Supergirl and Jane the Virgin actress Azie Tesfai recently released her debut children’s graphic novel, “You’re a Superhero!” She sat down to discuss her transition from the Arrowverse drama and how her experiences on the show led to the story that follows six-year-old Mariam as she discovers the superheroes in her neighborhood. Mariam was inspired in part by childhood images of Azie herself, with authentic Ethiopian culture woven throughout the story.
Tesfai went straight from Supergirl to A Million Little Things, an ABC dramedy series about a group of friends who become motivated to live fuller lives after the unexpected death of a close friend. There she traded explosions and green screens for something more mundane. Being a superhero, she said, was “much harder than I thought it was gonna be.” She fought to keep the Guardian’s half helmet so viewers could see her face. She did more stunts than her colleagues for the sake of representation. Kelly Olsen, her character on Supergirl is a Black, Queer, superhero with braids. “I want to see her,” Tesfai said passionately. She put in the work for visibility.
The book began during the show’s final season, a 12-month shoot in Vancouver. After COVID, she kept thinking about the doctors and delivery workers who kept everyone going. She also noticed that fans used the show as an escape; people love the idea of a hero coming to save them. She wanted to elevate a different message: you have the power to help yourself and others. She pitched her idea as an animated series about four years ago, and DC suggested a book first. DC Comics originally wanted a YA novel, but she firmly stated this story is for young kids.
The timing is hard to ignore. “You’re a Superhero!” hit shelves on November 3, the day of the Midterm Election, and its message felt like a timely reminder. The impossible can be done when everyday people show up. “Too many people are made to believe their opinion and their vote don’t matter, and that belief is how people get suppressed,” Tesfai expressed empathetically, while recalling something similar she says to aspiring writers. No one has lived your experience from birth to now, so there’s a story only you can tell, one that will make someone else feel seen. Mariam, she said, is the “purest” reminder that it all matters.
Mariam is based on Tesfai as a child, and her mom on Tesfai’s own mother, who is also an immigrant and single parent. The book also features nods to Tesfai’s Ethiopian culture, much of which isn’t represented online or in media, and when it is, it’s often incorrect. She worked closely with her illustrator, Penelope Rivera Gaylord, and sent her photos of her mother’s home. The book includes many ethnicities, body types, a person with a disability, and uses a dyslexia-friendly font. How people are portrayed matters, Tesfai said, because “all representation is not good representation.” Tesfai and Gaylord’s work is already impacting Black and Brown girls who see themselves in Mariam, exclaiming, “This is me! How did you know to draw me?”
Tesfai is currently shooting on the series Matlock, on Paramount Plus, starring Kathy Bates, and producing projects she can’t yet discuss. Still, she has ideas for more Mariam stories and a separate book in mind. You can purchase your copy of “You’re a Superhero!” at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Hudson, and independent bookstores she posts on Instagram.
Watch the full interview below.