Interviews - Marisa Acocella Marchetto

The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics are proud to have as their guest Marisa Acocella Marchetto. Her new graphic novel, Ann Tenna, was just released by Knopf, and it’s a fantastical, sci-fi-infused story of psychological balance and self-discovery in our overly “media-cated” culture. The titular protagonist, a glamorous, super-connected entrepreneur of glitz and gossip, becomes disconnected from her higher self…literally. Her cosmic doppleganger, Superann, steps into Ann’s life via a near-fatal accident, and results are a hard-cold lesson in emotional and interpersonal priorities. Along the way, Ann visits psychedelic celestial planes, experiences out-of-this-world fashions, rubs elbows with the spirits of Coco Chanel and Heinrich Hertz, and taps into universal networks of communication that put our social media to shame. Andy and Derek talk with Marisa about the genesis of of this narrative and how it fits in with her earlier books, Just Who the Hell Is She, Anyway? and Cancer Vixen. They learn that Ann Tenna actually has long roots dating back to some of Marisa’s earliest comics efforts, but that the story evolved over time to take on deeper meaning informed by the author’s own traumatic experiences. In fact, they spend a good bit of time talking with Marisa about Cancer Vixen, how that book has helped define her career, and about her efforts as the founder and chair of the Marisa Acocella Marchetto Foundation at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Along the way, the guys make it a point to address Marisa’s sense of humor, her work for The New Yorker, her iconographic fascination (obsession?) with eyes, her razor-sharp word play, and the cool font that she created specifically for the new book. So get those antennas up and consider this podcast episode a most necessary transmission, beaming to you with love from the other-worldly offices of Comics Alternative Central.