can do, while I haven’t seen a single male character doing these chores. This is very much reflected in the gender dynamic in the Korean society. But also, I think doing something nice for person you love because you want to make them happy, without expecting anything in return is a very nice, pure gesture. So I wanted to play around with these gender stereotypes in folktales in my story.

Did you have to undertake any research for this project? Were there any resources that were helpful (i.e. films, books, etc.)?

I knew generally what the social structure of the Joseon dynasty was like already. And I wasn’t going to use any particular historical figure in my story. So most of my research was about visuals. Since this is historical fiction, I had to collect a lot of references for the architecture and costumes. I watched a lot of K-Dramas set in the Joseon period (All for the research! ;P) and also bought some books on Hanbok (Korean Traditional Dress) and did research online.

As a creator, what drew you to the art of storytelling, particularly the comics/graphic novel medium?

I have been an avid reader of comics since I was old enough to read. I can’t remember the time that I wasn’t into comics so it’s difficult to tell what really drew me in. I think I was first fascinated by the illustration. Korean comics are pretty similar to Manga stylistically. I thought the characters were pretty. Comics were and still are very popular in Korea, and everyone from children to adults read comics. So it was just always around me.

Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?

Most of the Korean comics I grew up reading featured characters that weren’t like me at all. I read comics mainly for escapism. The more different the characters and setting were from my real life, the better it was for me. A lot of Korean comics featured characters who were not Korean, and were set in different counties like America, Europe, or China, or on an alien planet for sci-fi. When I moved to the States, I didn’t see any American Comics that featured Asian Characters, until probably in the early 2000’s. I knew there were some Asian Characters in the mainstream comics, who were basically side characters, and never the main protagonist. But that all changed with comics like American Born Chinese and Persepolis. Now there are so many comics about Asian American teenagers which is so great to see.

But whether or not the characters are directly reflecting my personal experience didn’t really matter in how much I enjoyed the book. One of my favorite comics growing up was The Rose of Versailles by Ikeda Riyoko, which was set during the French Revolution, and all of the characters were French. But I was deeply drawn to the main character, Oscar, the gender-bending heroine with a strong moral compass.  

How would you describe your general creative process?

I always start with writing down my story ideas. It’s much easier to edit writing than drawing. So I spend a lot of time developing my synopsis so I know how the story will develop. And I make character sketches as I write. Once I am happy with the story, then I’ll move on to thumbnailing and work out the specific dialogues and captions there. Then the final stage is drawing and executing the finished artwork.

As an author, who or what would you say are some of your greatest artistic and creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

I am huge fan of Studio Ghibli. I think their films and stories have great influences on me. There are many Korean comics creators whom I was obsessed with growing up: Shin Il Sook, Lee Mira, Won Soo Hyun, Kang Kyung Ok to name a few. For American cartoonists, I love the work of Mike Mignola, David Mazzucchelli and too many others to name.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing/illustrating? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?

The part that I love the most is also the most challenging, which is the thumbnailing/ layout. I think this is where an idea/writing becomes comics. There are millions of different ways to draw a story, and you have to figure what works the best visually for your story. It is very challenging but also rewarding when you do figure it out. In my mind, when I am done with thumbnailing, the work is basically done, and the fun part is over. I don’t really enjoy the rest of the work of drawing/ finishing the comics because it becomes boring for me.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I am a pretty introverted person, and I feel like people already know a lot about me because I wrote a memoir. I would like people to know that I am a person of many different interests like any other person in the world.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

What book am I reading?- I am reading Green Frog by Gina Chung. It’s a short story collection and I am really enjoying it!

What advice might you have to give for other aspiring creatives/ graphic novelists?

I would tell them to read voraciously, and read all kinds of books and comics. Also, I would recommend making short, one or two page comics before you set out to make a longer comics. Comics takes a long time to make, and it’s good idea to experiment and learn to finish your work with shorter projects before you tackle a graphic novel.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I am working on several exciting projects right now. I am not able to talk about them yet, but I hope I’ll be able to soon. So stay tuned!

Finally, what books/comics/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

I would recommend “Asterios Polyp” by David Mazzucchelli if you are an aspiring cartoonist. I think it’s one of the greatest example of using the comics medium in a super creative way. I would also recommend “Miss Don’t Touch Me” by Hubert and Kerascoet, it is a hoot!

---

Header Photo Credit Farrah Skeiky