WHY ISN'T THERE A PICTURE OF DEVIN
GRAYSON ON THIS SITE (ASIDE FROM WHAT'S INCLUDED WITH THE INTERVIEWS)?
I hate having my picture taken. I mean
really, truly HATE it. That's one.
I have Photoshop and know exactly how
much mischief one can make with a simple web-captured image. That's two.
But most importantly, I think our society's
fixation with the concept of celebrity is dangerous, and I don't want to
participate in it. It's an image-based obsession, so the best way I've
thought of so far to combat it is to try to limit the exposure my "image"
gets. Every time I do an interview, I ask if we can use artwork from the
comics instead of photos of me -- most of the time they say yes, and when
they say no, I grin (literally) and bear it, just like I do at conventions
when fans ask to take photos. But on my site, my rules.
I suppose that it's a little suspect
to get up on an anti-celebrity soapbox on the FAQ page of a site named
after and entirely devoted to me. I get that, and I assure you that I'm
laughing at myself for it as I write this. But CarolAnn and I have tried
to make this site a celebration of my work rather than of my personality
or image. I've shared a little about myself in my biography because I think
the details I discuss had impact on my career and vocation as a writer.
There's more self-reflection than you can shake a stick at in the interviews
and I do understand the pull of human curiosity -- we like to see each
other. But I have very little to do with my physical appearance, especially
when compared to the images you will see on this site, all of which were
painstakingly created by artists bringing their full creative intention
to bear (and all of whom our brilliant and considerate webmistress has
worked diligently to credit). I would really much rather we all concentrated
on those images -- the concentrated on those images -- the characters,
the concepts, the content.
Along those same lines, I have chosen
not to include my email address, a message board, or even a guest book
-- this site is meant to disseminate information and honor some of the
characters I've come to so dearly love while working in the comic industry.
That's all.
Or, as one of my buddies just put it
after clarifying that I was, indeed, sitting at my computer writing a long-winded
response to this question, "why don't you just say, "it's about my work,
who cares what I look like?'"
::Laughing sheepishly:: Um, I guess
because I am in love with the sound of my fingers hitting the keyboard
even though I hate the way I photograph? ;-)
Oh, and hey, did I mention that I hate
having my picture taken?
-Devin Grayson
Close
Window...
|