Since its inception
in the mid-'80s, Milwaukie's Dark Horse Comics has quickly
risen to the top of the comic-book market, empowering artists
and delivering smart and sassy books. Much of the company's
success is due to Senior Editor Diana Schutz, a 21-year veteran
in an industry largely dominated by men. Recently, Diana met
with WW to reflect on a life in comics while she watered
her Southeast Portland lawn.
WWillamette Week: How did you get started in
comics?
Diana Schultz: I started reading them at about
5 or 6 years old. Unlike most little girl comic-book readers,
I was reading superhero comics. I wanted to be Supergirl.
Here was this girl who had loads of powers, and her cousin
was Superman.
How did that little Supergirl fan get to be a senior
editor at Dark Horse?
I never stopped reading comics.
But my career probably started when I dropped out of grad
school at the University of British Columbia to sell comic
books in 1978. From there, I began writing for the so-called
"fan press," and that eventually led to editorial work at
various comic-book publishing houses.
How have you succeeded in such a male-dominated industry?
I
actually believe that being female has helped. It allows
me a wider range of relationships with the male artists
than men could have with each other. I can be Mom, I can
be a girlie-girl, I can be the little sister and I can be
the raving bitch from hell.
So what makes a good comic-book artist?
It depends.
My 8-year-old nephew doesn't like the same comic books that
I like. But as a 40-something female, I'm looking for stuff
that appeals to me: an involving story with reality-based
characters. By and large, those tend to be more adult-oriented,
with more complex themes, more emotional impact, deeper
and more subtle characterization. It's not just the standard
"Superhero meets bad guy" and five pages of fight scenes.
What's your favorite comic book now?
Berlin,
a series set in pre-World War II Berlin, moving into wartime
and focusing on a young girl who's just moved to the city.
It's full of the sociocultural factors that were going on
in German society at the time--not what most people think
they're going to find in comics.
That's a long way from Supergirl.
Yes, but so am
I.
Do your read much outside of comic books?
In terms
of novels, I read crime fiction. Walter Mosley is my current
favorite. My two cats are named Easy and Mouse after the
characters from Devil in a Blue Dress.
What do you do to relax after a tough day at the office?
I
like to go to the jazz clubs here, especially Jimmy Mak's
on Thursday nights for the Mel Brown quartet. And up until
about a month ago, Atwater's Friday and Saturday nights
to see Leroy Vinnegar, about whom I once wrote a comic.
He was a great friend.
So you go out a lot?
No, overall I actually tend
to be a bit of a hermit. The best six-dollar-a-month purchase
I ever made was Caller ID, so I can avoid all the sales
calls I want and all the old boyfriends I don't want to
talk to.
On your fridge there's a picture of you with Judd from
The Real World. How do you know each other?
We
were introduced at a comic-book convention two years ago
and became friends. Because I didn't have a TV, I confessed
to him that I had never seen the show. Judd was really refreshed
after a week of people trying to talk to him because he
was on television. He said he was really glad that somebody
liked him for him.
Are you still without a television?
Yes, but I have a video monitor that I got from my ex-husband
and a DVD player that I watch movies on. You'll see me at
Clinton Street Video about every other day.
What might you be if you didn't work in the comic book
industry?
I literally can't imagine doing anything else, and I
never want to find out what it would be like. I still love
it.
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Willamette Week | originally
published August 25,
1999
|
