Wendy Martin was born in the Midwest and grew up in Iowa. She spent her childhood raising animals, but she spent even more time drawing them. As she grew older, she dedicated more time to the arts and creating fantasy comics and stories, particularly ones that involved characters who were half human and half animal. After graduating high school, she worked as a waitress and continued making comics on the side until Castle Swimmer, a story about two mermen, was picked up by Ten Speed Graphic and allowed her to draw comics full time. 

I had the opportunity to interview Wendy, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome back to Geeks OUT! For those who might not be as familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello! My Name is Wendy Martin and I’ve been a creator in the webcomics space since 2014! I really enjoy creating comics about fantasy, romance and characters with animal traits. I used to wait tables and make my artwork and stories on the side but I was lucky to get a gig with WebToon in 2018 and start creating comics as my full time job!

Can you give us any trivia (that hasn’t already been given) about Castle Swimmer?

One of the inspirations for Castle Swimmer was Shadow of the Colossus which is a video game with a very different tone than Castle Swimmer. 

Out of curiosity, is there any mermay media (books/movies/etc) that had influenced Castle Swimmer or that you just personally enjoy in general?

I’ve always been a fan of mermaids but strangely, the main inspiration was the “Atlantica” section from the Kingdom Hearts video game.Castle Swimmer was heavily inspired by the aesthetic and stories from video games rather than books or movies. However, when I was a kid, if there was a book or poster with a mermaid on it, I was absolutely going to watch it! One random example is the Disney movie,The Thirteenth Year.

How would you describe your creative process? How was your writing process changed/stayed the same since starting out as a creator?

I’m self taught in a lot of aspects of writing so I feel like my process is very chaotic. I’ve slowly become more organized as the years go on but I’m largely a ‘pantser’ when it comes to creating stories. My art process is much more by the books but I still like to be spontaneous with my artistic decisions. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

I would love for readers to know that I started out by posting my work online and that there is a huge community of comic artists who post amazing work online that is completely free to read! I think online comics should be considered with the same amount of respect as traditionally published works. 

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Strangely, I really enjoy when people ask me random questions like my favorite food. I really love mochi. 

What advice might you have to give for any aspiring creatives out there?

It’s a difficult time right now for creatives that wish to make art as their full time job. I think it’s important to remember that a lot of artists start small and work many different jobs while slowly building a career in art. Start small and focus on establishing a following on social media and improving your craft. There’s a lot of different paths artists can take to make their living so it might take some time and persistence but it’s definitely a viable career path! 

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

My next comic is going to be a post-apocalyptic, polyamorous romance about three winged boys. It’s been very fun to plan and I can’t wait to start making it!  

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

I highly recommend the comics, To the Stars and Back by Peglo, Novae by Kaixju, Muted by Miranda Mundt, Host by Hannah Patten, Inner Deamons by MyaOctopus and any other free to read comic online! There’s a lot to discover!