Alpha Girl Comics creating New York-inspired anthology

Former Oklahoma resident Amy Chu is utilizing Kickstarter to produce her latest comics anthology, “Girls Night Out: Tales of New York.” Chu, who lives in Princeton, N.J., was inspired to create this anthology about New York after the tropical superstorm Sandy hit the coast.

“It was right after hurricane Sandy,” Chu said in an e-mail interview. “My family and I were pretty much stuck in NY for a week and saw a lot of crazy stuff, but terrific spirit. So this is kind of a love letter to the city in my own way.”

Chu, the co-founder of Alpha Girl Comics, decided to take to Kickstarter to fundraise — and build excitement for — this project.

“I thought I would try it out,” Chu said. “I noticed that Kickstarter is not just about the money, but a great way to engage with fans and the public, and this has turned out to be entirely true. I am building an entirely new fan base by crowdfunding.”

Chu was born in Boston, studied architectural Design at MIT, and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. She’s visited 49 countries and all 50 states; her ties to Oklahoma date to just after high school.

“My parents moved to Edmond, Oklahoma from Iowa just after my high school graduation, so I spent summers and Christmas in Edmond,” Chu said. “My dad is still there. I love going back every year to get my BBQ and strawberry cake from Leo’s and to visit the National Cowboy Museum.”

Chu’s Alpha Girl Comics began as a project with director and writer Georgia Lee. Their goal is to get new audiences, especially women and girls, into reading and making comics.

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