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Interview: Ivy Noelle Weir and Christina “Steenz” Stewart, Creators of Archival Quality

It wasn’t too long ago that we reviewed the graphic novel Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir and Christina “Steenz” Stewart. Monster Librarian reached out to the creators, both professionally qualified librarians, through reviewer Lizzy Walker. Check out their interview, read our review, and then get your library card and check out Archival Quality!

 

Interview with Christina “Steenz” Stewart and Ivy Noelle Weir 

 

Christina

Christina “Steenz” Stewart

 

 

 

 

LW: Tell Monster Librarian readers about yourselves.

CS: My name is Steenz! It’s short for Christina. I work at Lion Forge as the social media and community manager. I used to be a manager of a comic shop and a comics focused librarian. I live with my fiancé Keya and my cat Marko. We are currently going through Arnold Schwarznegger’s entire filmography.

 

Ivy Noelle Weir

Ivy Noelle Weir

 

IW: I’m Ivy Noelle Weir, I’m a writer and an MLS-holding former librarian who now works in book publishing.

LW: What attracted you to working on this book?

CS: We became friends through The Valkyries. As I moved on to working in a library after comics retail, I reached out to Ivy to talk about the switch. And then we just started talking every day, every hour, from morning till night and became besties. It was soon after best friend status Ivy asked if I wanted to illustrate a webcomic with her and of course since I’d been itching to do a longform story for so long, I said yes! Also, the story is really good, so I was 100% on board after reading her summary.

IW: As Steenz said, we met in The Valkyries, and I just immediately loved her art from the moment I saw it. There’s a liveliness to Steenz’s art, her expressions are so lifelike and fun. I knew I wanted to work on something with her.

LW: What inspired you to create Archival Quality?

IW: It’s sort of a long story. I did my undergraduate studies in photography, and I became really fascinated by 19th century medical photography, and the ethics surrounding it. I took an internship in a historical medical archive, where I was working closely with images all day that were, to put it mildly, somewhat disturbing, but also deeply sad, isolating, lonely. While I was working there, I fell deeper and deeper into considering the ethics of archiving, what we preserve, and if it consents to being preserved. So, I started writing a ghost story about the ghost of an object in an archive, who doesn’t consent to being archived. Eventually, this turned from a prose novel to a comic script when I met Steenz, and now here we are.

Image from Archival QualityLW: Why did you choose to frame Archival Quality as a ghost story? What drew (ha) you to the horror genre? Are you a horror fan? Why or why not? Do you have recommendations for similar material?

CS: I’m ALL ABOUT horror. I love being scared. There’s something thrilling about watching a film and feeling uneasy afterwards. It’s kind of like a high. I recommend the Poughkeepsie Tapes if you don’t want to sleep for like two nights and Housebound if you’re looking for humorous horror.

IW: I’m a big ol’ horror nerd, and I always have been. I particularly love ghosts and haunted houses – I think they represent so much more than jump scares, they can be this pensive consideration of memory and trauma. The biggest influences on this story were Guillermo Del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone, Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. I think Jackson’s book in particular blends the concepts of the highly personal with horror in a really fantastic way.

LW: You tackle the subject of mental illness and care very delicately, while at the same time head on. How did you manage to craft such a powerful narrative and equally powerful artwork for this story?

CS: I think when it comes to the art, I read the story… and knowing Ivy as a person, I felt like I had a good idea of what she was looking for in terms of style. We were on the same page when it came to aesthetics for this story. A shared Pinterest helped me a lot. Also knowing that Ivy trusted me entirely with the design of the book and characters let me stretch my world building muscles.

IW: For the story, it was very important to me to show a realistic portrayal of mental illness as it exists for one person. I think when you try to generalize, and make a narrative that fits everyone, or has a “happy” ending where someone is cured or “fixed”, you come up with something that I don’t feel is as genuine or effecting. Depression doesn’t always mean being beautifully sad. Sometimes it means being a jerk to the people around you because you feel out of your own control. I know some people won’t relate to Cel – and I think that’s okay. Depression looks different on everyone, and everyone’s path to helping themselves is doing to be different, too. It was important to me to show someone who struggles with the concept of getting help, because I think a lot of people who struggle with their mental health can relate to that feeling.

