Leila del Duca’s story is an inspiring one. She knew that she wanted to be an artist all her life. She plunged head first, or hand first I guess, into drawing and walked out of college with a degree, a portfolio, and a dream.As many college graduates know, those first few tentative steps into the “real world” are some of the hardest you will ever have. Leila pursued her dream of drawing comics until the constant rejections had finally broken her. As fate would have it, that was also when she had a chance encounter with Joe Keatinge. Instead of rejection, Joe said he wanted to work with her and a year later they announced Shutter.Doing research for this interview was enjoyable because it shows that good things can happen to good people. Communicating back and forth for this interview was a joy as she squeezed in time during her busy schedule to answer some questions:GiC: First of all, I would like to say congratulations because Shutter #1 has sold out and will be going back for a second printing. Did you expect such a strong response to the book? Leila: Thanks so much! I, personally, didn’t know what to expect, this being my first major book. But I must say, it’s super flattering to have #1 sell out and to see more positive reviews than negative. GiC: Can you talk about how you came up with the look of Shutter? There are lots of fantastical elements that are displayed as commonplace in this world. A pterodactyl in a nest where you might normally see a pigeon. A bull with a monocle reading the paper. Did you feel like a kid in the candy store while drawing this and just having fun? Leila: I did indeed feel like a kid in a candy store! The possibilities are endless and it’s nice being able to draw things that have been floating around in my head for a while, like diverse people and creatures, weird architecture, and ridiculous combinations of things I love. The look of Shutter kind of developed out of an abstract place. My art style has often been shaped by fear… Fear of no one liking it, fear of not communicating the story correctly, fear of success and failure. With Shutter, Joe’s confidence in me helped bury those fears, and once I stopped worrying about everything, the art instincts I had built up over the years started flowing out, and that is what you now see in this comic. GiC: I was shocked to learn this was your first work at a major publisher. Your style is beautiful. Who are your artistic inspirations? Leila: Well thanks!! Sean Murphy, Mark Shultz and Mike Mignola have all been incredible inspirations. They each have unique styles that use a lot of different inking techniques, great design sense, dark and light contrast, and an ability to convey great emotions through their storytelling. These are all elements I try to incorporate into my own work. GiC: I love Kate’s cat clock. (say that three times fast!) Please tell me we see it again! Leila: You definitely see him again. In fact, Joe was going to kill him off within a few issues, but since I liked him so much he kept him in the story. Thanks, Joe, you sure are nice! GiC: Anything else you are working on that you would like to talk about? Leila: I’m slowly making my way through more pages of The Pantheon Project, a teenage superhero comic written by Erik Taylor. We had two issues done before I started working on Shutter, but there are 3 more issues in the story arch and I really want to be the one to draw them. I’ll be giving more updates about in the months to come.Thank you Leila for taking the time to talk to us and allowing all of our readers to learn a little more about Image’s hottest new star. You can check out more of Leila’s work in Shutter #2 hitting stores on May 14th and in the preview pages below.