Random But Organized: An interview with "Emitown"'s Emi Lenox

Though her diary webcomic Emitown has only been available for a year, local cartoonist Emi Lenox already has a publishing deal with Image Comics for a 400-page book of the series, which is expected to be released on October 27th. The comic, which has been compared to Craig Thompson's Blankets for what the artist surmises is her "brushwork and whimsy," is a visual diary of Lenox's life in Portland Oregon, her struggle to start her career in comics, and her hopes for the future.

Speaking with the Portland Comic Books Examiner, Lenox described the circumstances that led to her book: "After Emerald City Comicon, I was hanging out with a bunch of comics people, and I was introduced to Eric Stephenson, Image's publisher. I handed him one of the little books I made to showcase my work, like I had done at my table during the con." Not expecting anything to come of the meeting, Lenox was surprised when friend Jamie S. Rich (Love The Way You Love) called her later to ask if she'd intended the gift as a pitch for her comic. She replied in the affirmative and shortly thereafter, an email arrived from Stephenson expressing interest, which Lenox still professes to be "amazed" about.

Lenox began drawing a sketch diary in high school, finding that the comics medium was able to convey her feelings better than words alone. After a six-year hiatus from drawing, a romantic breakup sent Lenox back to her art. She began to draw Emitown for herself shortly after in order to let out her emotions. Initially intending to get into the production side of comics, Lenox took internships at Top Shelf and Periscope Studio, which resulted in a very full day: "I worked my day job from 6 to 3, then went over to Periscope, then home where I drew my comics and went to bed." When the artists at Periscope and Top Shelf realized that, contrary to her denials, she indeed had a talent for drawing, they encouraged her to put her comics online.

Though her book will reproduce the comics from her website, Lenox is not planning to edit her online work: "Emitown was originally a webcomic, so taking it down out be selling out. I think that the website will attract people to buy the book, and the book will send people to the website to see what's next." She is committed to continuing Emitown online, though she admits she's falling behind due to the work involved in preparing the book for print.

In addition to a year's worth of Emitown entries, the book will include an introduction by Jamie S. Rich, an outro by King City's Brandon Graham, a character cast page, and a playlist for each month listing the song lyrics she quotes. in order to complete the year's worth of material, Lenox will be using comics from the early days of Emitown, but she's steadfastly against redrawing the strips: "That's who I was and how I drew that day. I think it's better to show the progress of my art."

Inspired by the autobiographical comics Blankets (Craig Thompson, "so honest") and Shortcomings (Adrian Tomine), Lenox's art is synthesized from countless sources. She names Becky Cloonan (DEMO, American Virgin) and Craig Thompson as influences for her brushwork, while Adrian Tomine and Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim) inspire her more down-to-earth drawing. O'Malley's Lost At Sea was a revelation to Lenox: "I realized that you don't have to be detailed in your art in order to tell a story." Though she is shy to admit it, she will also include Akira Toriyama's manga in her list when pressed: "I started reading Dragonball at twelve, and I probably get a lot of my potty humor from Dr. Slump."

When asked why she throws herself into an industry that demands so much of her time, she replies simply, "Because I like it." Lenox is still dedicated to continuing Emitown's online story, but she has a number of other projects in the works: "I have a project to pitch to Vertigo, a pitch that Oni Press asked for, and I'm talking with Top Shelf about another project." This third project, which Lenox has been working on for years, was deemed "too dark" for Oni, prompting her to approach another publisher. She plans to participate in this year's 24 Hour Comics Day and also hopes to have several mini-comics completed for upcoming conventions.

"I encourage people to draw every single day. Good things can happen," she says. For Emi Lenox, those good things are just beginning.