Rocket's Red Glare: The Ruby Rocket Interview

Convention Crusader Ruby Rocket is the girl of a thousand identities, most of whom you know and adore. She's been The Black Cat, Black Widow, Phoenix, Scarlet Witch and countless others in every way short of manifesting powers and saving the world. There's also a chance she's made you a costume or styled your hair. And, perhaps most heroically of all, she's proving that geek-squad dreams do come true - that girls do dig comic books.

It's all in a day's work for Rocket, who has managed to take her talent and love for bringing her favorite superheroines to life and turn it into a launching pad for a career in modeling and media.

Living out her fantasies (and probably providing quite a few for the convention-going crowd at that) has gained Rocket mainstream exposure through Maxim Magazine and an upcoming series of Ruby Rocket comic books from Ape Entertainment. Granted, all things at a price and all that - in this case, it meant getting chased down by CNI's insidious interviewer, Damien Wood...

Damien Wood: Since we're operating a little outside the website's usual creator hype interviews, please tell us a bit about yourself, for the benefit of those unfamiliar...

Ruby Rocket: Well, I'm Ruby and I'm a costumer, model, hair stylist (my secret identity!), burlesque dancer and uber comic book nerd. You'd most likely see me at a comic book convention, or in my neighbourhood comic store. I also do reference modeling for a number of -amazing- artists.

Damien: Careful with revealing your secret identity. But since you brought it up, how does mild-mannered hair stylist, Ruby, differ from the Convention Crusader, Ruby Rocket?

Ruby: I think I'm a bit more quiet in real life. All the energy pulsing through a convention really gets me going.

Damien: You've been dressing up and doing the comic convention model thing for a while now - is this just one aspect of a modeling career or more a labor of love for you?

Ruby: Oh, it's definitely a labour of love. I've been scoping out comics since I was about 8, picking them up at the grocery store and the odd collectible trade show they had next to my dad's deli. I've been making costumes longer than I've been modeling. I'm just lucky that they've tied in so well together.

Damien: And you actually make your own costumes, yes?

Ruby: Yep! Sure do. In the future, for the website, we should have some videos of me sewing. They should be amusing, as I tend to get incredibly frustrated and start cursing at my sewing machine. The one costume I can't take credit for is Phoenix [Spandex Outfitters made that one].



Damien: What makes the extra effort that goes into designing and building costumes worth it to you?

Ruby: It's definitely a matter of pride, but it's also fun for me to figure out how to transfer 2D drawings into 3D designs I can actually wear! I really put as much thought and effort as I possibly can into a costume. I don't like them unless they're perfect, in my eyes. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. And it's an art form, really. The more you work at it, the better you get. I'm still nowhere near a lot of the costumers I know!

Damien: Have you ever had a lazy day, decided to show up in jeans and a t-shirt and said "bugger it, I'm Mary Jane today, fanboys?" C'mon, you can tell me...

Ruby: The costumes do get a bit tiring to wear, sometimes. I always seem to pick the most uncomforatable shoes. I think I've only ever attended one convention where I wasn't dressed up, though. Lately, I've been finding I like to be in normal clothes about half the time, just so I can dig through long boxes and be a regular nerd. I like just being Ruby.

Damien: I've read that your boyfriend had helped in coming up with "Ruby Rocket," so, since I mentioned fanboys, I take it he's comfortable with you becoming a sex symbol for fanboys?

Ruby: Haha! Am I really a sex symbol? That's so bizarre, to me. Perry doesn't mind any of it, really. He's a comic fan, himself, so he understands the male driven fandom that we're in. I think he gets more creeped out by some of the emails I get than I do, sometimes, though.

Damien: But people do behave themselves for the most part, yes?

Ruby: Oh yes, for the most part they do. I do get the odd email every now and then, though.

Damien: What about you - are you comfortable with those who look at you that way?

Ruby: I think that people are drawn to me more so because I'm so open about the fact that I'm a nerd. I'm happy to chat about comics with anyone who emails me! It's not just men, either. I've had many women who have emailed me and said that they feel they can be more open about liking comics, now. I like to think that it's not just my looks that have garnered so much attention. I'm all for helping people outside of our fandom change their perspective on what comic nerds really are. We don't live in our mother's basement all our lives. And yes, girls read comics!

Damien: The popularity of both you and your costumes has also lead to upcoming comic books from APE, featuring your likeness - what can you tell us about those?

Ruby: Well, it's going to be a "Dial H for Hero" sort of deal. We're working on multiple concepts with multiple artists to come up with a bunch of one-shots. Once the one-shots are out, people will be able to vote on which they like the best, and whichever wins will become the ongoing title. It should be really fun!

Damien: Will you have any involvement in these comics beyond the lending of your likeness?

Ruby: Oh, yes! I'm one of the artistic directors and I'm collaborating with others to come up with all the different personas and stylings we will be using. I chose the artists we will be working with and I'll be working with them on the costume designs. APE comes to me with an idea and I just send more ideas back. I definitely have a very clear picture of what I want this to be.

Damien: Before we move on from comic books, let's play Drop the Name - who do you have working on the Ruby Rocket comics with you?

Ruby: I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say anything yet, officially. I have my artists picked out, APE just has to finalize all the contractual stuff.

Damien: You've even received some mainstream coverage for the work that you do, by way of a recent spot in Maxim magazine - how did that come about?

Ruby: Maxim's tech guys just happened to spot an interview I did that was linked on digg.com and they sent it to their higher ups, who then contacted me. They've been featuring me on their photoblog and I'm currently working on a rather large project with them. I'll be able to divuldge more specific details on that later.

Damien: You realize, of course, that with that last statement you've pretty much guaranteed that I'll be harassing you for another interview at some point?

Ruby: Haha, I'm fine with that! Harass away!

Damien: How long do you see yourself doing this for? Could there ever come a point when you run out of favorite comic book heroines to portray?

Ruby: I definitely don't see myself stopping any time in the near future, and I sincerely doubt I'll ever run out of costumes to make. I have a list that's crazy long and I just keep plucking away at it. I've definitely picked up the pace on the new costumes, though. I've made 11 new ones this year already!

Damien: And should that day ever come - what then comes next?

Ruby: Hollywood? That'd be a dream! I don't think too much would change right now if I were to stop. I'd just carry on doing fabulous hair and burlesque!

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You can catch more of Ruby Rocket's modeling and costume work at her website, Rockets-a-gogo, at her MySpace page or at an upcoming comic convention.

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Damien Wood writes things. Sometimes he even writes things well. As a member of Comic News International's staff, he brings you spiffy things like this. As a glutton for punishment, he can be reached at
damien.wood@gmail.com.