“Sword Princess Amaltea” is set in a fairytale world where Queens rule. The synopsis is the mirror image of a timeless plot: A young princess is sent on the biggest quest of her life to rescue a prince in need.
Interview with Natalia Batista
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Email | Download
As far back as 1997 and the company’s earliest days, Los Angeles-based manga publisher Tokyopop has given prominence in its catalog to women artists and women readers. Tokyopop has deep roots in shōjo manga, stories developed expressly for teenage girls and young women, first in Japan and then around the world.
For 2018, Tokyopop is highlighting “International Women of Manga.” Natalia Batista is a Swedish manga artist, illustrator and comic art teacher at Serieskolan in Malmö, the most prominent comic art school in Sweden. She was a founding member of the Swedish manga artist collective and publisher for Nosebleed Studio. Just released in the US by Tokyopop, Sword Princess Amaltea is set in a fairytale world where Queens rule. The synopsis is the mirror image of a timeless plot: A young princess is sent on the biggest quest of her life to rescue a prince in need.
“Right when I started making the stories, the Lord of the Rings phenomenon was at its peak,” Batista recalls. “So, I was thinking, ‘why can we come up with fantasy stories with dragons and mythical creatures, but we can’t come up with a story with women as the ruling gender?’ That to me was a bit perplexing.
“I tried to find more manga and comics and stories and books with matriarchies In manga, though, it’s sadly mostly patriarchal societies in the fantasy genre,” she tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.
