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Out writer Sam Maggs on “The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy,” comic book love and more

Sam Maggs is the kind of person you want to be friends with. Incredibly smart, funny, and a little adorkable, the Associate Editor of the excellent The Mary Sue (“an entertainment news site for geek women, by geek women”) has written a book all about navigating the wonderful world of fandom. We spoke with Sam about The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy, which comes out on May 12th, empowering queer fandom, and what it was like growing up as a fangirl.

AfterEllen: My first ever article for AfterEllen was called “Fangirl 101,” so this is a subject close to my heart. But for people who aren’t familiar with what it means to be a fangirl, how would you describe it?

Sam Maggs: To me, a fangirl is anyone who loves something and loves it really passionately-that’s how I would describe it. You can kind of be a fangirl of anything. Obviously the things that I fangirl over are nerd culture related items, but anything that you love, and love hard and are not embarrassed about, and has changed your life for the better, that’s what I consider being a fangirl.

AE: When did you first realize you were a fangirl?

SM: Well, my parents saw the first Star Wars film 24 times in theatres, so I pretty much didn’t stand a chance.

AE: So it’s genetic!

SM: Yeah, instead of rebelling, I guess I just sort of went with it. But the first thing I was ever like a huge fangirl of was Stargate SG1, which I know is super hilarious, but it’s true. I got into it when I was 12 years old and I became super obsessed with it. This was in kind of the early days of the internet and fanfics and forums were like a thing at the time, so I got really involved in the Gateworld forums, writing my own fanfics that were just terrible, but whatever, we’ve all been there. [laughs] And that was my first big fandom.

AE: What was it about that show that really pulled you in?

SM: For me it was all about Sam Carter. That was one of the first shows that I had ever seen on television where there was woman-and she had my name, which helped I’m sure-but it was one of the first times I had ever seen where a woman was as awesome as her dude counterparts in the show. I was into all this space stuff and seeing this awesome, kick ass military chick who is also really smart. She wasn’t just kick ass, she was also an astrophysicist, which was really cool for me as like a nerdy kid, going across the galaxy doing all these things I usually saw dudes doing. That was huge for me. It was definitely a gateway to things like Star Trek Voyager and other shows with awesome female characters in space. So I think that’s why it was so influential on me.

AE: You are an editor at The Mary Sue which we love over here. Was your work there what inspired you to write your new book, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy?

SM: I actually started writing the book before I started working at The Mary Sue. So I finished the book last June and I started for them as weekend editor around the same time, and I became a full time writer last August. It was kind of like a concurrent thing, but this is always been what I loved to talk about, and write about. It’s always been my passion. I’ve always kind of been in this world, but I was afraid for so long to talk about it because geek culture was not always as accessible as it is now.

When I was growing up, I was really sort of a closeted nerd, you could say. I never told anybody-I kept it to myself and I was really miserable because I didn’t have any friends who liked the same things that I liked. When I graduated college and moved away, I was like, “man, there’s so many other people out there who would like the same sorts of things that I like, that I’m going to get rid of all the people in my life who don’t like these things actually.”

AE: [laughs] You culled everyone who wasn’t a fanperson?!

SM: Yeah, exactly. I was like, “You all suck.” [laughs] And social media really helped with that because I was on Twitter and Tumblr and realizing that there were these whole communities of awesome women who into the same stuff that I was into. It’s an important topic to me because I wanted other girls to feel like there are other women out there who are looking out for them, or into the same stuff they are into, and they don’t have to feel scared to be like “I want to read a comic but I’m scared to go into a comic book store. How do I do that?” I wanted to be there to help other ladies like that.

AE: That’s so great, because I remember going into comic book stores when I was a kid and and being the only girl. It was almost like they didn’t even know what to say or do about me. No one ever wanted to help me. I wasn’t sure if they were afraid of offending me, or just didn’t care, but I never felt like I was a part of that world.

