Cartoonist Jimmy Gownley Discusses Amelia Rules!

Comic Book Creator Shares Thoughts on Kids’ Graphic Novels

May 21, 2009

Award winning cartoonist Jimmy Gownley talks about his popular graphic novel series Amelia Rules! and his thoughts on kids' comic books.

Since 2001, comic and children’s book fans have loved Jimmy Gownley’s Amelia Rules! series. The comic, about fourth grader Amelia Louise McBride and her sassy take on small town life, has been called “A Peanuts for the 21st century” by Comics Buyers Guide, while Amelia has been called “a character to rival Ramona” by School Library Journal.

Suite 101 interviewed Gownley via email on May 19, 2009 and learned more about Amelia and Gownley’s observations on kids’ comic books. The following is an edited version of the interview.

Gownley: I was working on another book, Shades of Gray, and started thinking about other characters or ideas. I liked the idea of a little girl character, so I flipped over the Shades of Gray page I was working on and drew the figure who is now Amelia.

I turned to my girlfriend, who is now my wife, and asked what she thought of the character. Then I said, "What should we call her?" and we both said at the same time "Amelia." I thought that was a good sign.

Suite 101: Are any of the kids in Amelia Rules! – Amelia, Reggie, or Pajamaman – based on real people?

Gownley: Not really – they are definitely each unique entities. I did know a kid who, inexplicably, chose to wear the largest baseball uniform when we were kids even though he was the smallest player on the team. It looked like he was wearing his pajamas at every game, so we started to call him "Pajamaman."

But the name is all that remains - the kid I knew and the character Pajamaman are completely different. As for the other characters, I think they are probably each a different facet of my own personality.

Suite 101: Do you believe the comic book industry is “dying” as some say because of the way comics are marketed?

Gownley: Is anyone saying that? I don't know anyone who's saying that. Or, maybe more accurately, everyone is always saying that. I learned to stop taking it seriously around 1998.

When people talk about the comic book industry, what they mean is superhero comic books sold to comic book stores. I worked very hard to convince comic shops that kids' comics could be an important part of their monthly revenue, and foster a new audience that could sustain them for decades. They really didn't care. They want to sell superhero comics to existing superhero fans. That's fine.

If that industry collapsed entirely, I'm not sure what effect it would have on kids' comics. Probably almost none. Amelia is published by Simon and Schuster. Raina Telgemeier's new book Smile will be published by Scholastic. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is from Abrams. None of these publishers rely on comic shop as their main source of sales.

Suite 101: I enjoyed the Amelia Rules! musical stage play. Did you write the songs?

Gownley: Thanks! I love the musical. No, I cannot take credit for any of the songs. Michael Cohen, an artist and playwright in New England, composed the music for it and is responsible for making it all happen.

Michael and I have been friends for years (he was also the editor for all the Amelia Rules! comic books from Renaissance Press) and he always bugged me about turning Amelia into a musical. Finally I told him to go ahead and try it - I didn't think it could be done - and I was blown away with what he did.

Everyone involved was great - the kids were fantastic. I really didn't think they'd be able to find a girl who could pull off so many monologues and so much range of emotion, but Kasey Perkins [who plays Amelia] is just amazing in it, as are all the kids. We definitely plan to take it to other cities!

Want to see scenes from the Amelia Rules! Musical? Visit its official YouTube site.

The copyright of the article Cartoonist Jimmy Gownley Discusses Amelia Rules! in Graphic Novel/Comic Illustrators is owned by Michael Jung. Permission to republish Cartoonist Jimmy Gownley Discusses Amelia Rules! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.