Rohnert Park Comic Artist Getting National Attention

In the world of comics, busty female characters in revealing outfits are par for the course.

Never mind the fact that leaping from roof to roof or chasing bad guys atop a dragon is a tad difficult while wearing a bustier that leaves little to the imagination.

Rohnert Park comic book artist Emily Martin is out to change that, drawing female characters who are sensibly dressed, strong and, above all, take matters into their own hands.

One of her characters is Princess Adrienne, a dark-skinned beauty locked in a tower, but tired of waiting to be rescued. Together with her guardian dragon, Sparky, Adrienne embarks on an adventure Martin hopes will be an inspiration for girls of all ages.

The comic is called PrinceLess and will soon be available at comic book stores around the country, a major accomplishment for the 30-year-old artist.

“I view comics as this alternate reality that reflects an exploration of ideas and experiences I wish I could have,” says Martin, who grew up in Sacramento and graduated from Sonoma State in 2006 with a degree in printmaking.

Martin is owner of Megamoth Studio on Snyder Lane, that offers classes to children ages 12 and up three days a week. Martin also teaches once a week at Village Art Supply in Santa Rosa.

“Some kids really go through a catharsis with their characters,” she says. “Another thing I try to communicate during my classes is that they can publish their own work or show it conventions. It’s as easy as stapling a few pages together.”

Martin began teaching at Rohnert Park’s Scribbles and Giggles Art Studio in 2003, then created her own company in 2009. But she’s been an artist her whole life, although growing up on Disney, she always thought she would grow up to be an animator.

Then she read “Barefoot Gen,” a Japanese manga series by Keiji Nakazawa loosely based on his own experience of surviving Hiroshima, and experienced a minor revelation.

“That comic changed my life,” she says, adding that it helped her understand the nuclear attack through the eyes of a boy that was both vivid and shocking.

“Comics can communicate certain experiences in a more accessible way,” she says. “They’re not a substitute for literature, especially the classics, but they can help kids get into reading, especially if they are struggling or learning the language.”

Find out more about Megamoth Studio at megamoth.net