Interview: Jua O'Kane

(April 21)

Every time we do one of these quick interviews with illustrators, we ask which superpower they'd like to have. It's kind of a dumb question but one that reveals quite a bit about a person – whether they're practically or abstractly minded, for example. I've always approached the question by thinking about which power would be the best for robbing banks, which is the best use for superpowers I can think of. Doc Ock was a big influencer on me as a kid, I guess. Jua O'Kane's answer is telling: they'd use teleportation to reduce their carbon footprint – far more altruistic.

Right now I'm in the planning stages for a new comic that I'm really excited about. It's about the anxiety of puberty/growing into your sexuality and features a terrifying horse with lots of teeth! 

I'm also working on a new capsule collection of clothing and accessories, themed around queer divinity.

If you could have a magical power, what would it be?
Probably teleportation? I wanna explore the world without the fuss of actually travelling. That and it'd totally reduce my carbon footprint!

My work is very personal, thematically I draw a lot of inspiration from my experience of mental illness, struggling with my gender identity and growing up surrounded by religion. I always want to be provoking conversation and understanding between people, and I think that is made much easier by allowing myself to be totally vulnerable and honest in my illustration.

Visually I'm really inspired by josei manga, religious iconography, nature, fashion illustration and early 2000s ephemera.