Reader Spotlight: Johna

Today’s spotlight is on Johna! You can find her on twitter at @hawkingbyrd and as the opinionated fangirl over at her blog, Fangirl Opinions.

Tell us about yourself!
When I’m not playing lightsaber duels with my younger brother or blogging about the latest news related to my favorite fandoms, my head is usually in a comic book. I’m in my mid-20s and I love being a kid at heart. I hail from the Bronx, NYC, and some of my favorite things include vanilla ice cream, laughing, daydreaming, the Web, and writing.

How did you get into comics?
In order to keep me and my brother in control, my mom used to distract us with television cartoons and X-Men: The Animated Series (1992) became THE thing to watch in my household. My love for comic book characters grew from there—as did my crush on Gambit! I remember I picked up my first set of comic books following the X-Men film in 2000 and I’ve visited my local comic book store ever since.

Do you just read comics, or do you express your love in other ways?
Reading comic books makes up about 85 percent of who I am, but I also express my love for comics through common social media outlets, such as Twitter and WordPress. I came close to finishing a Ramona Flowers cosplay one time, but I found myself tight on money (being a fangirl is expensive!) and incapable of making friends with my mom’s sewing machine (Have at thee, metal beast!).

What are some comics you’re currently reading and enjoying?
I’ve been a Marvel fangirl for many years now, so those are the comics I gear towards the most. I am currently reading New Avengers, Avengers vs. X-Men, Winter Soldier, and Avengers Academy…and I’m enjoying each and everyone of them!

Who is your favorite character?
When I was a kid my favorite character was the charming Cajun hunk, Gambit. Over the past few years he took a back seat to master archer, Clint Barton, but my favorite character of all time is Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird. She’s spitfire and she continues to amaze me with her strength and courage. I absolutely adore everything about her.

Who are your favorite artist(s) & writer(s)?
I have several for both categories, but I’ll keep it to my top five! For favorite artists, I absolutely admire the artistic abilities of Humberto Ramos, Steve McNiven, Olivier Coipel, Sara Pichelli, and of course, George Pérez. My favorite writers include Jim McCann, Christopher Yost, Ed Brubaker, Christos Gage, and of course, Stan Lee.

Do you have a favorite comic storyline?
Oh man, the first one that comes to mind is Avengers Dissassembled followed closely by House of M! I love these storylines mainly because they made me realize how emotionally attached I was to comic book characters. I definitely have other favorites though including Secret Invasion, Hawkeye and Mockingbird, Planet Hulk, and Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways.

How do you usually buy your comics?
I’m actually a hybrid when it comes to comic book reading! I start off by buying print issues because I like to physically go to the comic book store and I love that awesome comic book smell! Most of the time I fall behind because again being a fangirl is expensive. I then try to catch up with digital copies provided through apps like ComiXology and online subscriptions like the Marvel Digital Comics database (proud member!), and then I finally re-read them in trade paperbacks.

What are some things you love about comics? Some things that frustrate you?
Comic books, in addition to Harry Potter, helped me overcome my reading problems. I had a tough time comprehending what I was reading, so the illustrations and flow of the panels helped me with that. It’s the reason why I support comic book reading in schools because many kids (especially inner-city kids in my area) need help with the road blocks I came across when I was their age. So, what better tool than comic books, right?

As for a frustration, I have one that hits home. Yo soy Hispana. Translation: I am Hispanic. I am part Puerto Rican and part Ecuadorian, who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in NYC. I speak Spanish and I grew up loving my culture. Most Hispanic comic book characters, however, are simply labeled Hispanic for the sake of being Hispanic with little or no reference to their culture and heritage as being apart of who they are. Attempts have been made to change this (Marvel’s Spider-Girl and DC’s Blue Beetle, for example), but I really want the comic book industry to break through and incorporate a diversity of Hispanic experiences with solid and believable backgrounds.

What does your dream book look like?
My dream book would star a young Hispanic woman whose personality is defined by her culture. Who knows what kind of adventure she finds herself in, but I’d want it to be written by me and illustrated either by Humberto Ramos or George Pérez. Either way, I would certainly die of happiness!

Any final thoughts?
This was awesome! I am so happy I took part in this companion series to Women In Comics! Thank you for such a lovely opportunity!