Leila del Duca

During my comic adventures, I've had the honor of being on panels with a number of amazing artists, writers, and creators.  Leila del Duca is one of the coolest.  I had the pleasure of interviewing Leila for the site, and what follows is an honest exploration of life and the world of comics.

Me: As a newbie YouTube creator, I want to say that your new vlog videos are pretty darn cool.  Can you talk about your process and inspiration for the videos?  Maybe what you find the most difficult about creating and editing them?

LD: My inspiration stemmed from a few things.  Firstly, I needed something fulfilling to learn and do during my free time in quarantine.  Secondly, I find making vlog-style videos really vulnerable and I thought it would do me good to face and overcome that fear.  Thirdly, I've been suffering from heightened depression and anxiety and suspected that documenting good things happening to me would show myself that life is better than it currently feels.  Lastly, especially with the Helioscope channel, I wanted a way to give back to creatives who want to learn more about comics and the industry but who might never get the chance to intern at our studio.

My process usually starts with filming me doing anything remotely interesting.  Making a dish I've never tried before or organizing my studio space.  I know this stuff isn't interesting to everyone, but the kind of vlogs I watch are usually just people quietly filming their real lives and their processes, and then making comments here and there about what they care about, what they're currently planning to do with their time.  So I decided to do the same and see what happens.  Luckily, the process is really calming to me!  I like making creative choices with framing, then taking chances of deciding what to edit in or leave out.

The most challenging thing so far has been getting used to talking to a camera and then taking a leap in posting to the public.  It feels incredibly unnatural at first, but--as with all skills--I've become more and more comfortable the more I do it.  The more I make the commitment to potentially embarrass myself online by posting these videos, the more fearless I feel.  I've come to think, "Well, if you've embarrassed yourself, you can't take it back now and you may as well accept it.  It's really not a big deal anyway and your friends and family still love you at least!"  It's an exercise in caring less about what others think about me.

Me: That's amazing, and thank you for your honesty here.  I will post a link to your YouTube channel here when I publish this post so people can check it out!  Now, I love that you have been a part of so many cool stories and books.  I've been a fan for a while.  Of course, I know, all of your projects are your favorite, but would you be able to regale us with a cool story about how you landed one of your amazing gigs?

LD: Haha!  Sure!  I'll tell you how I landed the SHUTTER gig because it was so ridiculous to me at the time.  It was New York Comic Con 2012.  I was staying with my gracious friend, Amy Reeder so that I could afford to actually attend the expensive thing.  She had another guest staying with her who happened to be Sophie Campbell.  At the time, Sophie was drawing Glory with Joe Keatinge.  I kept going back to Sophie's table to gratefully rest my feet behind her and Joe's booth, which was where I met Joe.

SHUTTER: Image Comics

I asked if he was looking at portfolios for potential artists to work with.  By this time at the con I was feeling incredibly jaded, once again not finding any viable leads on job opportunities.  I had come to this conversation thinking, "This is it!  If I still don't make any job connection at NYCC this year, I've got to start looking for another career path!"  Joe looked my portfolio over and had a positive response and told me to keep in touch with him about a project he had been planning on doing at Image.  I was thrilled!  This was a great lead, which later turned into a 30-issue series!

But the con wasn't over yet.  On the last day of the con, Steve Orlando (I think this was before Steve's full-time comics gigs where he was a wine seller or something involving wine) had given Joe a small bottle of sample wine.  Being the end of the con, we all needed a drink, but no one had a bottle opener!  Joe borrowed his table neighbor's Swiss army knife and proceeded to break it while trying to open the bottle.  I think the knife owner was pretty miffed because it had been a sentimental gift (sorry!), but in the end, Joe managed to uncork the bottle!  Hooray!  Then we drank wine, toasting our potential series together, and that was the beginning of my big break into comics.

Me: That's very cool.  We often hear of writers, artists, actors...about to give up and then hitting their break.  The hustle pays off!  With that said, the world is making a Leila del Duca action figure.  You get to pick the three accessories it comes with!  What are you picking?

LD: A French press full of coffee, a yoga mat, and my iPad complete with Apple pen!

Me: The coffee is essential.  If one of your projects was going to made into a Hollywood movie, what series would it be?  Most importantly, which band or musician are you selecting to make the soundtrack?  Whom are you taking to the premiere?

LD: I choose my YA fantasy graphic novel AFAR, written by me with gorgeous art by Kit Seaton and edited by Taneka Stotts!  I love Michael Giacchino's work (especially on the Rogue One soundtrack) so I'd choose him for the composing.  I'm going to attend with my partner, Chester, who will yoyo (one of his favorite hobbies) for the attendees while we stand around waiting to be let into the theatre.

Me: Little known fact, I once co-founded a yoyo club at a community college.  I'd like to thank you for your time, Leila.  And I want to give you the opportunity to plug any projects to close us out.

LD: Yes!  I'll plug my upcoming Future State comic for DC!  It's called Planet's Finest.  A two-issue story written by Dan Watters and colored by Nick Filardi.  It features Jon Kent as Superman and Yara Flor as Wonder Woman, and it's been so much fun to draw!  I'm also working on a 5-issue series, but I'm still under NDA for that.  But I hope I can tell everyone about it soon!

I would like to thank the fabulous Leila del Duca for her time and insight.  Make sure you go check out her YouTube channel and upcoming projects and find me on YouTube, IG, and Twitter @comics_teacher.

Happy reading!

Eric