LW: Are there any plans or desire to further develop Celine’s story?

CS: I think Celine’s story is done. Celeste on the other hand could have many more adventures and continued growth. But I think we both want to take a break from the world of AQ for a little bit before getting into that.

IW: No, I think she’s got what she needed.

LW: Steenz, your artwork is so unique. I particularly love Holly’s character design! I also follow you on Facebook and adore your kung fu poses. How did you achieve your art style? What tools do you use for your work?  

CS: Thank you! I think when you’re learning to draw you subconsciously create your own style by fusing your interests with what your muscles naturally want you to do. I love Chris Sanders, Rebecca Sugar, and similar works. So, you can see the inspiration, but my style peeks through. I use a WACOM Cintiq, Manga Studio, and Photoshop. I’m hoping to get an IPad soon because all of my other comics friends has one and I’M HORRIBLY JEALOUS. Also, being able to work away from the desk is an amazing idea.

LW: Why should new graphic novel readers seek this out?

CS: Ivy and I both love reading works that aren’t just graphic novels. So, I think our work shows that. It has elements of cartoons, manga, and YA novels. So, if you like those things, there’s no way you won’t like Archival Quality.

IW: I think if you’re interested in haunted house tales, we’ve done something unique here in regard to the genre. And like Steenz said, we both brought techniques from a lot of the other media we consume to this book.

LW: Why should libraries be interested in Archival Quality?

CS: Well, we used to be librarians. And once a librarian, always a librarian. Support the homies, yanno?

IW: I think books that discuss the ethics of librarianship and archives in a conversational way are few and far between, and I hope Archival Quality offers libraries a way to engage with the topic while also getting spooked.

LW: What are some of your favorite books/graphic novels?

CS: Novels: The Lunar Chronicles, Six of Crows; Graphic Novels: Extremity, Daytripper, This One Summer, Batman: Detective Comics, Ms. Marvel, etc. I could go on for a really long time, but those came to my head first. Webcomics: On A Sunbeam, Agents of The Realm, Star Trip, Witchy

 

IW: Well, my favorite book is the previously mentioned The Haunting of Hill House. I just finished Night Film by Marissa Pessl and really enjoyed it. As for comics, I read pretty widely: I’m a big fan of Hellboy, Saga, Wicked + Divine…I also read a lot of manga – I’m loving The Girl from the Other Side right now.

LW: What other work have you done, separately or together?

CS: We’ve done work for anthologies together. Separately I’ve done work for the MINE! Anthology for Planned Parenthood and the ELEMENTS: Fire Anthology.

IW: We had a short story come out this month in Action Lab’s Princeless Charity Anthology!

LW: What else would you like librarians and readers to know about you?

CS: I tell everyone this, but GET A LIBRARY CARD. Also, I’ve spent many, many, many hours in libraries and I can guarantee you 100% that this is a book that you will want to curl up in a corner of your local library and read from beginning to end.

IW: I second Steenz’s urging for readers to get a library card. Libraries serve so many roles in their communities; your support is integral!

LW: What’s next for the amazing Ivy/Steenz team? 

CS: We’re working on a pitch for another book! Can’t say much other than that. So, GET READY.

IW: We’re working on something new! Which I should really get back to writing.

Posted on June 21, 2018 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir, art by Christina “Steenz” Stewart

Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir, art by Christina “Steenz” Stewart

Oni Press, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781620104705

Available:  Paperback

 

After losing her job at the library due to her failing mental health, Celeste “Cel” Walden lands an archivist job at the Logan Museum, previously a sanitarium. The position, she finds out quickly, is a bit odd. She is required to live on site, keep strange hours, and work with a secretive supervisor, among other things. There are also mysterious noises that can be heard through the vast halls at night, making the environment creepier than it is during daylight hours. Cel also experiences losing time, strange and unsettling dreams, and fainting. She can’t afford to lose this job: how is she going to cope with the strange goings-on that are occurring around her? Who is the mysterious girl, Celine, haunting Cel’s dreams, and eventually, her waking hours?

