Joëlle Jones has been hard at work in the comics mecca of Portland, OR with several independent projects. Recently, she worked with ‘Dr. Horrible’ writer Zack Whedon on a sold-out issue revealing the back-story of Neil Patrick Harris’s character. Jones is poised to become one of the industry’s hottest talents with the release of ‘Troublemaker’, written by New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

How did you get started working in the industry?

JJ: I actually brought my work to a convention and showed it to a few people and I got a chance to work with well-known Dark Horse editor Diana Schutz on the anthology Sexy Chix, and I have been lucky enough to keep working since then.

What are you doing instead of going to Comic-Con this year?

JJ: Resting and enjoying time with friends, is what I would like to say, but most likely working on catching up on the projects I am doing.

What’s the most important aspect of the industry that you feel goes unnoticed in the mainstream coverage of comics?

JJ: Um, I think it would be all the great self-created and independent comics that need to be talked about more, and passed around, and enjoyed.

What is your favorite Dark Horse comic?

JJ: I love Blacksad and Beasts of Burden!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

JJ: Power to stop time, like in that 80′s TV show Out of ‘This World’. It was about a thirteen-year-old girl whose dad was an alien, and she had awesome alien powers, and could stop time, and cheat on all her tests!

Interview by Aaron Colter