Non-Animated 'Gloom': Cathy Malkasian

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CATHY MALKASIAN MADE a name for herself on works geared toward children, having directed episodes of the hit cartoon "Rugrats" as well as "The Wild Thornberrys Movie." She's now turned her attention to the printed page and an older audience with her debut graphic novel, "Percy Gloom" (Fantagraphics Books).

The gorgeous hardcover book tells an eerie adult fairy tale about an odd little man's descent into a world where caution is a business, men can literally screw in their heads like light bulbs to get light and muffins can be weapons. Malkasian matches her odd story with some beautifully rendered artwork that pays tribute to her animation background.

Making the switch from animation to graphic novelist allowed Malkasian to slow down the pacing from the fast, montage-style editing in television.

"With a graphic novel, the reader can control both the volume and the pacing of the story," she said. "You can hurry your way through, or you can take off your coat and stay awhile. It's all up to the reader, and that's wonderful."

Malkasian talked to Express about her debut work, the world of animation, and being cautious.

» EXPRESS: Having done so much work in the animation field, what made you decide to produce "Percy Gloom" as a graphic novel rather then an animated work?
» MALKASIAN: Well, the pitching process in Hollywood can be pretty disheartening. You start with a unified set of ideas then watch them get slowly and inexpertly dismantled by insecure employees at insecure companies. Once in a while a creator will get lucky: someone will understand what they are trying to do and that someone will have the job security to see it through.

I love working in animation, but at times I get tired of executing other people's ideas, especially when they are not well thought out. Doing a graphic novel gave me the very rewarding experience of deciding everything on my own — and taking responsibility for it. I didn't have to worry about inconsistency of tone, a problem with collaborative, deadline-driven media. It also gave me the opportunity to sit with the ideas and make deep — whether perceived or not — connections between them.

» EXPRESS: Could we one day see the character Percy Gloom in another medium?
» MALKASIAN: It would be interesting to see Percy in the sequential medium of film, if this did not take away the reflective quality of the book. I can't possibly imagine what the marketing tie-ins would be — the "Gloomy Meal" at some hapless fast-food chain? U.S. animated films require tie-in products. That's probably why animation in the U.S. stays aimed at kids.

» EXPRESS: The book deals with the idea of caution. Are you a very cautious person by nature?
» MALKASIAN: Caution is not unfamiliar to me. There are, however, at least two different kinds of ordinary caution: a healthy sense of self-preservation and the cultural bombardment of manufactured fears. I try to cultivate the former while keeping a wary eye on the latter, but it's hard work.

» EXPRESS: After doing a considerable amount of work that is geared toward children, did it feel at all liberating to do a work with more mature themes?
» MALKASIAN: Yes. Still, these themes are open to anyone who would have an interest in them, regardless of age, though I suspect children might find the story just a bit dull.

Images courtesy Fantagraphics Books