Beyond the Page: Terry Blas
This week we are excited to feature Terry Blas, author of Hotel Dare (Boom Studios, June 2019). Get to know him through fun questions below.
What’s your favorite (current or all-time) movie, dessert, and adult book?
Favorite Movie: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
Favorite Dessert: Brownies
Favorite Adult Book: Anything by Gregory Maguire
If you could live in any other country, which one would you choose and why?
Mexico, obviously. I’ve lived there before, when I was a teenager and also in my twenties, and I love it so much. The art and food and culture alone are astounding, and I’m very proud to be Mexican-American.
Who is your favorite Sesame Street character and why?
I like Barkley the Dog. Dogs are the best, and Barkley kind of looks like my dog when she goes without a haircut for a while. As a kid, I was also amazed at how Barkley moved. It looked very real to me.
Tell us one fun insider-fact about Hotel Dare.
The book came about in part because I wanted to create a story that featured Latinas who weren’t stereotyped as maids or as sexy. It’s not bad to be either one of those things, but that’s what we see quite often when Latinas are in media. I wanted Latin women to see that they can be smart and strong and brave and flawed and interesting and see themselves reflected back to them. Also, Mama Lupe was my actual grandmother’s name, or rather, what I called her.
Terry Blas
Terry Blas is the illustrator and writer behind the ongoing web series Briar Hollow. His work has appeared on comic book covers for Bravest Warriors, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and The Legend of Bold Riley. As the host of The Gnerd Podcast, he runs a monthly pop culture examination show. His latest project with Oni Press is an original graphic novel, a murder mystery set at a fat camp, called Morbid Obesity, which he co-wrote. His auto-bio mini comic, You Say Latino, was featured on NPR, OPB, Vox.com, and Cosmo.com. He recently completed the art for a new comic from Northwest Press: Mama Tits Saves the World.
