Drawing Harley Quinn for DC was a 'scary, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' for Montreal's Sweeney Boo

For Sweeney Boo, success came slowly, and then all at once.

After finishing school in 2012, the artist who's also known as Cecilia Dupuy started working as a colourist and letterer: first in her native France, then relocating to Montreal, where she moved in 2015 in search of "brighter horizons." All the while, she was working on her own art and developing her own story ideas.

She ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund her first graphic novel, Eat and Love Yourself, a story about eating disorders, the journey for self-acceptance, and candy with supernatural powers. In 2019, the book got picked up by Boom Studios, one of the top independent comic publishers.

In the ensuing four years, she published a witchy second graphic novel Over My Dead Body and was tapped to draw what are arguably the two biggest female characters in the world of superhero comics: Marvel's Captain Marvel and DC's Harley Quinn.

We talked to her at Toronto's Fan Expo about her influences, the differences between working on your own stuff versus working on someone else's intellectual property, and what it's like being Harley Quinn's interior designer.

How did you start drawing and how did you know you were good?

Oh my god. Knowing that I was good? I still don't know that I am. I have fun with it. It makes me happy and that's what I'm focusing on.

And how did I start? Back when I was a child, I was reading Sky Doll. It's an Italian comic, and it was very Disney-looking and beautiful, but the subject [matter] was really heavy. It's about religion and whatever, and I was like "Oh, I want to do something like that." And then from there I started reading Scott Pilgrim and Spider-Man I feel like my influences are more American than European.

Do you have any influences from outside of comics?

I'm actually influenced a lot by 20th century art. I love old paintings and illustrations. And I love playing with colour a lot. If I go to a museum, I love contemporary art with bold colours. I'm like, "Oh, this is beautiful!" And fashion.

Who are your fashion influences?

A lot of recent designers I love, like Shushu/Tong, but also the classics. Vivienne Westwood is definitely a big one. I just love bold shapes. Sometimes I see an outfit and I'm like, "Oh, this is so this character, and I'm gonna re-imagine a character around those outfits."

How did you start weaving that influence into your drawings?

When I was a kid, I actually wanted to be a fashion designer. But I discovered that when I draw a character wearing an outfit that I would like to wear, I can kind of live my fashion life through this character.

Like, for Harley Quinn, I got to design her apartment. So, she's kooky maybe she has a lot of gold colours, or a cat lamp, or a horse or a dinosaur coming out of her wall. So I get to just be crazy with no limits.

You're working on a second book of Over My Dead Body. What's it like building a series and a world like that?

It's really, really hard. Especially when it's a magical world. Like, what are the rules? Is it happening [in our current time]? What's already been done [by other people]? It's really hard, but when you have good editors, everyone can brainstorm together and help each other.

When you write your own stuff, do you write it in French or English?

I actually write in English. My partner is anglophone and speaks very little French, so for the past seven years or so, English has very much been my main language. I almost feel a bit ashamed to say that it's the language I feel the most comfortable in.

Are there things that are difficult about writing in your second language?

Writing in what is technically my second language doesn't come without its challenges. Every time I take on a script, I learn a lot new words, new expressions, etc.

People are really serious about Harley Quinn. A lot of people really feel that character. What's it like taking that on?

When I first got the email, it was scary. I was like, "Why me?" But you can't say no to that. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

What I really like about it is Tini [Howard], the writer, she really brings in how Harley is very open about mental health. She has low moments. It's really great to have [a character] be so open like this.

A lot of your work seems to touch on mental health in some way. Why are you drawn to those stories and why is that important for you?

I've struggled with my mental health since I was a kid, and it felt very lonely and alienating within my family and at school. So, growing up, when I started to get a better understanding of what I was dealing with, I saw that most people around us are going through similar issues.

Since art, and making comics, is my form of expression, it felt very appropriate to touch on these subjects with my work, and offer an opportunity for people to feel seen and understood.

What's the difference between working on an established character from one of the big comic houses and working on something that's all you?

When I do something, for me, it's very personal and very hands-on. But when I'm drawing an IP, I really have fun. What do I like about this character? What can I accentuate? It's like being a kid and playing with toys.