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Fans of the DC Universe may know her well as a troubled superhero , but in her new novelTeen Titans : Raven , the incubation teen shows you do n’t postulate to be half - fiend to struggle in high school – and you do n’t need a superintendent - team to find a new family , either .
The novel ’s author Kami Garcia is no alien to immingle the mystical and mysterious with the struggles of adolescence , as the best - selling co - author ofBeautiful Creatures . team with artist Gabriel Picolo , Teen Titans : Ravenbrings DC Ink the first in a new business of graphical novels center on the teenaged team . It ’s an understatement to say thatRaven – usable now – is a hard starting signal to the entire endeavor , bringing new lifetime ( and new characters ) into her classic origin . In the process , remindingTitansfans that it is n’t Raven ’s sour , unholy powers that make her a heroine merit of her very own tale .
Screen Rant had the probability to mouth with Garcia and Picolo about their feeler to this new graphic novel , the decision to tilt Raven ’s narration to the backdrop of New Orleans , where it fits into the large DC Universe , and what fans can expect from the upcomingBeast Boynovel , too . Read on for our full consultation , as well as a coup d’oeil of Picolo ’s artwork and the prescribed trailer forRaven , the unveiling installment of theTeen Titansseries from DC Ink .
Well , I am happy to say that not only did I love the Koran , but I actually had to read it from front to back in one session .
KG : Every time I hear that I ’m so happy . That ’s what I just require to pick up , is that the great unwashed ca n’t put it down . Even if it ’s just because of the gorgeous art , I ’ll take it .
KG : Andrew , did you pretermit the varlet with me tire my Wonder Woman Halloween costume ? C’m on !
general practitioner : [ Laughs ]
KG : I have four brothers , I ’m a longtime amusing book buff . especially DC , which I was gazump on with Wonder Woman . Michelle Wells , who is our editor and also the head of DC Ink and Zoom , was working with Danielle Paige on Mera , and Danielle is a near friend of mine . So she was strain to get a clasp of me , and Danielle made the intro .
Gabriel ’s storey , I ’ll tell you quickly from my end then he can state you from his , because my end is funnier . We were looking for artists and I looked at tons of people . I fall in love with his stuff that I had already seen online and I just say , ' I want something like this ! ' And they were like , ' Well nobody does that , just that guy does it … But maybe we could get him . Even though he has n’t done a traditional comic Word of God , we could estimate it out . ' Great ! So I hold back , and I wait , and I ask , ' Has anyone contacted him ? ' And they ’re like , ' Yeah , everyone at DC is emailing him and he ’s not responding . ' And I intend , ' Well he probably think it ’s a prank . '
KG : This went on for like a calendar month , and eventually they said , ' If he does n’t respond this time , you ’re going to have to try . Someone else has to try . ' And finally he responded ! And I just wanted to say , ' Gabriel , answer your e-mail ! ' So Gabriel , what did you cogitate when that email come ?
GP : Yeah the first one , at first I really thought it was a frivolity . It take me a while to realize that the DC logo at the remnant of the electronic mail was in reality real . Then it take on me some time to figure out how to serve it , because I was freaking out , rock . I had some assistance to actually address the electronic mail .
Often in comics and lifelike novels , writers are often tasked with keeping a status quo , or fitting their fib into a much big film . Right nowTitansfans have animated serial publication , and the new TV show , but I have to imagine that one of the first decisiveness you had to make was how YOU would tell this account . And maybe play up expression that have n’t been explore as much before ?
KG : Yeah , we actually lucked out . The girl who play Raven in the show blurbed the book , and so did Marv Wolfman . Because he have it away it so much , the God Almighty of Raven . The Colorado - Almighty . I ’m still hope to satisfy George Perez . For me the mandatory was really … I am a buff , so what I did n’t want to do was throw away everything we have it away about Raven . Because Marv Wolfman created a great character . What I want to do , and what they desire me to do , was focus more on Raven as a teenager . What is it like to be devour as a teenaged girl ? Not just a girl who has powers . So I focused more on that . I require to do an origin report , and I need to do a story that , rather of doing a superhero who ’s a superhero as a teen , I want to do a tale about a teen who happens to have powers . And how do those powers and that responsibility compound what you ’re already try out to mete out with as a teenager .
Because at the fondness of this account , to me , it ’s about finding yourself . visualize out who you require to be , define yourself , and being brave enough to be that person . That ’s kind of a composition in all my work , but it just line up so absolutely with the type of art that Gabriel does , because his art is about stripling using their coming into court and their formula and everything to show who they are . So it sour dead . Gabriel , what were you conceive you really wanted people to get out of this when they understand it ?
GP : Yeah it ’s really interesting , I ’ve been doing Teen behemoth fan art for a while on the cyberspace . That ’s one of the things that made me really well known online , on societal media . Because I bed those characters , and I grew up with the show , and the show kind of nobble me into the comics . Something that I miss from the show and all the Teen Titans funnies was envision more of them acting as teenagers . As actual teenagers , hanging out together , and satiate like that . That ’s something that I endeavor to portray in my drawings , and hoi polloi respond really well to that . Then when DC get hold of me , they wanted me to force exactly like that . They wanted that version of the Teen Titans , so it really all fell into place , come together really nice .
Yeah , I mean it in the big compliment possible , that it has a Riverdale or Archie Comics feel to it . Like , these are still just kids .
general practitioner : Yeah ! That ’s really interesting .
KG : That ’s what I require ! Because I require tangible teens , veritable teenagers . To be capable to look at these characters and find someone in the book that they can see themselves in .
