Rachel Smythe on Her Hit Webtoon Comic

Rachel Smythe is now in the break, But she had one Important stopover before their break: San Diego Comic Conwhere she was special guest and was too excellent her second Eisner for their hit Webtoon series Lore Olympus.

For avid readers of the series: tHe Midseason finale for season three – which dropped on July 8 – was really pretty cliffhanger io9 sat down with Smythe to discuss the wedding between the king and queen of the underworld fans were waiting and the surprises that came with. Hades and Persephone might have made it by the first chapter of her story, but there is much more to come from their mythology.

Sabina Graves, io9: I’m very excited to see how things are going. We finally let you know the wedding-The last time we talked, you prepared for it and now it happened! What do you like about finally reaching that moment between Hades and Persephone?

Smythe: It feels like a real milestone because as you know I’ve been working on the story for a very long time. So it was a very rewarding chapter to write. I think it’s always very difficult to write the wedding because weddings are very personal, aren’t they? And everyone has very different tastes in weddings. And so designing all the clothes was really difficult, but I think in the end I was like, ‘I will do exactly what I want.” And I did. And it was really fun and rewarding.

io9: What style icons or fashions did you look to as inspiration for Persephone’s dress? i’m in love with it

Smythe: I basically went for looks with a very A-line that date back to the 50s. I looked at Maria’s dress The sound of music from the moment she gets married and I kind of spiced it up a bit in the sense that most of the dress is very covered but acts like a chest window.

io9: Oh yeah, we love a chest window.

Smythe: A bit conservative but a bit over the top, very sophisticated. Lots of little buttons. Yes. Oh, this is great fun.

io9: I think it’s great that there’s this shift now – we get into a kind of leaving the nest story between Persephone and her mother. What can you say about the impact this will have on the next part of the myth we know?

Smythe: I think it was very rewarding to write those inevitable tensions that crop up. WWhat I really enjoy about it is –ItI think some people consider many of Demeter’s deeds to be villainous. And I think she’s under extra pressure a woman. Women are judged much more harshly, especially in a fictional context. So It’s really interesting for me to find out what impact this will have on everyone who achieves this drama. And then, how it all falls apart and how it all comes back together – a real approximation of Demeter’s backstory and her trauma, but also how this is affecting her relationship with her daughter and how to come out of it. And I think it’s going to be very holistic.

io9: I was also very intrigued by Hera’s subplot and the re-emergence of her trauma. How did you go about exploring this side of your past to approach the issues in this situation very carefully?

Smythe: I’ve been through it do a lot of research and look at past experiences and myself – maybe not quite the same, but understandable. I think a lot of the issues are about personal guilt and shame, about a lot of us have those shames about things that were beyond our control. Many of us There are things that happened to us when we were younger and we didn’t have the tools or the language or whatever at the time and we couldn’t name what happened. But as you get older, these things kind of become noticeable reappear and it can really affect you and your mental health. IIt’s really nice to be able to get it out there and discuss it, and know that things are not your fault.

And for me, the beauty of the story is at the beginning. Hera helps Persephone. It’s very nice in the sense that Hera helps her but now she can return the favor. In a way, much of the story is sort of a redemption arc for Hera. I think at the beginning Lore Olympus She’s just disillusioned with her situation. It’s been the same for a while thousands of years. And she says, “THe is, I guess.” And for Hera it is She reaches that point where she reaches and becomes her baggage who she should be

io9: Hey, let’s talk about the baby –

Smythe: Oh yeah. Let’s talk about the baby.

io9: I am so happy about them, they are so cute. I hope we see some merchandise because I’m in love. We see Persephone automatically slipping into some sort of maternal instinct, but I’m more curious about Hades. Are we going to see a major generational healing with him and the baby in terms of how he was raised and how this opportunity unfolds for him as a father figure?

Smythe: Yes, I think that’s a good question. In the case of Dionysus, I was kind of scared to include him in the story as a baby because I know people really kneel that-jerky reaction to children. But that’s the mythology! He comes into the story as a baby. He is the youngest in the pantheon. everyone is like “Where is Dionysus?” and I think, “HHe’s not born yet and now he is here.” That’s why it’s interesting for him to join the cast in this way.

I think especially with him he’s more of a fun character and he’s very messy in the sense that he doesn’t need much care because he’s an immortal baby. TThe surprise will be what you can expect from him as a baby and what he might do as a baby. I find Hades at the moment of history, he’s kind of – I don’t want to say he’s completing his arc, because he still has a little bit ahead of him. But I think in a way He’s grown up and realizes he can He has a family and can have these things. He is at a point in his life where he’s ready and it may not be in the form he initially thought, but he’s up to the task –and I think, yes it will be part of it a healing process for him, where he realizes that He can take care of someone, he can be fatherly and he can do those things. And I think it will make it confront some of him unaired topics and he will be able be a complete character that he is meant to be.

io9: You contribute so much to this fandom by being very present online and of course releasing weekly – it just seems like a very monumental task. You have such an incredible team by your side. How did you manage to work together with your team and get a system going?

Smythe: I think at the beginning I was a bit apprehensive and probably afraid of having a team because I don’t know how to deal with people. I’m like, “I just know how to draw some people.” To the right? But I don’t know how to include other people in the mix. So it was quite a daunting task. But I believe there is a saying, “IIf you want a good table you have to have it Invite more people to the table.” I do believe that is the case. It’s also better for me in terms of health, because if I were to still do all that, it would be a huge “rinse and repeat go and go again Without people helping me I wouldn’t be able to earn as much as I have earned. I think that being able to pay and have people, especially women, for their creative work has actually become a huge source of pride for me enter the industry, earn money and gain experience, because it is very difficult to gain a foothold in this industry. THey, they’re all extremely talented. Making comics is a very lonely business, so it’s so nice to have people to talk to and share my successes with.

io9: You are always so generous when asked for writing advice and I love all the answers you have given. But I would like to know how you like to relax and take breaks? What is important to you to make time for when you actually have time off?

Smythe: I love spending time with my partner and my dog, it’s great. I love to read and read a lot of novels. I have a big Kindle waiting for me. And I like playing video games. Actually, I really like watching an audio book and just playing Stardew Valley or so. It’s very relaxing. And I just like it really low-key gentle stuff. Yes, cooking, cleaning, organizing things. When I took a break, the first thing I did was me I watched an audio book and cleaned out my entire closet, washed and rearranged everything. It cleans the atmosphere in the house when you finish a project and then you just tidy it up, it feels great.

catch up Lore Olympus above web toon, or buy one of the printed volumes on-line Or at the nearest bookstore.

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