Failure, obsession, sex, desire and, ultimately, the phases by which we all go through in silence take relevance with Gina Wynbrandt. This Chicago illustrator debuts with Someone, please, have sex with me (Reservoir Books), a graphic book that is an autobiographical punch full of humour, rudeness, pornography and shameless. We talked with her on her way through Barcelona where she shows us her cheeky style and the reason why she’s shining in the new era of illustration.
Who is Gina Wynbrandt? Five things that define you
Horny, creepy, dumb, funny, female!
When did you start drawing?
I drew a little bit as a kid, but didn't take it very seriously until I started taking some art classes in high school. I still feel a bit amateurish with my drawing, but I draw good enough to express what I'm trying to say.
What would you say is your profession?
I wish I could say I was a full-time cartoonist, but I still mostly work at my uncle's mechanic shop as the secretary!
Who are your main influences?
I love cartoonists like Phoebe Gloeckner and Chester Brown. They're totally fearless in their work. I also admire a lot of stand-up comedians like David Cross, Chris Rock, Natasha Leggaro and Maria Bamford. I watch a lot of TV: The Simpsons, Broad City, and Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! are some of my favourite shows.
Someone, please, have sex with me is your first book. What are we going to find in it?
Someone, please, have sex with me is a collection of five stories that all deal with my sexual frustrations and loneliness. There are also lots of pop culture references, as I'm very interested in how consumerism shapes our real life expectations.
Is there an autobiography in your book?
The character Gina is very much like me, but I insert myself in mostly made up situations.
How do you expect the reader to react?
I hope my reader doesn't pity me too much, finds me funny, and most of all, I hope they're so impressed with my excellent cartooning that they want give me cunnilingus.
How did the book come about?
I started self-publishing minicomics in 2012 and did that for a few years. Then I met my American publisher 2dcloud in 2014, and it was their idea to publish a collection of those minis with a new story for a book.
Do you have other works in progress?
Yes, I'm working on a new minicomic now that I will self-publish. I recently watched Love Potion Number 9 (from 1992, I think) and was very inspired. It will somehow be related to that.
How do you see the future in five years?
Hopefully artificially intelligent, self-cleaning sex robots are within my price range by then, and I'll be living in a studio apartment full of them.
What do you value about your current situation?
I value this weird dichotomy I have of still being somewhat of a cool, underground cartoonist in the US, but I still get translated into other languages and get to visit Spain!
