It really feels like the start of our modern society and it fits in well with the story’s themes about change and accepting new ways of thinking,” Wang told us.įor those of us who aren’t cartoonists, the idea of creating an entire graphic novel on our own is hard to comprehend, so I asked her to explain her process from concept to page.
The first department stores are being built and public transportation is popping up around these shopping centers, making it easier, especially for women, to travel around urban centers. On the other hand, technology is changing and mass production is creating this new middle class.
It’s a super interesting time because on one hand everything looks like it’s part of the old world where you have horse drawn carriages, super restrictive clothing for women, and really obvious class distinctions. “I did a lot of research into the time period, late 19th century France. The book has an immersive period setting which was intrinsic to the story she was trying to tell. I’d also been wanting to do a very Disney-esque fairy tale about gender for a long time so it all came together,” Wang explained. Then one day I was watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and thought, ‘Oh! Of course!’ Everything snowballed from there. I thought about everything from cosplay to historical reenactments, etc, but nothing seemed to click. “For a long time I had an idea to make a story about a character whose superpower was sewing outfits that would transform the wearer. For the cartoonist, it was a story she’d been longing to tell. With The Prince and the Dressmaker, Wang has created an unique and thoroughly modern fairytale. “I’ve made a couple YA graphic novels! I’ve been drawing comics since high school and I’m very lucky this is something I get to do with my life,” she enthused. Wang is no stranger to creating comics, having already released two other graphic novels. To celebrate the book’s upcoming release from First Second Books, Wang talked with Nerdist about creating comics, writing about your lived experience, and creating gorgeous fantasy worlds. I was lucky enough to read her sumptuous new book, The Prince and the Dressmaker, which tells the tale of the friendship between a young prince who spends his nights escaping his palace in daring gowns and the young seamstress who makes those dresses for him. She’s also one of the minds behind the gorgeous and inclusive celebration of comics, Comic Arts LA, an annual convention held in the city. Jen Wang is a cartoonist/author living in Los Angeles.
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