GP : Yeah , incisively .
One of the bounteous thing that hit me from this book , this version of Raven , is how it instantly sends a different message from the ' horror story ' hoi polloi would intend of when it come to Raven ’s origin . Here , the spirit , and civilisation , and the feeling and palpate makes it seem like what ’s happening to Raven is unique … but the reply is almost , ' it ’s fine , we have a spell for that . '
KG : That ’s one grounds why New Orleans was the sodding setting , because superstitious notion and ancestral magic , and things like that are part of the polish of the metropolis . You have some weird stuff encounter to you , with Max it ’s not like , ' Oh my gosh , that ’s impossible ! ' Because people are used to weird things happening , or unusual thing , incomprehensible things . That ’s one reason why I wanted to put her there . I want to put her somewhere that when she finally was capable to portion out some of what was going on , there would be people willing to believe her narration .
GP : One affair I really appreciate about the story being set in New Orleans is that I get word a peck about the metropolis . I had pick up some rumors , but I never fell late into the city ’s story and history . And … I ’m not really good at draw background . So it was really dear for this history to happen in New Orleans , because it has these unbelievable place , this awesome dish , and it got me barrack to actually do some work and strain unexampled stuff with backgrounds .
KG : The buildings and everything are so gorgeous . He was all of a sudden like , obsessed with architecture .
GP : It ’s not like a normal city ! It ’s so nerveless , there are unique points , unequaled landmarks , all that stuff really inspired me to do some veridical work on the backgrounds .
It finger like the two things that almost encompass everything this book has to bid is New Orleans , that Modern localization . And then the quality you introduce in this story , Max , who is Raven ’s foster sister . She seems to personify the spirit and attitude of the book . how immediately did she skip into life story when you were plot this story ?
KG : She was part of my pitch , I plot her really quickly and well in my intellect , but she did n’t add up to living until Gabriel started drawing her . I had in my idea I require this spirited , strong daughter who grew up in this really amazing city , with all this mystical and historical element . But then at the same time , I wanted her also to have a vulnerability . And when Gabriel set about draw her .. that ’s when she took on a unlike level for me . That ’s when I could really seethe thing haunt her , the thing she was frightened of . She just evolved so beautifully once Gabriel started work on her , because she became like a little person .
GP : When I was reading the book I call up Max was just such a likable character , you know ? I wanted people to like her as much as I did when I was reading it . Me and Kami got together and verbalize about her expressive style , and the things that she would wear . Creating her character was really , really , really nice .
This graphic novel is surely going to bring raw readers into Raven ’s man , and the Teen Titans to get . But for survive fans , which I know you both are , can you speak to how much of that DC lore is active in this story ? It feel very authentic , but this is still intended to be ready within the enceinte DC Universe that we know , right ?
KG : Yeah it ’s not part of DCU obviously , because it ’s not in continuity . I ca n’t cocker anything , but as the books go on you ’re going to find more and more things come in . With the origin stories , you ’re going to start encounter some other DC elements that fans are more familiar with . I like to mean of them as Easter Eggs , but I have known what they are , and Gabriel because he ’s read my pitches . I ’ve bang what they were from the beginning , because I require them to be very seamlessly woven into the fabric of the books . So that by the fourth dimension you get some really awesome Easter Eggs that are grown , it feels like all of the groundwork was planted . So it ’s kind of an Easter Egg for the devotee , and it place the groundwork that a new lector would need to realize .
You will in spades be seeing it . You ’ll be seeing other characters . I stand for I in person need it to experience like it outfit in the DC Universe really well . But it is n’t obviously canon . It does n’t take after the continuity perfectly , but I still want it to palpate like it could be part of it .
Well , Raven ’s tale does n’t terminate here , because she if just the first of the Teen Titans that you both are adapting into a graphical novel . The book actually comes with a stoolie peek at Beast Boy , the favourite Teen Titan of some many fans . Can you address to how these narrative , and the energy you bring to their position differs ? What is the feeling you desire referee will leave with after that preview ?
KG : He fuck Beast Boy .
general practitioner : Yeah , Beast Boy is my deary . That is not a surprisal . Anyone who trace me on societal medium live that he is my front-runner .
KG : I think for me and Gabriel , one of the thing we talked about early on is that Beast boy is always painted – less so in the newfangled Titans show , but in jr. interlingual rendition – Beast Boy is paint as a clown , and a clown . What I really want to get at , and I cognise Marv ’s groundwork is there , I want to labor deeper into … What is he frightened of ? What are his wounds ? I want it to be more than just a funny kid . Because as a real teen and a real character , he apparently is . I wanted to be able-bodied to show his insecurities and other things about him , so that if you ’re a fan it ’s almost like you maybe get to have a rich , dissimilar perspective on him . Without change the core of his character . Because again , I am not going to mess with perfection . I ’m not going to destroy the things that are already great about him .
GP : One thing that I really appreciated when I read Kami ’s pitch for Beast Boy , as a sports fan of the character , is lastly getting to study a story about him where he ’s not so much the comic sculptural relief , you have it away ? You really get to see his character build up up . That ’s really , really awe-inspiring about that story . And also he ’s my favorite character to draw . The broad image of construction . Drawing him every meter , it ’s the best thing that could ’ve happened for me .
KG : Gabriel loves him . you could see it in the art . It comes back so fast , it ’s like the minute he begin script pages he starts draw .
Teen Titans : Ravenis available now at most major book retailers . Head toDC ’s prescribed pageto order your own copy today .
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