In celebration of Women's History Month, Marie spoke to us about the women that have inspired her, the one thing she wishes she knew earlier in her career, and of course, her favorite superheroes, both real and imagined. Read on for more.

Q: During Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating women that advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion. What are some of the projects that you’ve worked on that highlight equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as the empowerment of women?

A: I’m most proud of my work on Superman Smashes The Klan, Represent! (which included birder Christian Cooper’s reimagining of his 2020 experience in Central Park), and Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, which reinvented Snagglepuss as a closeted playwright in the New York of the 1950s. I loved editing the Mariko Tamaki/Steve Pugh graphic novel Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass about drag queens dealing with gentrification, and I was the originating editor on DC Super Hero Girls, where my team and I produced eight graphic novels modeling friendship and girl power before handing the reins to a new editor. Additionally, a career-defining role for me was the eight years I spent editing Kuwaiti superhero comics for Muslim kids just before I came to DC.

Q: How important to you has the mentorship of other women been in your career?

A: I show up daily with all the authenticity I can muster, meeting corporate America on my own terms to support and mentor my entire editorial staff, but I especially try to model confidence and resourcefulness to the women on my team and in DC’s talent stable. We are so often told that women are new to comics, when the truth is women have always been in comics as much as women have always been in the workplace as nurses, educators, cooks, childcare professionals, and so on. While there may have been more men than women in the spotlight as writers and artists, women have always labored in comics as support staff, colorists, letterers, designers, production workers, sales managers, and editors, and we should not overlook their contributions. It’s Women’s History Month, so in comics we salute not just these quiet workers, but also some of our stars, including former President and Publisher Jenette Kahn, penciller Ramona Fradon, 1940s editor Dorothy Woolfolk, and the legendary Alice Marble, who was a tennis star, a spy, AND an associate editor on Wonder Woman!

Q: You were the keynote speaker for the first-ever ReedPop Industry Summit at New York ComicCon last year. Can you tell us more about this event and why it’s important for seasoned and up and coming professionals?

A: The comic book industry is FULL of conventions, summits, and gatherings. I was honored to be a keynote speaker at this inaugural event in New York, where I used my speech to address anxiety over economic uncertainty and the evolving commercial landscape we navigate daily. Plus, I got to tell a few jokes to a captive audience.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew earlier in your career?

A: There’s always next month! Comics should be fun, and while we try our damnedest to make every issue exciting, meaningful, and important to each reader, the clock keeps ticking on our path from inception to comic book store, and sometimes…you just have to call it, send the book to the printer, and take the lessons you learn and make a better story next month. It gets easier as your confidence grows, and you learn what risks matter and what risks are best left with abandoned inventory issues.

Q: Who is your favorite female superhero within the DC universe and in the real world?

A: Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Lois Lane is my favorite woman in DC lore…because her superpowers are skilled writing, wits, and competence—less common than one might think! Much as my favorite real-world women are all writer-adventurers such as journalist Martha Gellhorn, travel writer Dervla Murphy, and great explorers Freya Stark and Gertrude Bell. I’ve visited over 100 countries, written nine books, and been around the world twice on public transportation, and these women’s achievements blazed a trail for me to follow.