Cel’s fear and apprehension of mental health treatment, and the stigma that is attached therein, resonated with me. Between losing her beloved library position as a result of her failing mental health and what she “sees” of Celine’s experiences in the sanitarium, Cel’s experiences provide a lens for viewing the history of mental health care, particularly for young women. I had my own negative experience with the mental health care system, so I understand fully Cel’s apprehension. I think Weir has captured that fear well in this book. While there is much good that mental health care can do for those who need it,  it’s difficult to trust it when you have had a potentially harmful experience. Compound that with the stigma placed on those who cope with mental health issues, and it is perfectly understandable why Cel’s reaction is appropriate to the character. Even as her boyfriend Kyle and others try to reassure her, she still struggles, sometimes to the point of falling into cyclical logic that tells her she is broken. For me, Cel was extremely relatable.

While Archival Quality isn’t strictly horror, it has the elements of a fantastic ghost story. It would be a great book for YA and adults alike. Since it is set in an archive, I think archivists and fellow librarians would be interested in this book just for the setting. Steenz provides fantastic artwork to Weir’s story. It’s simplistic and colorful, while not being overpowering. I particularly love the depiction of Cel’s supervisor Holly and her style. Steenz and Weir make a wonderful creative team, and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future. Recommended.

 

Stay tuned for an interview with the creators of Archival Quality!

 

Contains: references to mental health and outdated, harmful practices/”cures” previously used in mental health treatment.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on April 12, 2018 by , 1 comment

Musings: I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora


I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora
Square Fish, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1250068088
Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

I will preface this by saying it is not horror. It is, however, an amazing middle school/YA title that book lovers of all ages ought to know about, and I personally loved it.

I Kill the Mockingbird  examines the effects of hope, love, grief, and literature on the lives of three teenagers who decide to become literary saboteurs as a tribute to their recently deceased English teacher, Fat Bob, who intended to assign just one book(his favorite) as summer reading: To Kill a Mockingbird. Lucy, Michael, and Elena are best friends and book lovers looking forward to summer reading, but as school lets out, the other students are unenthusiastic. Lucy devises a plan to get people reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and enlists Michael and Elena to help. The three of them decide to secretly create and publicize a conspiracy to make it impossible to find a copy of the book, traveling by bus to libraries and bookstores to hide all copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, and leaving flyers behind that advertise a website they’ve built to create buzz about their conspiracy. Taking advantage of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media channels, their little conspiracy rockets out of control as they build a following all over the country, with copycats hiding the book in other communities and demand for copies of To Kill a Mockingbird rising. Lucy’s summer also involves more personal grief, uncertainty, and growth, as she deals with her feelings when her mother returns home after a protracted and nearly fatal battle with cancer and considers whether she’s willing to risk her friendship with Michael by taking it a step further.

It’s wonderful to see how the lives and families of these three friends are so integrated and familiar with each other, and to see how independent and motivated these kids are, in a world where relationships seem to be fragmented by distance, overscheduling, and social media. And as a book lover, and someone who really believes in getting people (and especially kids) engaged in reading, this was an absolute joy to me. While the plot is well-paced, and the book is a quick read, books, reading, and discussions of the ideas in books (and especially in To Kill a Mockingbird) also have a major role. However, while these are integral, they are not didactic– exactly the kind of thing you would hope to see in the lives of book-loving teens and their families. Near the end of the book there is also a really fascinating part where the characters debate whether burning books, even library rejects, is ever acceptable. The practical application of this is never tested, though, leaving us to struggle with our own answer to that question.

The characters were complicated and enjoyable, the plot was original, and the story of these three teens as they grow and change, and change the world, during the summer between the end of middle school and the beginning of high school, just lifted my heart. I Kill the Mockingbird is a thoughtful, funny, sad, and inspiring book that offers no easy answers, and just might make you crack open a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird yourself.

As a final note, the publisher suggests this as an appropriate book for ages 10-14. On its own, I agree that this is appropriate for this age group, and would include older teens as well. However, I can see this book inspiring kids to try To Kill a Mockingbird, and some 10 year olds are still in fourth grade. Even Fat Bob, the eighth grade teacher in this book, suggests that it can be best read and understood after eighth grade. I suggest that discussion of this would be warranted with elementary aged children interested in taking this further.

Posted on January 14, 2017 by , Reply
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