Emma Ríos, a cartoonist who has won the Eisner Award, is coming out with a new book she both wrote and drew, titled Anzuelo. Anzuelo has been described as “ eco-horror” and “gorgeous and brutal.” Ríos spoke to Cemetery Dance about her inspiration, writing the Sea under her skin, and her creative process.
(Interviews conducted by Danica Davidson)
CEMETERY DANCE: What is the inspiration around Anzuelo?
EMMA RIOS: I had originally planned to write a more classic sea-horror story on a boat, inspired by the likes of W. H. Hodgson, but it eventually turned into this pessimistic tale of isolation in our relationship with nature and a somewhat uncomfortable idea of selflessness.
There’s an essay that was quite significant to me when I was writing the book called “The Last Messiah” by Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe. It dissects human empathy and vulnerability in facing nature’s unintended cruelty. I believe that a significant portion of Anzuelo relates to my feelings while reading it, and how I tried to find the strengths and also the flaws in this idea of humanism.
You said you wanted to “write the Sea under your skin.” What did you mean by that?
Essentially, I wanted to write a love letter; to think about the sea from a wider fictional perspective but also from my own experiences, rooted to where I live, the northwest coast of Spain. I’m not very comfortable talking openly about my personal life, but I continuously bring it up when I write, through a choral cast of characters and also metaphors. This is what makes genre writing fascinating to me. Speculation and some privacy to ponder on questions, fears and personal life.
What was the creative process like for this book?
This one took a very long time. About four years. If you consider the length of the book it’s not that strange, but it sure was something I didn’t expect. Even if I had been thinking about it for a while between other work, I started focusing on it on a daily basis in 2020, with a real life dystopia at the other side of the door. I would walk by the beach every day and work on the story through dialogue and layouts at a cafe close by. When I moved to watercolors the whole world felt more normal, but it still was unnerving having both stories overlapping. The situation made me change the tone of the story into something different, more hopeful in a sense, as I was unconsciously trying to find a way out for the characters and myself.
What are you hoping readers will take away from Anzuelo?
Anzuelo intends to reflect on violence from several standpoints, connected to the loss of social constructs, food, pacifism and how to address altruism. I wanted this to feel uncomfortable but also rewarding as it is my belief that no violence is a more natural and a way better response to despair. We’re continuously witnessing atrocities and numbing our senses to dreadful things, which is really horrible. Anzuelo intends to ask for a little abstraction of thought, in order to connect with the characters’ standpoints and overall ideas. This more innocent approach can assist to balance things, or at the very least, it makes it easier for me to recognize, judge, and reject the man-made horror that we’re constantly exposed to on a daily basis.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
You can find my creator owned books at Image Comics.
And here’s also a portfolio if you’re curious.
I’m also on Instagram, bluesky and twitter as @emmartian.
And if you want a sneak peek for Anzuelo here’s a hand animated trailer that almost works as an anime opening.
Thank you for the thoughtful questions and for your interest in the book!
