Justin Biebers Muse – an interview with Gina Wynbrandt
Gina Wynbrandt is a great comic artist from Chicago with one of the funniest Twitter accounts (follow her!! @wynbr) on this planet. Ginas book „Someone Please Have Sex With Me“ came out in 2016 from 2dcloud. It’s a collection of her mini comics about horny girls desperately trying to get laid, how to hunt men down and a sexual encounter with a pack of cats.
It is exactly what the medium comics was waiting for.
Finally the lord has heard our prayers and we are so happy to announce that Gina will be at The Millionaires Club 2017!
Gina is going to read live from her book SPHSWM at Conne Island, March 22nd, 7pm (Don’t miss it! Gina is an incredible performer as well!)
She is also showing her work at Hopfe (Kolonnadenstrasse), March 24th-26th, Opening reception: March 24th, 7pm
She will be around during The Millionaires Club. Talk to her, buy SPHSWM and get it signed with "Let me know if you want to have sex with me“. May your dreams come true!
Do you have to deal with a lot of creeps online and IRL since your book is out?
Frankly, I don't have enough creeps in my life. SPHSWM was written as an earnest plea that few have taken seriously. I've received a couple emails of interest, but not nearly enough. I will sign books with "Let me know if you want to have sex with me" to really drive the point home. A couple guys approach me in person. One was a guy at last year's Small Press Expo who told me I was more attractive than most BBW escorts on Backpage and he'd have to check with his wife, but she would probably let him fuck me. Later I found out he was really into Ayn Rand through his Twitter. Every instance is a disaster. Hopefully my visit to Leipzig will change my luck.
Your comics aren’t straight up diary comics even if the main character always looks like a version of you. When does abstraction and fiction kick in in your drawing/ writing?
My comics are fictional stories that star a real person (me). The scenarios are usually fictional, but I write as I imagine I'd react. I like writing about myself, but slice-of-life autobio comics can be fucking boring. I'd rather write a fantasy comic about me riding on a motorcycle with Justin Bieber than a true to life comic about me in my apartment, binge eating for eight hours with intermittent masturbating.
How do you draw all these Ginas so well?
I take many, many embarrassing photos of myself. And then I copy those photos.
I keep thinking about the tweet about your mom crying when you mentioned this tinder dude who spit in your mouth in that interview with Paste Magazine. How is your family dealing with the honesty in your work and online? And how are you dealing with their reactions?
That comment did upset my mom. She doesn't want to know how pathetic or wretched I can be in real life. But she is super supportive of my comics and everything I do. We have a similar sense of humor, and she thinks my work is really funny. On the other hand, my dad is much more conservative. He's happy for my book's success, but he's made it clear that he does not want to read it. He is always suggesting I write a nice comic about my little sister's imaginary friends, Mr. Ginger Ale and Louis, and their adventures.
How long did it take you to draw SPHSWM?
I started writing One Less Lonely Girl in September 2011, and I finished drawing Manhunt June 2015. Basically one minicomic per year. I draw very s l o w l y and dislike working hard.
How did you and your publisher 2dcloud get in touch?
Raighne added me on Facebook and ask if I would want to be published by 2dcloud. He said that he saw a video of me reading Someone Please Have Sex With Me at Brain Frame (a live comics event that happened in Chicago for three years). I love working with 2dcloud and can't wait to do more stuff with them in the future.
Comics lucked out on you so much! You entered the stage with a full force active social media accounts, a great ability to perform your work and something to say! the first 2 things used to be very rare among comic artists who are rather thought of as shy and pail loners. And it is even rarer among female creators. How come you chose comics of all mediums???
I like making people laugh, but I'm too scared to be an actor or comedian.
Your work also feels like it’s reflecting the times we live in very well. The most famous and richest popstars Justin Bieber & Kim Kardashian are reoccuring heroes in ‚Someone Please Have Sex With Me‘. Are you sometimes scared that your comics might not age well? Does that even concern you at all?
Oh yeah, certainly some of my comics will age badly. And all the pop culture stuff is a turnoff for foreign publishers. I don't care. I deeply, truly loved Justin Bieber (and still do) and wanted to express it, purely for myself. In my wildest fantasies, it will one day fall into his lap, and he'll be charmed by me and send a Learjet to retrieve me so we can finally fuck.
What do you wish for teenage girls in the future?
You don't have to laugh at a boy's jokes if he's not funny.
What do you do with unsolicited dick pics (asking for a friend)?
I always respond positively to the sender, thanking him. Sometimes I will further engage and try to get him to eat his own cum.
Which (Comic)Artists do you cherish?
I loved reading Rumiko Takahashi's books in grade school. Ivan Brunetti was the first alternative cartoonist I got into, around 8th or 9th grade. I started reading Chester Brown and Phoebe Gloeckner when I started making my own comics in college.
Are you working on a new book? Please say yes!
I think I will self-publish a mini or two before I work on another book.
Thank you so much, Gina! See you in march!!
more of Ginas work:
http://www.ginawynbrandt.com
https://www.instagram.com/wynbr/?hl=de
