@ Aye Write! Festival, Glasgow, Sat 19 March
The Aye Con strand at Aye Write! is bringing some of the most interesting and inspiring comic book creators to Glasgow this weekend to discuss their work. Steve Orlando is definitely one of the most original and talented writers out there and the Aye Write! audience is lucky enough to hear the creator discuss his work with local artist and writer Gary Mac.
Steve Orlando is the writer of the gay comic book hero The Midnighter from DC Comics. Orlando started creating personal comics at thirteen, but has now progressed in years and in talent to find himself working for one of the biggest publishers in the buisness. Orlando talks eloquently about the comic creation process how the medium is one of the only storytelling forms that engages both the left and right hand side of the brain. This makes comic books ideal for education, but also perfect for exciting entertainment and for tackling important issues.
Representation is a major topic of discussion and the fact that younger readers want to see people with similar backgrounds to their own reflected in the comic books that they read. This is something that Orlando looks to tackle with his own work, but the author is quick to point out that The Midnighter is “a bombastic character” and that the book is packed with over the top ultraviolence. Fun is also a major interest of the writer and this makes the book an enjoyable read.
Steven Orlando highlights the fact that you can’t generalise a gay male character. Therefore Orlando has created an individual comic book hero that stands on his own. The result is that The Midnighter is one if the most fully formed and interesting comic books on the shelves at the moment. This event takes place alongside a LGBT Comic Mart in the cafe of the Mitchell Library, where newer creators are presenting their zines, merchandise and comics. Hopefully diversity in comics will be continued to be tackled at the Aye Write! Festival in years to come.
Aye Write! is @ The Mitchell Library, Glasgow from Thu 10 Mar to Sun 20 Mar 2016