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Five years (and a few abandoned ideas) later, the seeds planted at that dinner are now a reality. The duo is teaming for FML, an eight-issue comic from Dark Horse due out in November.
For DeConnick, the book is deeply personal, as her teenage son and daughter helped inspire the surreal coming-of-age series centering on the relationship between a mother and her son.
Issue No. 1 is narrated by Riley, a heavy metal kid who uses his ballpoint pen and notepad to process the horrors of modern high school life — from active shooter drills to social anxiety. Issue No. 2 is told from the perspective of Riley’s mother, an aging punk cartoonist with a true-crime obsession. Together, the two narratives paint a picture of a mother and son trying to survive a Portland plagued by wildfires and the coronavirus pandemic. Against that backdrop, there’s a murder mystery — and even the transformation of a character into a monster.
As DeConnick notes, her son is growing up in a moment in which conversations around masculinity often have the word “toxic” used in association. That has DeConnick grappling with how to help guide her son as he heads toward adulthood, and it’s a theme she poured into the book.
“I want my kids to be able to wrap their brains around the idea that there have been ways that a toxic framing of masculinity has been behind a lot of bad behavior,” DeConnick tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing to be a man.”
Though the mom, brother and sister characters in FML have similarities to the author and her children, the family has discussed how a character is not the person who inspired it.
“It’s just a starting place of an idea,” says DeConnick, who adds her kids have embraced being involved in the book. “My aim is not to embarrass you. Even if we all agree that that character is not you, I still don’t want you to be made uncomfortable by anything.”
DeConnick and López are joined by colorist Cris Peter and letterer Clayton Cowles, both of whom worked with DeConnick on Bitch Planet, her most recent creator owned title, which ran from 2014-17.
The scribe notes that the comic book industry has changed quite a bit in the decade since she launched Bitch Planet. It’s harder than ever to draw attention to projects, so she is experimenting with new ways to engage readers. She put Easter eggs into her newsletter, including one that directed people to a website for a fictional band featured in FML. A savvy reader even messaged the band, asking to book them for a wedding. DeConnick is also exploring appearances on true-crime podcasts, given the book’s connection to the genre.
As for getting to once again work with López, DeConnick notes that he seemingly draws faster than she writes, and he is not afraid to kill his darlings. “He doesn’t mind tossing things out,” says DeConnick of the artist, who is more than willing to discard pages if better ideas come along. |
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