2 - "Sam in New York" follows Sam's life from his elementary school years to his late twenties, as he deals with his overbearing, demanding parents' desire for him to be a lawyer, his burgeoning love for the theatre, and embarks on his unceasing quest for fame, love and acceptance.
3 - "Perhaps that's where I got my obsession with being 'larger than life' from." A quote from Sam about how Yiddish Theatre has encouraged him to become a famous actor.
From this episode: https://tapas.io/episode/1979867
4 - As a woman who loves writing psychological stories that take a deep look into what motivates people to do certain things, change their lives around, and interact with others, "Sam in New York" is a series I look forward to working on every day when I have the time to.
Sam, in many ways, is based on myself, as is his desire to go against the societal grain and do what he wants. While his parents and society tell him that being a lawyer would be "easier," he has already to live for himself and establish his life on his own terms, not that of others. This is something a lot of women can identify with, since a lot of women are often told to put others' concerns before their own. Sam is myself, but "magnified" in certain aspects - his chutzpah, his daring, and his bombastic personality. Armed with these personality traits, it will be easier for me as a woman in a male dominated industry to achieve my goals as a graphic novelist on my own terms.
"Sam in New York" is a slice-of-life psychological graphic novel, which is a genre in which women are often brushed aside or reduced to plot points or "mere" love interests (think Philip Roth's novels, which have received a lot of criticism in recent years for objectifying women). I wish to breathe life into the female characters who populate Sam's Lower East Side, since many female characters will have a role in shaping his life, including and especially his mother, Raisa. They are people in their own right and will not be reduced to plot devices in Sam's life.
Another woman who will greatly influence Sam's life is Katya, who will be introduced later in the series. She is a different take on the "strong woman" trope, because while she is not athletic or good at fighting, she is incredibly emotionally resilient, kind, and sex-positive. She is a loyal, loving woman to her love interest, and exerts a lot of sexual agency. She appears quiet and shy on the surface, but is deeply interested in the lives of others (much more than she initially "appears" to be) and will have a big impact on not only Sam, but many others around her as well.