When Rhea Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: “What is gender?” The obsession sparked a quest in which they eagerly approached friends and strangers in their quiet Midwest town for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, Fine: A Comic About Gender now presents a sweeping portrait of the intricacies of gender expression with interviewees from all over the country. Questions such as “How do you identify?” produced fiercely honest stories about adolescence, taking hormones, and changing pronouns. The answers also underscored how these experiences can differ – often drastically – depending on culture, race, and religion. Moderating is Joan Hilty, executive editor at Avatar Studios.
Rhea Ewing on Fine: A Comic About Gender: Nonfiction
Rhea Ewing on Fine: A Comic About Gender: Nonfiction
Hilty, Joan
Joan Hilty is a co-founder of Pageturner, a boutique book agency/production company that specializes in graphic novels and illustrated content for authors, literary agents, publishers, and media companies. She also directs editorial for Nickelodeon’s comics/graphic novels and legacy properties. A former syndicated cartoonist and longtime DC Comics/ Vertigo editor, she directed an all-ages comics line and acquired and edited literary graphic novels, including Cairo, Cuba: My Revolution, Gone to Amerikay, Shooters, and Bad Houses. She also serves on programming committees for Miami Book Fair and the Brooklyn Book Festival.
Ewing, Rhea
Rhea Ewing is a comic illustrator and fine artist who graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BFA in drawing and printmaking. When Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: “What is gender?” This obsession sparked a quest in which they eagerly approached friends and strangers in their quiet Midwest town for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, the project became a sweeping portrait of the intricacies of gender expression with interviewees from all over the country. Questions such as “How do you Identify?” produced fiercely honest stories about adolescence, taking hormones, and changing pronouns. The answers also underscored how these experiences can differ, often drastically, depending on culture, race, and religion. In Fine: A Comic About Gender (Liveright), Ewing tells their own story of growing up in rural Kentucky, grappling with their identity as a teenager, and ultimately finding themself through art and by creating something like this. Inclusive and inviting, it’s a valuable account for anyone eager to define gender on their own terms.
