ty, the schism behind identity. So, there’s this
fixation on inhumans in Marvel comics or in
Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD on television. Like,
who are you? Are you who you say you are?
How your blood is sort of defining you. It’s a
bit of a commentary.
is Burrow Press, and you can replicate that in
the comic world. I think there are enough talented people in Orlando and the metropolitan
area. You need to create a space for them to
do this, and an awareness for the opportunity.
There’s not a shortage of talented people in
Orlando. There are a shortage, sometimes, for
You also see heroes sort of born out of technolvehicles in which that talent can be on display
ogy, this sort of relationship between yourself
where an audience can appreciate the talent.
and technology, this idea that they sort of inteIf we had a comic book company in Orlando,
grated in the Marvel cinematic universe. Like,
it would need to cultivate that space. In that
all the powers come from technology if you
gap of what Orlando is, and what it could be, I
think about Iron Man armor, Captain America
can see that. I think there is a thing where you
super soldier sort of biological experiment.
don’t see this clear inter-generational support
In contrast, though, look at someone like Mol- that you might see in other major cities, where
So… Which superhero do we need? Su- ly Danger by Jamal Igle. You wouldn’t know there’s people at the bottom of the system, and
perman might go without saying, but if that Jamal was black just from reading it. at the top of a system, who forget they’re in
the world could pick one superhero, who You’d think it’s just the classic pre-pubescent the same system.
could we use?
superhero story.
Good question. Maybe a good
I think we have some of
superhero to have would be like
what we need. We have
a Professor X? One that can help
resources like the CFAM,
people understand each other,
who will give public tours
with the mental power thing.
and talk about the contemIf it’s a question of symbolism,
porary art that is featured.
maybe a Wonder Woman would
We have a public instibe really important? If you wanttution, the OMA, whose
ed to have only one hero, they’d
broad size and scope
be the symbol. You have this
can help them do a lot of
global question about gender inthings. Then you have the
equality, and this question about
Downtown Arts District,
peace, so, anti-war. These are
with galleries like Avalon.
some of the ideas that William
So I think there are spaces
Marston, the creator of Wonder
for everyone to be active.
Woman, was concerned with.
When you have a magazine
He had many weird ideas, but
like Artborne, it becomes a
one of the important ideas was
touchstone for a lot of these
this need for feminine power to Introduction banner, by Dr. Chambliss, to a pop-up exhibit of Black history in discussions, like, “What do
Florida created during his African American History class. we want from art?” You
constrain male power. There’s a
lot of iconography of the original
know, is Artborne going to
Wonder Woman that grows out of S&M-ish I asked you about picking one superhero, be read by everybody in Orlando? Or is it going
leanings. He was in a polyamorous relation- but obviously, superheroes don’t exist. If to be the arts people in Orlando?
ship. He lived with his wife and his girlfriend, you could enlist the help of one influential
intimate with both. He believed that female person in our world for Orlando, maybe a So, that’s a really important question. If your
power was this sort of check on male power group, to make the city better, maybe do a goal is to grow the art scene, then you kinda
and that it was important for males to learn project, who would you choose?
have to tow that line between it being cool
to submit. From his perspective, there’s a re- You know, I think a company like Boom or and slick, but also accessible. What can you do
ally complicated relationship between gender IDW. I think for someone to start a company to move people up in their understanding and
and power. Teaching boys to submit to female like those in Orlando? That would be good. their engagement? You need vehicles like an
power, that can sort of help them figure out Also, maybe a company like Lion Forge, who art magazine.
their own power. There’s a real complexity has made a lot of success with making comic
there. Like, contemporarily people tend to books off of Universal Television property. So On that note, let’s wrap it up with a nice,
view Wonder Woman as a warrior. That’s not like Airwolf, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, etc. easy question. What is your mantra?
exactly what Marston was advocating. Yes, But, none of those companies are like, huge Haven’t gone far enough. I sometimes ask myshe is very powerful, but she’s also this para- companies.
self, “Why didn’t this work out? Have I gone
gon of love and femininity, to say women can
too far?” Invariably what I find is no. Didn’t go
be powerful. But the constraining thing is like, The point is, we need one of those. If you think far enough. When the ideas get really crazy,
“Good for you!” You’ve got the lasso of truth, about it, the model for that kind of thing exists don’t think “Have I gone too far?” You haven’t
and you think of telling the truth as being your in Orlando. I would argue that you can look at gone far enough.
best self.
a company like Burrow Press, the model that
Orlando’s Art Scene, v. 1.3
That brings me to ano