I first saw Ajuan’s work through Zine Fest in 2016. She did the poster for that year and I briefly picked up some of her work. A year later I got even more familiar with her work because of friends and my partner. If you haven’t noticed, my writing style is pretty straight forward and I tend to repeat myself. All that to say, Ajuan’s work is extremely unique. She has a way that she plays with form and shapes that make me want to experiment with my own style more. Always humble, It’s amazing how much she has done and accomplished and it feels like she is just getting started.
I have had the privileged of sitting and participating in a few of her classes at Mills College and have got to see her speak at a bunch of panels. Her merging of literature, history, academia and comics is something I look to when figuring out my own path.
Besides teaching at Mills, you can find Ajuan’s comics in a bunch of places. From the Eisner winning comics ‘Drawing Power’, comics anthology to her comic series ‘Gender Studies’. Her exploration of race and identity is something after my won heart.
GENDER STUDIES
THE ANCESTORS’ JUNETEENTH
AJUAN MANCE INTERVIEW 2020
Are you from the Bay Area or did you move here?
A: I moved to the Bay Area in 1999.
Where are you originally from?
A: I was born in Florida and raised mostly in Freeport, Long Island, about 30 miles outside of New York City.
When did you start making comics?
A: I'm a lifelong artist, and I was a painter and illustrator for many years before I started making zines around 2010 and comics in 2014.
How has your progression of your cartooning career impacted your life?
A: The progression in my cartooning career has transformed my life in wonderful ways. I've gotten access to greater opportunities to reach larger audiences than I ever did as a painter. Most importantly, I have found an amazing community of comic creators and zine makers who inspire me every day.
How have you grown since your earlier comics?
A: Prior to doing comics, almost all of my subjects were Black people, and mostly men. In fact, when I started doing comics I was in the midst of a project called 1001 Black Men. Doing comics about my life or about historical figures in imaginary settings required me to draw a much broader range of people than I'd ever drawn before. I began drawing people of all ethnicities and genders. At first it was a little intimidating because I didn't want to reinforce any stereotypes in my drawings, but I have grown in my technique and in the range and complexity of my representations.
What are some of your most memorable moments of your career so far?
A: One very memorable moment was my first panel at Comic-Con San Diego. For many years, my partner and I attended Comic-Con as fans. To be on the other side of the table was really exciting. The second happened just last week when the Drawing Power anthology won an Eisner award. I was one of several BAYlies with work in that collection.
What is different about The Bay Area comics scene compared to other places you have been?
A: I don't have much experience in other comics communities, because I didn't start doing comics until after I came to the Bay Area. I can say, though, that the Bay Area comics scene is welcoming and supportive and open to a wide range of styles and genres within the medium. I've met some amazing people in this community, and it really feels like my creative home.
Any comics recommendations?
A: I always recommend Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do. It's incredibly powerful and beautifully drawed. I really enjoyed Mariko Tamaki's Laura Jean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, too; and I always enjoy your work, Lawrence. Your drawing style and your use of color both lightens and reinforces the gravity of the subjects you address in your work.
Any cartoon/tv shows or movie recommendations?
A: Well, I recently enjoyed Trolls 2. Also, I'm still really loving Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, though. The falling upward scene in the movie still takes my breath away. On television, I really love the SyFy A: network's Alien News Desk, still available online.
What influences your work?
A: My greatest influences are my experiences as a person of African descent in the U.S. and my research into African American literature and history. In addition to making art and comics, I am also professor of African American literature, and my work in that area has influenced my approach to art and comics.
What do you want to do in comics in the next 5 years?
A: In the next five years, I hope to complete two significant projects, my first fictional graphic novel as well as a graphic memoir.
What are you working on now?
A: I am currently developing a comic series that combines African American folklore with Afro-futurism. I am also working on my comic strip series, Check All that Apply. I am hoping my autobiographical graphic novella Gender Studies will come out in 2021.
What does your work represent to you?
A: For me, comics provides a medium in which I can express myself and tell stories I would never be able to share in another medium. I've never been much for journaling, but in art and comics I have found an autobiographical voice that I'd never been able to access before.
Ajuan’s Comic For The BAYlies
Thank you to Ajuan for doing this interview. It’s important for me as someone who is here right now to not only archive and document comics history, but to shine light on what has been and still is here. Ajuan gets me excited about the future of comics and education. I can’t wait for her upcoming comics work!
Please Check out her work
Peace and love
-Lawrence