SARAH COOKE Approaches the Close of NO SPELL LASTS FOREVER

Sarah Cooke is no stranger to the Yeti Cave, discussing the Faster than Light Anthology Vol 1 and Vol 2. Today, she joins Luis Godoy II with No Spell Lasts Forever #5 (of 6), coming to Kickstarter in late March.

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COMIC BOOK YETI: Thank you for coming back to Comic Book Yeti for an interview, Sarah. For those that may not know, you also won the 2023 Mad Cave Talent Search, the 2023 Negative Space Women’s Comic Book Writing competition, and is part of the committee for the Zelda Awards, an award that celebrates the outstanding achievements of Women in comic book culture.

So Sarah, when was your introduction to comic books and when did you decide to start making them? 

SC: I first got into the medium with some of the graphic novels I read in my twenties. I spent a while after that as a fan and reader of comics. At the same time, I was trying to figure out what path I wanted to take as a writer. I’ve always been a writer and, before getting into comics, I wrote a lot of poetry and essays (which I still love to write!). I wanted to try my hand at fiction and, as a comics lover, I knew that was the medium that I wanted to jump into. I started writing No Spell Lasts Forever in 2019 and I’ve been making comics ever since.

CBY:I enjoyed the advanced read, but for new readers what can you tell them about No Spell Lasts Forever? 

SC: I’m so glad you enjoyed it! No Spell Lasts Forever stars a magic-wielding criminal named Rosette who uses her power to carry out the will of her boss, Gray, and his organized crime syndicate. She’s shot – not surprising, given her line of work – and meets an early death. At that point, she makes a deal with the devil – if she can corrupt one truly good soul before the next new moon, she’ll be granted a second chance at life. But is she really the kind of person who will follow through with a deal that dooms an innocent person? And if not, what will happen to her eternal soul?

CBY: Tell us about your collaborators on this series, what made them the right choice?

SC: Eze Di Savino has been doing the art since Issue #2 and he’s amazing! His style is an excellent fit for the book and he’s a great person to work with. I’ve really enjoyed our collaboration. Aimee Hawley did the art for Issue #1 and she was fantastic, too. She had a lot going on, including work and school, and just didn’t have the bandwidth to keep going with the series. But I’ve worked with her on a couple of smaller projects since then and they’ve been lovely experiences. When Aimee made the decision to step back, I turned to Eze right away. He had already done the art for the back cover as well as some promotional art, so I knew he had a good sense of the book’s tone and mood, and I was sure he’d be the right choice. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a number of variant cover artists, as well, and they’ve all been fantastic.

CBY: Now that No Spell Lasts Forever is getting towards the end of its run, did you always know the ending or did it come to you as the story was scripted?

SC: Yep, the whole story has been scripted. I always know the ending and plan out the full story arc before I get started writing. I try to leave some room to improvise a bit as I’m going along because there are always things that change in the process of writing. But I do plan out the important story and emotional beats beforehand. I know there are writers who are a bit looser with their layouts, which can be great, too. But for me, I tend to feel like I need more of a roadmap.

CBY: Which character has been your favorite to write? And did you anticipate that when you had the initial idea for No Spell Lasts Forever?

SC: Rosette has been my favorite, since she’s the main character and the one I’ve been spending the most time with. But I’ve also grown pretty attached to Jimmy, which wasn’t something I anticipated. Despite being a criminal and having a pretty checkered past, he’s always there for Rosette. He’s a great friend to her and accepts her despite the shady things she has done. And I enjoy writing their banter!

CBY: Sarah, what other stories in any media would you say are similar in tone to this comic?

SC: I think the book lives in a universe that’s similar to basically anything set in Gotham City. It also shares some similarities with something like Leigh Bardugo’s Alex Stern novels (Ninth House, Hell Bent, and the forthcoming Dead Beat). Those books also center around magic that’s being kept secret, and not always being used in respectable ways.

CBY: Of all the issues released, do you have a favorite page or panel from the series?

SC: My favorite is probably Bash and Rosette’s first kiss at the end of Issue #4. Eze’s work there is just so beautiful and romantic. And I don’t want to give away spoilers, but there’s a page roughly in the middle of Issue #5 that’s pretty gory in the best way and I love it!

CBY: Switching subjects a bit, do you have any other projects that you might want to mention? 

SC: I do! A lot of my attention right now is going toward the Zelda Awards, honoring women and gender expansive creators in comics. I’m on the judging committee and I’m the editor of the Awards’ anthology, which will be coming out later this spring. I’ve been working with Summit Comics to create an original superhero, Scarlet Scyon, with art by Cammry Lapka. The character’s origin story appears in Summit Presents, and there will be more from her in the future. I also have a couple of Miraculous Ladybug shorts in Miraculous Chibi Volumes #3 and #5 from Papercutz, as well as a third one coming out soon. And I’ve got a couple of other writing and editing projects that are in the early stages. 

CBY: It's a well-known secret that the more comics you make the less time you have to read them but do you have any comics you’re really enjoying at the moment?

SC: I just finished Junji Ito’s Cat Diary and I loved it! It’s so funny, and different from Uzumaki and other books of his that I’ve read and enjoyed. I also recently read Alison Bechdel’s Spent, which I highly recommend. I’m lucky in that I work in a library, and being constantly surrounded by books makes it easier for me to keep up with my reading.

CBY: Besides the Kickstarter linked several places above, where can people find you or your creative team?

SC: I’m most active on Instagram, @sarahccomics, and Substack,  sarahlindseycooke.substack.com. You can also find me on BlueSky and Discord with the same handle as Instagram, though I’m a little less active there.

CBY: Thank you, Sarah for choosing Comic Book Yeti in covering your book. This was Luis from Comic Book Yeti, signing off with another interview from the Yeti Cave. Be good, do good, and read comics!  SC: Find me on the CBY discord  or BlueSky ‪@luisgodoyii.bsky.social‬

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