Return of Rachel the Great, Page 1

PANEL 1

Rachel bursts dramatically onto the page wearing a Supergirl-style shirt with an S emblem.

RACHEL: "I am Rachel the Great!"

PANEL 2

Rachel looks contemplative.

I worried so much about what other people thought that I changed my style to avoid being labeled "trendy" or a "poser."

But I wasn't being true to myself. By pretending to be something I wasn't, I became a real fake.

PANEL 3

Young Rachel in her manga-influenced style holds a "Noir Elf" comic. A TIME magazine cover shows "Goths are teh evil!"

When I started drawing comics, manga was a rare import, and goths were still getting grief for Columbine.

Tokyo Pop didn't exist, and I'd never even seen a Hot Topic.

Japanese comics and killer boots were not trendy. They were weird and on the fringe.

I was just doing my own thing.

“I worried so much about what other people thought that I changed myself to avoid being labeled. But by pretending to be something I wasn’t, I became a real fake.” Sometimes I give myself very good advice from the past.

I enjoy doing Superman-esque reveals of my undershirts.