Katchoo In Her Own Words: Vanessa Van Zerr On Voicing The Comic Icon in STRANGERS IN PARADISE

This month, we are once again continuing 8TW Audio Works' authorized fan adaptation of Terry Moore's amazing comic book Strangers In Paradise by adapting the fifth volume, Immortal Enemies.  This is an integral volume as it once again brings hero Katina 'Katchoo' Choovanski face to face with her past--and especially the woman who still wants to use her as a weapon, Darcy Parker.

One of the reasons I am so proud of this adaptation is because of the voice actors who have stepped in to bring Terry's characters to such vivid life.  Over this month, I hope to turn over the spotlight to some of them to talk about their characters and what this iconic series means to them.

We begin with Vanessa Van Zerr, who presently plays Katchoo.  I'll share more as they become available.

"Terry Moore’s original work, Strangers in Paradise, is a timeless classic. His character, Katchoo, holds up over the years because she’s a damaged person with a good soul, just doing the best she can with what she’s got, which is all any of us can do.  She is a complicated yet relatable character, emotionally guarded yet fiercely tender with the ones she loves. She is completely unafraid to inhabit herself authentically and make a statement about who she is. This makes her highly intriguing to all of us who are lucky enough to get to know her.

Tom Deja’s audio adaptation of Strangers in Paradise from a primarily visual media (comic books) to audio plays brings a fresh originality for listeners; both long-time fans of the series, and those discovering it for the first time. 

Voicing the role of Katchoo is consistently an exciting challenge, where I get to express volatile and explosive emotions, which is cathartic, as I’m certainly better-behaved in my own life (for better or worse). Playing off the super-talented Nicole Thomte as Francine pushes me to expand as a voice actor and as a person. Nicole inhabits Francines’s earnestness on the mic with great authenticity. Together, I am excited to bring life to Katchoo and Francine’s caring and nuanced relationship as they struggle to figure out what it means to deal with friendship, trauma, queerness, and love in the 90s."

Strangers In Paradise: Immortal Enemies begins March 18th with the first episode dropping here.  If you'd like to play catch up, we'll be presenting the Omnibus Edition of the previous volume, Love Me Tender, on March 11th.  If you wish to subscribe to this and other 8TW Audio Works Productions, subscribe to our RSS Feed.