Women in Comics Month: Interview with Barbra Dillon

In honor of Women in Comics Month this March, PREVIEWSworld talks with Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon!

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PREVIEWSworld: Who is your current comics employer?

Barbra Dillon: Fanbase Press

PREVIEWSworld: What is your primary job title? In a quick phrase or two, could you define your job’s key responsibility?

Barbra Dillon: Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Fanbase Press.  I manage our staff and contributors and serve as editor for all of our publications and online content.

PREVIEWSworld: Could you please explain how your work helps make comics a reality? (Connect the dots for us. Where are you in the flow of getting a book into reader hands?)

Barbra Dillon: As Editor-in-Chief, I oversee a comic book project from start to finish: from accepting and reviewing submissions, to providing development and editorial notes to the creators, to marketing and selling the comic book at conventions.

PREVIEWSworld: What’s the part of your job you enjoy the most?

Barbra Dillon: I most enjoy providing an outlet for creators to realize and produce their stories.  Everyone has a story inside of them that is yearning to be told, and having the ability to help creative people to tell that story and do what they love is one of the most rewarding elements of being a publisher.

PREVIEWSworld: What comic titles have you worked on?

Barbra Dillon: Quince, Hero Hotel, The Gamma Gals, Penguins vs. Possums, Something Animal, Identity Thief, The Arcs, and Fearworms: Selected Poems

PREVIEWSworld: While there are loads of professionals in the comics industry, there are only so many folks who get to do what you do! How did you get started? How did you learn all the skills you needed for your position?

Barbra Dillon: I was fortunate to work with a small group of colleagues to form Fanbase Press.  As with any new opportunity, you often need to forge your own way and learn from your mistakes as you grow and gain experience.  By publishing our own content at first, we had the opportunity to learn with greater flexibility, so that we were more seasoned and prepared to take on other creators’ titles as time passed. 

PREVIEWSworld: Please tell us about the coolest experience you’ve ever had thanks to your job.

Barbra Dillon: At Free Comic Book Day this past year, a young woman stopped by our table while were exhibiting at Hi De Ho Comics in Santa Monica, CA.  The young woman picked up a copy of Quince #1 which we provided free to readers; the front side of the comic was in English, and the other side was translated in Spanish.  (The 15-issue comic book series is about a young woman who garners superpowers on her quinceañera, but she only has them for one year.)   In realizing that half of the comic book was written in Spanish, she quickly called over her parents - who only spoke Spanish - and shared the comic book with them.  She explained to my colleagues and me that she had a challenging time explaining comics to her parents, but she was grateful to be able to show them a comic book written in Spanish.  It was such an honor to be able to share such an impactful moment with a reader

PREVIEWSworld: If you had one comics-related wish—no limits—what would it be?

Barbra Dillon: I wish that we, as a company, had unlimited financial resources, so that we could provide a platform that could support larger numbers of creators in realizing their visions.  There are so many talented creators with stories to tell, and I wish that I could assist more of them in sharing their work.

PREVIEWSworld: Do you have an online presence we can link to and share with our readers?

Barbra Dillon:

Website:           www.fanbasepress.com
Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/FanbasePress1
Twitter:            @Fanbase_Press
Instagram:       @fanbasepress
ComiXology:   https://www.comixology.com/Fanbase-Press/comics-publisher/4488-0
Online Store:    https://fanboycomics.ecrater.com/c/135068756/comic-books