Eisner Winner Rachel Smythe on the Lore Olympus Season 2 Finale

Season two of webcomic Lore Olympus simply concluded, with season three coming very quickly, and io9 acquired an opportunity to communicate with Eisner-winning creator Rachel Smythe all about it. Since its 2018 launch, Lore Olympus—a retelling of the Hades and Persephone delusion—has gained a devoted fandom (it’s the primary most-read collection on the platform), spawned a best-selling graphic novel, and grow to be a merch machine.

Hot off her Eisner win at this yr’s San Diego Comic-Con, io9 spoke with the New Zealand-based Smythe about her response to Lore Olympus’ rising recognition, how she constructed a various group to launch weekly episodes (we fast-pass them with our cash!), and what the season two finale means for Hades and Persephone because the collection heads into its third installment. Oh—and an replace on that in-development animated collection from Wattpad Webtoon Studios and the Jim Henson Company that we are able to’t look ahead to.

Spoilers forward if you happen to haven’t learn the season two finale (episode 206).

Sabina Graves, io9: Congratulations on the Eisner! How did you are feeling receiving the popularity for Lore as a part of your first awards present win stateside? 

Rachel Smythe: It was so emotional. It’s so particular to get to look at different folks be acknowledged for his or her achievements—to see their faces, to see how they’re validated in all of the work that they did. There’s one thing magical about that. I cried about 15 occasions about folks I’ve by no means met earlier than. It was actually particular.

io9: I grew up as a mythology nerd, so it’s been superior to see this adaptation occur in a time the place there’s been a whole lot of re-framing of narratives for feminine figures in delusion. Can you’re taking me again to what impressed this take?

Smythe: I felt like significantly the parable of Hades and Persephone is one thing that I’ve all the time favored—even after I was slightly child. It’s simply so fascinating and such an excellent thought train to re-contextualize all of those traditions and varieties of tales and the way they mirror by means of a contemporary lens. And I believe in all probability one in all my favourite elements [of Lore] is definitely Hera; she was clearly, within the historical world, significantly in these tales the place they don’t like ladies very a lot, very conscious that the patriarchy is actual. Stephen Fry wrote a e-book known as Mythos— so I’m simply gonna cite him as a result of he wrote one thing actually nice about Hera, that she was used for instance of “all things bad” very often. Obviously she’s not perfection within the tales, however I really feel like [in] most retellings Hera has been the dangerous man. And I’m like, it’s really easy to write down her as a sympathetic character. I like Hera and actually take pleasure in this alternative to write down her as a sympathetic character like simply this one time.

io9: Yes, let’s do that facet tangent on Hera as a result of I’m with you on that. You do a superb job of flipping it from the model we all know of those tales the place males—or gods—have for thus lengthy shifted blame to the ladies of their life. You’ve given Hera extra company and a perspective. I liken her loads to Beyoncé’s Lemonade period all the way down to the vitality of the colours.

Smythe: Yes, I like that. There’s so many re-imaginings and Zeus is commonly framed as a extremely good character a whole lot of the time. And I’m like, he’s not. But only one time Hera might be good—even it out just a bit bit.

io9: Let’s discuss Hades and Persephone. They’re all the things—the story, the romance, the visuals. How did it come collectively for you? 

Smythe: I’ve all the time type of wished to do a re-imagining of them however didn’t but have the talent set. I’d been attempting to for a very long time, nevertheless it’s not simple, particularly if in case you have a full time job and also you’re like, “I’m tired and drawing is a lot of work.” When I hit my 30s, I had extra of that self-discipline to push by means of when it was laborious. With the visible growth, a whole lot of it was about selecting issues that have been gratifying as a result of I really feel like if you happen to’re attempting to make a comic book or internet comedian, you’re going to be making it for a extremely very long time. So you gotta choose stuff that appears cool to you and that you simply love and never that you’re type of okay with.

I believe initially—and that is wild to me now—it was really going to be utterly black and white and actually summary. At the final minute, I believe at the moment I been doing a whole lot of Steven Universe fan artwork, I used to be like, “Oh, it was actually really fun to do that fan art … I could also draw people in this way. Like, it’s really fun.” Aside from storytelling there’s a of the language of shade that you could possibly use to convey feelings. I really feel like I can really do that a lot extra with the characters introduced in the best way they’re—these are my favourite colours to work with. It’s primarily as a result of the underworld atmosphere could be very darkish and really, very deep blue usually. It’s designed that approach in order that when Persephone goes there she stands out loads, nearly like she’s vibrating with shade. The reverse is meant to work as nicely. When the settings are in Olympus they’ve acquired 5 pastel colours, so when Hades is there he stands out loads. So it’s meant to be type of complimentary in that approach.

io9: What made Webtoon the proper platform for Lore Olympus?

Smythe: I simply got here throughout it. I assumed the best way that the comics have been introduced was fairly revolutionary and it was very clear. I come from a design background and I used to be like, “This is nice.” It’s slick. It seems skilled. I’d be comfortable to indicate this to most individuals—there’s no random commercials that like are fairly embarrassing on there. This is supposed to be what it’s. I had a comic book on there prior, however I didn’t know what to do actually. It was type of like a studying check factor and I’d draw an everyday comedian web page and I didn’t fairly get what to do, however then I used to be like, “with my next comic, I’m going to take a risk and actually format like the comics that are on there.” So it’s a little bit of a studying curve at that stage I used to be like, “Oh, I just want to like test myself and see if I can make this work and, you know, really challenge myself.” So yeah, it was primarily in regards to the studying on the time.

io9:  I type of fell into it studying early on and was following artists who have been making fan artwork for Lore Olympus. One that I adopted on Instagram and have become web buddies with is Lissette Carrera [@HardHeadedWoman], who went on to hitch your group. Can you discuss a bit about assembling your collaborators—a gaggle that’s very female-ahead, out of your editor to the assistant artists?  

