First Comics News: How did you get involved with the anthology of “All We Ever Wanted”?
Lucia Fasano: I was working on a story with Tess Fowler for the Image Comics anthology “Where We Live”, and, while working on it, she thought of me for All We Ever Wanted. She called me and I was worried she was going to say, “I’m sorry but I can’t make this”. Instead, she was asking if I’d want to work on a sci-fi story (a dream come true!).
1st: In “All We Ever Wanted” what is the title of your story and what is it all about?
Lucia: My story is called “The Inventor’s Daughter” and it’s about a young woman whose famous inventor mom has passed away and become put on display in a traveling museum. She has to take charge of her grief and break out her mom’s body.
1st: How does your story inspire thoughts of a better tomorrow?
Lucia: A better tomorrow is the backdrop of my story– we see a future where my character’s mother has reversed effects of global warming and helped spur on peace in the world. It’s a world with visionary heroes, where the people feel ownership over those heroes and put them on a pedestal, literally.
1st: Who is the main character and supporting characters in your story in “All We Ever Wanted”?
Lucia: We follow Ariada, the inventor’s daughter. She’s in her twenties and an inventor herself– inventing a neck collar that helps her communicate with her cat, Más. Más is an overly confident cat and her bestie. Ariada’s mother, who passed, was Vera, an iconic inventor superstar.
1st: Why should people read your story in “All We Ever Wanted”?
Lucia: I think my story is exciting and otherworldly while also relatable, personifying the way grief and loss can feel, especially when the person you lose is a beloved public figure or has a relationship with others that is outside of your control.
1st: You have worked with Tess Fowler before what do you think of her art style?
Lucia: Having worked with Tess on Image Comics’ Where We Live anthology, I got to see Tess’ skills at bringing an autobiographical story to life, drawing real people (my family), bringing them to life, and using her intuition to fill in the gaps. She handled flashbacks so well, and each panel is filled with emotion. I knew she would bring incredible style and feeling to this future story.
1st: How does writing songs compare to writing a comic?
Lucia: They both write very differently for me. I don’t outline my songs the way I have to outline a comic script. A song for me doesn’t have to follow any specific structure or chronology– it’s more about the poetry combined with the sound. But a comic script still has to have a story structure to me.
Both of them are storytelling– my songs often tell a story but are laced with metaphor and a punk ethos, while my comic writing is more literal and has a clear narrative. In order to not get too fixated on structure with my comics writing, I try to step back and think of it like a song and bring the vulnerability and interpretive-ness to it, so it doesn’t come out too literal.
The fact that a panel can show one thing and say something completely different lends itself to some real experimentation.
1st: Why were you behind helping to make “Where We Live”?
Lucia: I grew up in Hollywood gun culture (doesn’t seem like a thing, I know), but my dad (who was like my best friend and passed away a few years ago) was in the film industry (he wrote Tombstone, Universal Soldier: The Return, and other films that feature guns), and he hung out with folks in Hollywood that love to shoot, too. It was pretty normal for me. As I grew older I saw guns from different political POVs and that contributed to a divide between my dad and I. He raised me to fear and respect guns, and I came out pretty paranoid about the dangers of the world. When approached to write something about guns and America, my story with my dad was what I was compelled to write about, as I felt it unlocked how I respond to all of these tragedies.
1st: How did you feel when you completed “Radio Silence”?
Lucia: When I completed Radio Silence I felt a sense of catharsis and accomplishment, to finally get down many of the songs I had been writing since moving out on my own. Many of the songs were about the fear of losing my dad and my obsession with mortality. I think the album captured that point in my life really well, and has helped me with my trauma and to move on to new songs and feelings.
1st: Do you prefer webcomics or printed ones and why?
Lucia: I love webcomics but I prefer a sleek, light-weight comic that I can fit in my bag and take out to lunch with me! I used to read a lot more webcomics but the scrolling and clicking can be tedious and leave me on my computer for hours. I love seeing people’s webcomics on Instagram and Twitter now, inaccessible small doses.
1st: Will you be writing more comic books in the near future or would you like to?
Lucia: I would definitely like to and am planning on it! It’s a dream come true. I’ll always draw cartoons and some autobiographical stuff, too.
1st: What has been the most rewarding experience in your career from either writing, music or comedy?
Lucia: It’s still early on in my career, but kickstarting and touring with my first album, Radio Silence, was an experience like no other. And it helped me move on to keep recording in the studio with The Thermals’ Hutch Harris and Summer Cannibals’ Jessica Boudreaux, and brought people into my life that are touched by my songs. That and the publication of Where We Live have been tremendous. They’ve all connected me to people that have been impacted or helped by my art, which is what I want most.
1st: Are you a dog or a cat person?
Lucia: I’m primarily a dog person but I love a good cat, too (as long as they’re cuddly). I’m currently living with one dog and two cats so I can say that I like ’em both.
1st: What would you like to say to all the fans of your work?
Lucia: I’d like to thank them so much– support on Patreon, Twitter, Kickstarter, etc, has really helped me do what I love, even when I’ve had self-doubt. I’d want anyone reading to know that they too can accomplish what they want to, if they believe what they’re doing is worth it, if you just set out to finish something, to do something, then you never know where you’ll end up. I’d also like to say that I have lots more songs and projects to come, so keep an eye out for them!
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