SM: Yeah, it’s really intimidating! I mean, I still feel intimidated sometimes going into comic book stores. I mean, I have local places now that know me and are great, but it can be a really daunting thing because we’ve been told for so long that this is a “boys club,” it’s a male dominated world, you are not welcome, we don’t want you. We are still told that all the time, but it’s not true. Kate Leth‘s group The Valkyries who are a collective of women who work in comic book stores. They are doing so much to make women feel welcome when they come in. I always say, if you go into a comic book store, and they treat you like crap, go somewhere else. You don’t need to be there, and you don’t need to give them your money. I say that in the book, too. I firmly believe that. There are tons of places that will be accepting of you and it’s getting better all the time.

AE: Is the book a good step for someone who might be new to the world of fandom, and is it something that someone who is a veteran of fangirling can also read? Is there something for everyone?

SM: I hope it is, that’s kind of how I wanted to write it. I wanted to write a guide that would be great for people who are just coming into this word for the first time, and had never picked up a video game before, and were scared of all the boobs and the butts and were like, “I don’t know if this is for me.” I wanted to find something that worked for them. And I also wanted to write the book for women like me who have been in the industry for a while and have been to bunch of conventions, but maybe want to know how to do a convention a little bit better. How to do it so your feet don’t hurt on the third day, what to do before your photo op with your favorite star or whatever.

I tried to include something for everyone and there have been some reviews saying that even if you have been in the industry, in the [fandom] world for a while that you can still find new little tips and tricks in it, so that’s really encouraging for me. That’s kind of what I was aiming for. But it’s also great for newbies too who have never been on Tumblr and are intimidated by terms like “shipping” and “OTP” and are like, what is this? I can be very daunting sometimes.

AE: You are a fangirl in many mediums. You host a the Cineplex preshow, you write about comics, film, video games and television for The Mary Sue-is there one you gravitate towards more that the others?

SM: It kind of fluctuates but right now I’m all about comic books. I only actually very recently, within the past year, started getting into single issues. I always used to wait for the trades and read comics that way, but I just started getting into single issue comics and that’s been very exciting for me to email my list every week. That’s been very cool for me.

But I go through phases. Growing up I was all about sci-fi TV, I love Harry Potter-I go through book phases. It depends on the kind of mood you’re in. That’s the cool thing about fan culture: There is something for everyone but there’s also something for you, depending on where you are in your life and what you need to relate to. There’s always something different that can help you, and I think that’s really cool.

AE: As a young queer woman, did fandom provide a safe space for you to belong growing up?

SM: Honestly, I struggled with that for a really long time. What really made me come to terms with how I identify and being comfortable with my sexuality and stuff, was a bunch of web comics by queer women like Kate Leth ,who wrote a bunch of web comics about being bisexual, and what that meant to them. You know, being comfortable with their sexuality and being public about it. I’d always just kind of been like, well, it’s nobody’s business but my own, I never have to talk about it to anybody. I was never going to say anything about it because I was in like a scared space, which I’m sure a lot of people can relate to.

AE: We’ve all been there, girl.

SM: Yeah! I was like, oh my gosh, these women are talking about it and it’s okay, and there are other people like me. I was able to relate to their experience and that was huge. As I started to gain more of a following and sort of a presence I guess, in this community and on the internet, I was like, I owe it to other girls to be what those girls were to me. I kind of hoped that if I spoke out about my sexuality that maybe somebody else who was struggling with talking about it can be like, “Well Sam said it’s okay, so maybe I can say it’s okay, too.” That was a really hard thing for me, but I’m so glad I did it, and I have had several women messaging me saying that because you talked about it, I felt like I could come out. And I cried a lot.

AE: Queer fandoms have a reputation of being very intense, because representation is vital and fans are willing to speak up about it. What would you say to queer fangirls about how to make their voices heard in a really proactive way?

SM: I think that something that everyone struggles with on the internet is, you can like something that is problematic obviously. We all know that. But I think we struggle online sometimes with how to critique things in a healthy way. So I love Dr. Who, but it’s definitely had its issues but I know something that can be kind of a problem is people online will directly attack Steven Moffat, and be like, “Steven Moffat is a horrible person” or like with Sherlock, and say “He’s a horrible person” instead of “He did not write this episode very well” or “This episode was not written very well.” It’s all about how you approach the topic so attacking creators directly is never the way to go about these things. Because if you think about you on the internet, if someone came at you with a bunch of insults, you wouldn’t want to listen to what they had to say, right? I know we are all super passionate and it’s really easy to get caught up in that. I’ve been there! I’ve done it, we’ve probably all done it. But the best way to approach these things are to write thoughtful, critical, longer form posts about this stuff. The internet is a big place. Creators see that kind of stuff and they respect thoughtful, well put together critiques of their work. They have to. That’s what being an artist is. So, I think that’s a good way to go about it.

