Erica Reis‘ work caught my eye at Anime Central this year with it’s bright, happy colors and prodigious use of mermaids!
Mermaids have been largely ignored as subject matter ever since Disney butchered Hans Christian Anderson’s depressing tale of redemption and true love by making it a happy tale of redemption and true love. That’s one reason I had to stop and chat with Erica.
She likes mermaids so much, in fact, that she created an entire manga using them as the basis for her creations, the Orcans; a peace loving race of whale mer-people in her manga ‘Sea Princess Azuri‘, published by Tokyopop.
The other is Erica’s enthusiasm for what she does. Erica’s bright personality matches her work. Talking with Erica about her art gave me the sense that while she doesn’t always like working for someone, she still really loves her art. She’s quick to smile and it was a pleasure to sit and chat with her about her work, her manga, and what it’s like to be a mangaka before she even graduated college.
Erica Reis Interview:
[display_podcast]
Want to know more about Erica?
You can visit Erica’s online portfolio, her deviantArt portfolio or you can buy Erica’s Sea Princess Azuri manga from Tokyopop.com!