The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg

I know lots of strong and intelligent women, and doesn’t seem remarkable to me. I find this question interesting as when I wrote this book, I didn’t actually intend to make a statement about 'strong intelligent women,' I was just writing what I felt. Why was it important for you to focus on strong, intelligent women in these stories? In this novel, women are punished for reading, storytelling and sassiness. And I think they have a lot to say to each other! Hero is cautious, but also the one who spins the tales. Cherry is more spontaneous, maybe a little spoiled. I love that they are there for each other. What do you love most about Hero and Cherry? Who could not find something in there to relate to?

And finally, they are about such universal themes love, jealousy, family etc. The stories are extremely easy to adapt and to place your own characters on top of what is often a trope rather than a well drawn personality, meaning you have a lot of freedom to work within them. It's amazing to me how many times these stories have been told, and that’s why I like to use them and retell them. the fact that there is a Cinderella story from virtually every culture. The One Hundred Nights of Hero is very steeped in fairy tales and myth-what is it about these ancient forms of storytelling that inspires you? The difficulty of doing that is you become rather stuck in it! I felt a bit like it was going on even without me writing it!

Tolkein and Philip Pullman, and I always wanted to build my own. I think there probably still are, although I will probably be taking a break and trying a new setting for my next project! I love books that build imaginary worlds I’ve always been a fan of authors like Ursula K. I felt there were still stories to be told in Early Earth. This book builds on the magical world you created in your previous graphic. We asked Greenberg a few questions about her fantastical world, female-focused stories, the challenges of working in the comics industry and more.ĭescribe One Hundred Nights of Hero in one sentence. The story of Cherry and Hero's brave fight against oppressive men who don't believe in women's literacy or rights is artfully entwined with Hero's empowering folk tales, which Greenberg brings to vivid life with her unique and playful line work. A bold and poignant play on the traditional story of Scheherazade in The Arabian Nights, Greenberg's tale follows Cherry and her quick-witted maid, Hero (a star-crossed couple secretly in love) through their 100-day ploy to distract a diabolical man by regaling him with with stories so compelling that he loses track of time altogether. Eisner Award-winning author and illustrator Isabel Greenberg takes readers back into the magical medieval world of her acclaimed 2013 graphic, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, with her new book, The One Hundred Nights of Hero.

The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg