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This month, my column will feature a series of interviews with comic book artists and creators going to STAPLE! THE INDEPENDENT MEDIA EXPO (Saturday, March 3rd). Staple is an annual event in Austin Texas to promote independent creative media: comics, art, animation, and self-published literature.  In its third year, Staple is the must-attend convention for any self-respecting fan of indie comics.

Danielle Corsetto is the creator of the popular webcomic Girls with Slingshots, updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This comic strip follows the humorous exploits of Hazel and Jamie and their friends.

Girls with Slingshots is one of my favorite webcomics. At what point (for you), did Girls with Slingshots really take off?

CORSETTO: Why thank you! I’d just started GWS a few months after I graduated college, and about six strips in I get a phone call from a talent scout at Marvel. She’s not talking Marvel, though; she’s talking about a new lisencing company that’s interested in signing with GWS. That was when it really took off for me, because all of a sudden I felt like I was getting noticed.

I signed on with 360ep in early 2005, and while the contract never lead to much, the folks there really gave me the encouragement and enthusiasm I craved. Add dozens of pieces of fanmail a week, and you’ve got yourself one excited creator!

I feel like I hit a bit of a lull at the end of 2006, but lately I’ve been getting really excited about the strip again. Something about 2007 seems to have boosted the energy of a lot of webcomic creators for whatever reason—I feel like I’m gonna dominate this year!

You have mentioned that Jamie and Hazel bare some similarities to you. How have these characters changed since you started Girls with Slingshots?

CORSETTO: Funny you should ask; I went over the entire collection the other day, and noticed that Hazel was MUCH nicer and Jamie was MUCH more grounded in earlier strips.

I think at first I was putting too much of myself into both characters. Now I’ve sort of divvied up certain qualities between them. Hazel really represents the cynical, stubborn side of me, while Jamie resembles me when I’m in the best mood in the whole world. I could boil it down to drunk terms: Jamie is me when I drink socially, Hazel is me when I drink alone. Oh wow, I sound like a prime candidate for an AA meeting.

The girls really created themselves over time. After awhile, I felt like I didn’t even need to write the strips. I’d just pick a direction, and they’d write it themselves. Yeeeeaaah, I don’t sound psycho, do I?

Have there been any storylines or joke ideas, which you had to abandon because you thought it was too vulgar or crass, or does that
only make you want to do it more?

CORSETTO: I admit that I keep in mind my mother when I write. The other day I got my usual Wednesday night phone call from her, which began, “Are you free to talk, or are you TOO BUSY WRITING YOUR X-RATED COMIC STRIP?? “

If I’m going too heavy on the sex stuff, I eventually cool it down so I don’t get coal in my stocking next time I come home for Christmas. Reminding myself that my mom is an avid reader has actually been a huge help, keeping the strip balanced between cover-your-ears sex stuff, and silly girl moments or a ridiculous McPedro strip.

I don’t think I’ve abandoned an idea yet; I’m in the middle of writing one that COULD have been extremely crass, but I’m just going to tame it down enough that hopefully my mom won’t even get it. “But what did he EAT? I don’t get it… “

What are you bringing to Staple this year for attendees to purchase?

CORSETTO: I have something new! I’m finally working on a sketchbook collection, which will have about 80 pages of stuff from my sketchbook, along with some sketch art & behind-the-scenes stuff from Girls With Slingshots at the back. I’m going to work on a collection of photos after that, but I don’t think it’ll be finished in time for Staple.

As always, I’ll be doing convention sketches, and I’ll also have copies of me and Jim Dougan’s book Crazy Papers that came out last year.

You are a returning Staple guest. What do you enjoy most about small press conventions like this?

CORSETTO: This show surprises me each year! I love the guests, I love meeting new people and seeing their wonderful art, and I love Austin! I have several friends in Texas who I get to visit when I do this show, and this time I’m planning a quick trip to San Antonio.

Small press shows are usually not my bag, to be honest—the attendees often roll their eyes at spending more than a dollar for something, or they’re just there to browse. But somehow I made enough money at Staple last year to pay for the plane tickets, which is really saying something! Getting to meet Paige Braddock was among the highlights of last year, and Jim Mahfood is one of my idols—like I said, great guests. Not to mention, at most small press gigs I feel like I don’t fit in—most of the creators do wild, artsy work with abstract stories, no humor—while bigger shows are too mainstream for me. Staple makes me feel right at home.

Check out Danielle’s Girls with Slingshots.

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