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What is it behind that veil of beautiful art, witty dialogue, and sea of talent? Jonathan and Joshua Luna took time out of their insane comics schedule to speak with JXM.
The Luna Brothers
JXM: Joshua, you've mentioned before that you could have never imagined yourself doing art as a career because it was impractical, but you have a full time job outside of comics. So the burning question on everyone's mind is, what is your day job?
Josh: Yeah, I was never brave enough to take the plunge and go the hard-core, starving-artist route. The art game is too much of a gamble, so I knew I needed some kind of back up plan. On the other hand, it is a challenge to balance a steady nine-to-five with the comic work, but stability is important to me. I don't want to get to a point where I have to make art in order to support myself financially.
As for my job...well, I hate to get cryptic, but I can't really talk about it. Let's just say, it involves some level of security clearance. {wink}
JXM: Jonathan, you've said that you aimed to make ULTRA as ethnically diverse as possible without smothering it in people's faces. So when do you believe race and diversity is being smothered in people's faces? Being visible minorities yourselves, what are your thoughts on the importance of race portrayal in the media?
Jonathan: Making ULTRA's characters ethnically diverse wasn't given as much priority as it might seem. To see that sort of diversity in any medium would be nice...but not necessary. I think our goal is to use characters that relate to the reader on a basic human level. As for "smothering it in people's faces," I'd say it's when any topic doesn't apply to the story.
JXM: Both of you have graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a major in Fine Arts specifically Sequential Art, which explains your talent in sequential art and storytelling. And Joshua, you've noted that taking acting classes was a means to becoming a better writer. Where else have the both of you learned your sense of writing and telling stories?
Josh: In college, my focus in sequential art was just like my brother's, veering more towards the drawing aspect of the craft. So the writing is something I sort of fell into, out of necessity, since we didn't really have a writer on hand. But I'm still learning - it's an ongoing process. Everything inspires me: art, films, television, books, my own twisted imagination, and just life in general. Anything can inspire creativity.
Jonathan: We've also been drawing since we were toddlers, so college only helped us refine our skills.
The Road to Success
JXM: Some creators have said that marketing is already 50% of the work on a book. ULTRA and now GIRLS seems to be popping up everywhere. How much of a factor did your own personal marketing affect the success of your books? Or do you feel mainstream success was the fan and media response to your work?
Jonathan: Interesting way to think about it. Honestly, we don't do that much in that aspect. It seems like it's the work of all the fans and media out there creating buzz about our books. And we can't thank them enough!
We've also had great help with B. Clay Moore in the past, and our new PR guy, Jim Demonakos, now.
JXM: Your books haven't tackled typical 'comic book' fare in its themes and genres, and they seem to have reached a mainstream audience. Was it deliberate to make your books appeal to a mainstream audience? For example, was the idea of finding love and true happiness in a superhero world a concept for the mainstream audience, or was it simply an idea that both of you liked and chose to run with it?
Josh: We never try to seek out and target a specific audience, or demographic. Honestly, we're the first audience we have to entertain. The concept, the story, etc. has to be fun for us before anyone else. Trying to predetermine what people will like just sets you up for heartbreak. The things people like one day, can easily turn sour the next. It's a fickle business. So you might as well devote your time and energy into something you really believe in - something of value to you.
I think the reason why our books may seem to be geared towards a more mainstream audience is because we like to tell universal stories. We love cool concepts or genres as much as the next person, but what really concerns us is human condition. We want to explore big themes like love, finding self worth, the crazy things we people do, etc. That's paramount to us. The spandex, capes and monsters are really just window dressing.
But we were seriously blown away by the response we've received from the readers - we didn't expect that at all. We heard from a wide spectrum of people, ranging from die-hard comic readers to non-comic book readers to inactive ones. So, you can never tell who you'll reach.
The Process
JXM: Jonathan, for the aspiring artists out there, what specifically do you use when penciling, inking, and colouring? How often does reference for human anatomy, settings, or otherwise come into play with your work?
Jonathan: I work pretty simply. I pencil with a wooden 2H, ink with a Micron, and colour with the industry standard - Photoshop. As for reference, I hardly use it for people - that's all from my head. As for objects, Google is my best friend.
JXM: What do you believe are the most important aspects of storytelling, which many artists and writers often forget or neglect, when approaching a page of art or script?
Josh: When I'm writing a script, I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm surprised how often I forget to simply think about what I'm doing. I always run into some sort of creative block, banging my head against the keyboard, until I simply break up a scene and view it in its most basic form. Symbolic themes, subtext or snappy dialogue aside, I need to be able to describe what's literally happening in a scene in one, concise sentence. When you sweat over the details, it's easy to lose the big picture.
JXM: Having never been published before ULTRA (outside of Jonathan's stint on Fintan Studios' The Forgotten #4), how did you adjust so quickly to the schedule of bringing issues out on a timely basis, when the book is essentially only a two man operation? What advice would you give to those artists who have trouble with speed?
Jonathan: In terms of writing, Josh has a pretty good amount of time to get that part done - considering he has the other job. As for the art, I just do a page a day. It's all penciling, inking, coloring, and lettering in one day, but it can be done. It might sound funny, but I think a lot of professionals can agree with me - the average comic book artist has a problem with procrastination. Anything can distract the artist. If he/she can get past that, then they're good to go.
The Comics
JXM: Jonathan, you've mentioned on the Image Comics message boards that at the end of ULTRA Pearl's smile had reversed to her right to represent her true happiness as opposed to her smiling to her left throughout the series, which illustrated her insincerity. What other types of symbolism or cool little things did you sprinkle throughout ULTRA?
Jonathan: Yeah, that was one of the little things I like to add for my enjoyment. I doubt anyone would get it if I didn't say anything. And it wasn't that Pearl was "insincere" throughout the book - it just showed that even though we all smile, it doesn't necessarily mean that we're genuinely happy all the time.
It's hard for me to recall everything at the moment...but as for other symbolism within ULTRA, one example was playing with windows as a theme. For example, if a scene were a general color, like orange; the world outside would be a different color, say blue. And if you were outside (blue), the insides of buildings would be another color, say orange. It was a subliminal message saying that being outside and looking in is different from being inside and looking out. It applies to the world of celebrity.
Another example of this is the covers versus the inside of the comic book. The covers were very impersonal and superficial showing what the "public" viewed, while the story was very character-driven - the real story behind the tabloids.
JXM: In both your books so far, it's obvious the common tangent appears to be females. Was the female market ever in mind when your ideas came to fruition, or is it just something about women that compels you to tell stories about them?
Jonathan: We enjoy telling stories with both sexes, but we're definitely drawn towards using female characters. Growing up, we enjoyed drawing women. The female figure - in any shape or size - is a beautiful thing. We have a lot of appreciation for it and what makes a female attractive. I guess you can view our stories as our sort of way of figuring that out.
JXM: For those unaware of your new book GIRLS, or still haven't gotten a copy of the first couple of issues, why should they pick this book up over others?
Check out a preview of Girls #2 by the Luna Brothers and Image Comics
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