Talking ‘Thirsty Mermaids’ With Creator Kat Leyh

In Kat Leyh‘s graphic novel, Thirsty Mermaids, the titular Thirsty Mermaid is the name of a bar, but it’s also a good description of Eez, Tooth, and Pearl the night they decide to turn into humans. Legs may be good for getting alcohol, but the friends didn’t count on staying human forever. Will these mermaids be stuck on land or will Eez figure out a way to break the spell?

With the paperback edition of the book coming out next week (October 3rd), check out this interview with Leyh below:

Rachel Bellwoar: Ariel may not have had a voice in The Little Mermaid,  but at least palace life meant she didn’t need to find a job. What was it like getting to write for characters for whom capitalism is a wild concept?

Kat Leyh: Writing about human, and American, culture that we take for granted through the alien eyes of the mermaids was fun! Things like fat shaming, modesty, and capitalism felt delightful to introduce (and dismantle) as purely human concepts.

Bellwoar: Eez initially turns to mermaid movies as a source for answers on how to break the spell that’s left them stuck as humans. While Eez finds most of the films disappointing, is there one you would hold-up as the ultimate mermaid movie?

Leyh: I wouldn’t call this a mermaid movie, but I loved the depiction in Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides. The captured mermaid ends up drowning the one man who is kind to her after kissing him. I love a darker side to mermaids, who would drown a human not out of malice but misunderstanding. My personal favorite would be Ponyo, but Eez wouldn’t like that one because Ponyo chooses to be a human at the end.

Bellwoar: When figuring out how mermaid culture works in this book, was there any outside research or science that helped with fleshing out the details, like how mermaids travel in pods (not unlike schools of fish) or how, even when human, Pearl still has an amazing capacity for breathing underwater?

Leyh: Most of the research I did for the book was about human stuff, like shipwrecks. And that ability of Pearl’s was one of the more interesting aspects I researched. I wanted to stretch the merfolk ability to breathe underwater to the absolute limit of humanity, so I looked into the record holders for free-diving – diving without breathing aparatus – which was really interesting.

I didn’t go much into detail, but Pearl hyperventilates before taking off her scuba gear, which is something a lot of freedivers do. (Now there’s a documentary on Netflix about freediving!)

Bellwoar: While Ursula is arguably the most famous sea witch, Eez’s character design is very different. What made you want to go for more of an eel-inspired look than an octopus?

Leyh: I first saw an eel-like mermaid in a Hellboy comic, and Mike Mignola‘s design stayed with me ever since. And in keeping with my love of mermaids in horror, I have to mention Emily Carroll‘s marvelous comic The Prince & the Sea for stellar mermaid design as well.

I didn’t explore it much more, but the potential for creepy mermaids is endless when you consider some of the wild species of marine life!

Bellwoar: For their part, Tooth and Pearl are both mermaids but that doesn’t mean they don’t have very different senses of style. How did you go about infusing their character designs with so much personality?

Leyh: Clothing is such a new concept to the folk, I had them mostly stumble into their styles on accident. Tooth got lucky finding her beach bro vibe immediately, I only regret not giving her shirt an aloha print (It’s there in her heart of hearts though). Pearl is obviously the fashionista of the pod because she read a human magazine one time – but she really does have a knack for what makes her look good.

Eez quite simply doesn’t like clothes, but aquieses to wear them so she doesn’t have to see her legs – hence the maxi dress that is probably a swimsuit cover-up.

Bellwoar: Whether it’s the sound of music at the club (“untiss untiss”) or a burp underwater (“braaarppp”), the sound effects in Thirsty Mermaids are especially on point. Is it easy to figure out the right word to express a sound or can it be tricky sometimes?

Leyh: Thank you! Yes, sound effects can be simultaneously so obvious and an absolute challenge. Sometimes you hear something in your mind that is just so, but it’s hard to translate to letters. Sometimes the size of style of the lettering can make up for that.

For the club noises though I have to credit The Bloodhound Gang for their song “Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss Uhn Tiss,” of course.

Bellwoar: Would you ever consider returning to the world of Thirsty Mermaids?

Leyh: Of course! I love these characters and would be happy to see their pod of four get into more hijinks.

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Kat!

The paperback edition of Thirsty Mermaids goes on sale October 3rd from Gallery 13.