Interview: Jen Wang, Author of THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER
By: Bonnie Lynn Wagner Feb. 13, 2018
THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang comes out today, and it is an absolutely fantastic graphic novel with an empowering message.
It has the feel of a fairy tale while being its own original story. It's about a prince who loves to wear dresses, even though he has to do secretly, and the dressmaker who keeps his secret. The two become fast friends, and the story has so many awesome feels, and I JUST CAN'T. Plus, spoilers!!!
Today, BroadwayWorld sat down to interview the author and illustrator, Jen Wang, and get you the goods on this hot new release!
THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER is wholly original, yet has the feel of a fairy tale. What inspiration did you draw on when creating your graphic novel?
I wanted to recreate the feeling I had as a teenager watching my favorite movies or reading my favorite books and comics. I was really into manga in high school but I also grew up watching Disney movies and musicals like The Little Mermaid and My Fair Lady. I'm not normally a nostalgic person but once I tapped into that, it came back naturally.
You both wrote and illustrated THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER. What comes first, the story or the art? How do you go about your progress?
The story always comes first. I write out an outline and then a more detailed script. That way I don't end up scrapping more drawings than I need to. After that I do the drawing, inking by hand and coloring in Photoshop. The story took a few months to write and the art portion of THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER took about a year to complete from start to finish.
If you could live in any fairytale or mythical world, which one would you choose to live in and why?
Something like a Ghibli forest would be really nice, like maybe the world in the movie Spirited Away. But no scary monsters!
Hans Christian Andersen, Brothers Grimm, or Disney?
Honestly it's hard to pick. I thought up two fairy tales off the top of my head (Hansel & Gretel and Bremen Town Musicians) and turns out they're both Grimm's Brothers so let's go with that.
If you could be any mythical creature, which one would you be and why?
Maybe this is a boring answer, but witches seem like they have the most fun. Also they have cats and they fly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jen Wang is a cartoonist and illustrator currently living in Los Angeles. Her works have appeared in the Adventure Time comics and LA Magazine. She recently illustrated Tom Angleberger's FAKE MUSTACHE. Her graphic novels KOKO BE GOOD and IN REAL LIFE (with author Cory Doctorow) were published by First Second.
You can find Jen on
OFFICIAL SUMMARY:
Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride?or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia?the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
Sebastian's secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances?one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone's secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER will steal your heart.
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