Welcome to my new column! Now, since it’s my first one, I’m expected to give a bit of an introduction to who I am, and I how I became the writer and artist for Archie Comics’ Sabrina the Teenage Witch. But regular autobiographies can be dull and tedious, so instead, I’ll tell my tale in the form of a shoujo manga story:

Meet Tania. She is the bespectacled, gawky heroine who has a wealth of dreams and yet doesn’t know how she’ll ever achieve them. She thinks that because she is shy and awkward, she’ll never get with the coolest guy in class. You know the one. He’s the rogue, bishonen bad-boy; the one that your parents warned you to stay away from; the one that rots your brain.

That’s right…Comics! Tania doesn’t think she stands a chance – especially considering the rumors. You know, the ones about Comics not liking girls; that he’s strictly a boys’ boy. (Yaoi, anyone?)

Dejected, our heroine decides to give up on Comics before her fragile heart can be broken. Instead, she flirts with 2-D Animation. He’s serious and disciplined, very traditional. True, he’s a little demanding of Tania’s time, but he’s willing to let her move at a slow, comfortable pace, getting to know him one frame at a time, 24 frames per second. He’s a good guy and Tania loves him very much and wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her life with him. Flowers and sparkling screentones abound as she enjoys her romance with Animation, telling fantastic stories through the tip of her pencil. He fuels her imagination, he teaches her to focus, to work in a peaceful, Zen-state of mind. Anything is possible with Animation.

But when Tania graduates from college, suddenly Animation isn’t there for her anymore. All she wants is a steady commitment, but Animation can’t offer that. He says he’s going through a rough patch, that times are tough. Sure, he spends a couple weeks at a time with her, but then he disappears without warning. He doesn’t return her calls. He doesn’t take her out for dinner and Tania needs to eat.

Here, Tania’s large shoujo eyes sparkle with tears as she realizes that she’s been dumped by her first love. Worse yet, in the long periods that she can’t find 2-D Animation, she hears rumors that he is dead, or that he’s gone overseas to work in Asia. Dejected and depressed, Tania rebounds with Retail. Retail is grouchy and cheap. He doesn’t treat her with respect and he drains her energy. He yells at her and makes her work on holidays.

Whatever is our heroine to do? Sometimes she doesn’t think she has any options. Sometimes she feels defeated. But she is a shoujo heroine, so she eventually finds a hidden strength inside her. Behind Retail’s back, Tania takes a risk. Through TOKYOPOP’s "Rising Stars of Manga" contest, she tries to get back in touch with Comics. She sends off her entry, not sure if Comics will blow her off and ignore her – or worse, laugh at her.

At first she hears nothing. But one day, TOKYOPOP calls her. Comics liked her entry. He’s willing to give her a shot. And before she knows it, Archie is contacting our heroine. They heard good things about her work and want to know if she wants a job working on Sabrina.

For the last two years, Tania and Comics have been together and will hopefully share many more years to come. They’re an unlikely couple, but isn’t that the way it usually goes in shoujo? Sure, sometimes they stress out (they spend perhaps a little too much time together), but Tania is finally happy. She realizes that anything is possible, that any dream can become a reality. And that, most promising of all, Comics likes girls more than ever before.

If more girls try to go out with Comics, Comics just might return the love.

Happily ever after. The End.

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So there you have it! Now, in addition to my work on Sabrina, I do a variety of freelance work for other companies. I’m also collaborating with my fiancé, Will, on a personal graphic novel project,as well as a forthcoming book, Mangaka America (to be published by Harper Collins Publishers), which will put the spotlight on some new and emerging North American manga talent. Look for that next year.

“Read This Way” will focus on comics and manga from my perspective as a female working on the inside. More girls are becoming recognized and accepted in the comics field these days and this is an exciting time for us. So stay tuned, and see what happens next!