Smythe: One of the issues that I discover actually overwhelming and I really feel an amazing privilege with is the kind of fan that Lore Olympus attracts. I all the time find yourself with the varieties of people who I need to work with, and it makes me actually comfortable. Like it’s not an effort, you already know, corporations are like, “Oh, we can’t do this diverse hire because we can’t find anyone.” And I’m like, “that’s because you don’t make spaces for people to feel comfortable there.” And so, you already know, I really feel like actually, actually fortunate that there’s so many proficient ladies who all have an interest on this IP.

io9: We’ve reached this very momentous event on the finish of season two. What are you able to share about lastly attending to the large second, Persephone consuming the pomegranate? What’s arising for her and Hades, and what are you excited to deliver to this subsequent period of their story? 

Smythe: I’m very excited in regards to the what’s arising as a result of I really feel like that is the dessert. We’ve had our entrée, we’ve had our veggies. We’re prepared. We’re prepared for for dessert. It’s all arrange, I’m prepared for the steamy stuff now. Yeah, this the romance, It’s right here. It’s a protracted format romance so you’ll want to work out make this entertaining lengthy kind. So it’s all the time been type of troublesome in a way as a result of it’s not a will-they-won’t-they story trigger spoilers: its just like the oldest the story on the earth. So you already know they’re going to get collectively. So the issue was how do you make that fascinating?

io9: And they need so many issues collectively that from what we all know of the story mythologically, they’ll’t have. I personally actually love the part the place we see Hades’ dream of a household with Persephone and all the things. And I’m similar to, “I really want them to have a family!” Are we bending issues to the place that could be coming?

Smythe: Maybe, perhaps. It’s a primarily engaged on making it nonetheless fascinating to folks as soon as they’re a pair, as a result of I really feel like typically in TV reveals as soon as the primary couple does get collectively it may be slightly attempting. For some folks it type of loses its spark and I really feel like they’ve nonetheless acquired a whole lot of enjoyable stuff to work by means of. I’ve been ready a extremely very long time to get to the purpose the place I’m like, “No, they can be together. It’s cool. All the boxes are checked.” There’s nothing of their approach and I actually loved writing that romance portion. So yeah. I believe it’s going to be actually enjoyable.

io9: I additionally wished to the touch on the delicate themes the collection explores with Persephone’s trauma. Can you share a little bit of your response to followers who’ve linked on that stage with the subject material?

Smythe: I discovered that entire side to be deeply touching, since you discover out that you assist folks. Yeah, I’m very a lot overwhelmed as a result of I really feel like on the subject material of [sexual assault], a whole lot of the time when it occurs, no one actually discusses it as a result of it’s very laborious to verbalize even to folks that you simply love and care about. And so that you simply type of pack it away and maintain on to it for years. And I really feel like there’s lots of people in that state of affairs the place they simply don’t have any validation they usually’re very remoted and it simply feels good to have the ability to learn one thing. I believe which means loads to see somebody undergo what Persephone did after which flourish and reside a extremely good life. And present the therapeutic course of. I believe that it’s good for folks. I actually hope so. 

io9: I’m wanting ahead to seeing the way it type of all comes collectively between Persephone and Artemis, particularly since what ended up occurring drove a wedge between them. To shortly bounce on a lighter topic, can I get an replace on the present adaptation and the way issues are going? I like that it’s at Jim Henson Studios, a extremely superior female-led firm, which looks like the proper place for it to be.

Smythe: I don’t have that a lot to share—nevertheless it’s going superior, is all I can say. It’s like an ongoing big day the place there’s all the time one thing to sit up for as a result of I don’t know what’s going to occur. This is my first time making a present and I’m like, I don’t know what’s going to return up after which somebody will ship me an e-mail and I’ll be like, “Wow, wow, wow. That’s really exciting. Yay!” So yeah, clearly I can’t disclose that a lot. It’s undoubtedly a collaboration, is one of the best ways to explain it. I’m fairly comfortable for it to be its personal factor, like its personal entity. The greatest work occurs in diversifications if you simply let folks like do their factor but additionally like be actually sincere with suggestions and stuff.

io9: Have you gotten an opportunity to go to Henson Studios?

Smythe: I’ve. I went there final time I used to be [in America]. It was a lot enjoyable, it was like a dream. They’ve acquired all these fashions of [Dark Crystal] Skeksis and I took a photograph with one in all them. It was nice and the costumes are actually cool. Henson was a favourite fandom rising up, like Labyrinth and whatnot. I like Labyrinth, however I used to be very petrified of it.

io9: Thank you for taking day trip throughout this busy weekend to talk with me. Looking ahead to seeing Lore Olympus develop on all the platforms.

Smythe: Thank you. I’m actually fortunate.

Lore Olympus drops each Saturday on Webtoon; season three begins August 27.

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