AE: Let’s talk Mass Effect: Best video game ever, or best video game ever?

SM: Best video game ever! I’m in the middle of a replay right now, which is horrible because I’m crying all the time.

AE: [laughs] I know! I always cry during Mass Effect.

SM: It’s amazing, plus you want to talk about games with great representation? Bioware, they aren’t perfect by any means, but they do such a good job of pushing boundaries and including all different kinds of sexualities, and all different types of people in their games. That’s why I enjoy them so much.

AE: I was going to ask you, what other games would you recommend to people who want to play as female characters, especially queer female characters?

SM: That’s a good question, obviously Mass Effect and Dragon Age, where you have the option of being a dude or a lady and you can be basically any sexuality you want, which is super cool. I would definitely recommend Mirror’s Edge in which you play a woman of color who is a runner in a totalitarian regime. That’s really cool. Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, you also play a woman of color and that’s cool and unusual in video games and that’s really great for diversity.

AE: Do you feel comfortable weighing in on misogyny in gaming? It’s always been there but it’s really come to light after Gamergate and the threats placed upon women who speak out like Anita Sarkeesian and countless others.

SM: Well for me I think, women have been harassed on the internet for as long as there have been women and the internet. You know what I mean? It’s getting more attention now but it’s always happened. It’s sort of inescapable which is really unfortunate. But I think the more attention that it does get, the more we will hopefully be able to see change happening. So as much as it’s horrible that all this stuff is going on, you’ve got to hope that it’s happening for a reason and that it will help things to get better. That’s what I really hope for because we all deal with it. There’s a section of the book that deals with how to deal with trolls on the internet, and how to stay safe and comfortable with your online presence, and when you can choose not to use your real name if you so want to, and all that kind of stuff. I think that there are really important discussions to be had about all this, and like I said, I hope that the more attention is drawn to it, the faster we can make things better.

AE: OK, on a lighter note, what are your top three fandoms?

SM: That’s a really hard question. Well right now, we already kind of talked about this, but Mass Effect would be at the top of my list because I’m playing it right now. But I also just, oh my gosh, I read a book series that I want to tell the whole world about! It’s called The Paradox Trilogy by Rachel Bach. It’s basically like Mass Effect and Firefly had a book baby. It’s about a female space marine who travels around in a spaceship and does awesome stuff, and there’s like no fandom for these books! All I want is some fan art or some fanf iction, so everyone needs to read it so that I can participate in the fandom.

AE: I’m already flailing about this! I have got to check this out.

SM: Oh my god, it’s so good you have to read it. And for me, the third one has got to be Marvel Comics right now-which I know is really broad. I’m all about how much diversity the team and Sana Amanat has brought to the table. I love Ms. Marvel, I love Captain Marvel, I love Squirrel Girl, I love so much of the amazing female-led comics that they are producing right now. I fangirl over Marvel Comics all the time.

AE: The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy comes out May 12th, and will it be available in print form and also e-book?

SM: Yes, you can get it online or in bookstores like Barnes and Noble, it will be available everywhere. But also, if you pre-order it now, and email us your receipt, we’ll send you buttons, a poster and a signed bookplate. All sorts of free stuff.

AE: That is awesome! Who did the art for the book?

SM: Her name is Kelly Bastow, but on Twitter and Tumblr she goes by MooseKleenex. She has quite a big following on Tumblr which is really cool. She also lives in Toronto, which is weird because this book is published in like, Philadelphia. It has nothing to do with Toronto, we just both happen to be here. She’s amazing and it was a huge priority for me when writing this book to make sure that there was a diverse cross section of fangirls represented both in the interviews and in the art, and Kelly totally got it. It’s so great, they have all sort of girls of color and there’s a girl in a wheelchair, all different body types. She just totally nailed it and that was huge for me.

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