By the time you read this, the new comic books for the week swill have probably hit the shelves, so once again here are my pulls and recommendations

The Special Guest will be local creator Melody Often.

Melody Often grew up in Southern California and Upstate NY and studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She garnered a Xeric grant in 2006 for illustrating In the Hands of Boys written by her mother, Janet Tangirala. She began releasing Trinadot as single issues at conventions and online in 2009. She has produced four issues of a ten issue series and currently releases the color pages each Thursday at 8am at Trinadot.tumblr.com. She paints in acrylic and oil and loves community engagement via mural installation. She has illustrated for comics, posters, t-shirts, typography, and a variety of books ranging from cooking to coloring to nonfiction.

As a child she wanted to pencil for Marvel’s X-Men and went on to dream of having her book picked up by Dark Horse. Currently she is interested in writing and drawing for one of the great creator-owned publishers. Collaborations are definitely in the works!

I first met Melody last year at the Electric City Comic Con, hosted by the Schenectady Public Library and she recently participated in the Free Comic Book Day festivities at Aqualonia Comics in Troy and the Albany Comic Cons.

I think the thing that struck me the most about Melody’s art is how vibrant the color of her work is.

Melody was kind enough to answer some questions about her comic book experience and influences:

How did you get into comics (Do you remember your first one or the one that hooked you?

What got me hooked…? At first, it was just newspaper comics, then Calvin & Hobbes, Asterix, Tin Tin, The Uncanny X-Men, Battle Angel Alita and Ranma 1/2. I remember staying over at a house in France that had the entire Archie story arc on the bookshelf that I proceeded to read it all in one night all jet-lagged.

When did you start writing and drawing?

I started writing and drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon. My first sketchbooks were amalgamations of popular movies and books I was consuming. One of my first stories was about Atlantis.

Which creators influence your work?

I’m greatly influenced by Bill Watterson, Art Spiegelman, Albert Uderzo and Renee Goscinny, Rumiko Takahashi, Yukito Kishiro, Hayao Miyazaki, and Disney.

What is Trinadot ? how did you come up with the story?

Trinadot is my original, ongoing adventure comic about a girl infiltrating an isolated, monastic community with a grandiose ulterior motive. I post each new color page every Thursday at 8am at Trinadot.tumblr.com.

Pieces of the story have come to me at different times and I’ve had to stitch them together.

What are you currently working on or reading anything that you would recommend?

I’m currently working on a short mini comic to take to Prattcon in Baltimore as well as some storm drain mural designs for the city.









window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' });



window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-6', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 6', target_type: 'mix' });







Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Image 2 of 7 Image 3 of 7 Image 4 of 7 Image 5 of 7 Image 6 of 7 Image 7 of 7 Earthworld hosts Fangirls Night Out with special guest Melody Often 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

I’m still working on issue 5 of Trinadot as well as several smaller comics.

I’m currently listening to the audiobook The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny about a murder investigation at a monastery in Canada. I love when they talk about neumes. I just finished the audiobook A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki which was wonderful and melancholy. I read the Tapastic daily sampler on the regular and I’m really digging the comics put out by Image like Saga and No Mercy.

So what can what can the attendees of EarthWorld’s Fangirls Night Out expect?

I’m so curious myself! They mentioned I will have the chance to draw and I could easily see us talking about art and storytelling process, the business of comics, conventioning, cosplay, and the empowering struggle that is speaking in your own authentic voice! (dramatic music) lol

If you identify as a lady and want a cupcake and maybe a drawing of yourself as Goku or Usagi or Remy Lebeau drawn by a freshly 33-year-old American artist with dreams of saving the earth with comics then be there at 7pm and we’ll party.

You can view more of Melody’s work at the following sites:

If anybody attends this event and would like to do a recap for the blog it would greatly be appreiciated…

Oh and if you do go, be sure to wish Melody a Happy Birthday!