TODD HARRIS, MARK MORALES, and A.K. LOVELACE make THE MAGICAL Appear

The Magical has arrived on Zoop, running through Sept 5th, and Interviews Editor, Andrew Irvin, welcomes Todd Harris, Mark Morales, and A.K. Lovelace to share the details!

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COMIC BOOK YETI: Welcome, everyone, to the Yeti Cave! We’re here to chat about The Magical, “a story of three men, their lives and the supernatural forces that cause their inevitable clash” set in the wake of WWI. On a similar note, how did the three of you meet, and when did this collaborative endeavor begin in earnest?

TODD HARRIS: Mark and I started out as friendly acquaintances at the San Diego Comic Con. I would buy some art and chat him up for a few years. Then one year I was outed as an artist by a colleague of mine, and the following year Mark floated the idea of collaborating or something. Then Mark introduced me to A.K. and with some good vibes, a great pitch, and a strong high five, we began our path towards making The Magical.

MARK MORALES: I’ve known A.K. since he was my inking assistant over 20 years ago.  Since then he’s gone off and done tons of amazing stuff in the comics and education fields.  As for Todd, I met him at the San Diego Comic Con about a decade ago and we struck up a friendship. And since then I’ve witnessed his career just blossom.

A.K. LOVELACE: I met Mark a long time ago as an intern in the Marvel bullpen, I met Todd at the NYCC. Mark had an idea for a creator-owned project and we started workshopping it at one of our post-Comic Con meals. At the time I was making inroads on the indie front and Black Panther was on the horizon. There was a lot of synergy involved. 

CBY: It sounds like the stars have finally aligned for this collaboration, indeed. The three of you have extensive experience with other publishers and avenues for distributing your work. What led you to settle on Zoop as the best means of getting The Magical out into the world?

TH: I do have experience in the comic book industry, but it pales in comparison to Mark and AK. So trusting their vetting process was very easy for me and then upon doing my research, Zoop’s expertise in the space was apparent and felt very special. 

MM: It was the persistence of the wonderful Jordan Plosky at Zoop.  I ran into him at a convention a few years back and we talked about the project.  But Todd, A.K. and I didn’t want to start crowdfunding the book until we had a big chunk of it done.  Due to everyone’s busy schedule it took some time.  But Jordan kept checking in and helping us through the process, so I thank him immensely.

AKL: I was a fan of their work before I was a client. Working with Jordan and Zoop has been awesome. We three had a few conversations about how to bring our product to market. Many things about the industry have changed over the last decade or so and we have evolved in our thinking as well. 

CBY: It looks like the campaign is off to a good start after only a couple days, and I hope it finds all measure of success over the coming month. Recognizing your ongoing work across the comics industry and other media formats, how did this project slot into your respective schedules? What did your workflow and communication look like as you balanced your joint efforts with your other endeavors?

TH: It originally started as a spare time passion project. Unfortunately, we all had way more passion than spare time. Jumping in and out of the work when our lives would demand our attention was definitely challenging.  I wanted to make sure that our passion project never felt just like another deadline. Luckily working with people you like and respect so much helps fuel the enthusiasm.

MM: It was a LONG process.  All of us are very busy with our ‘day’ jobs.  So we were really just working away at the book on the side when we could find the time. But we stayed in contact throughout and kept trying to refine it as we went along.

AKL: It was complicated at times. Not just balancing the business but our lives were definitely “life-ing.” A lot has happened since when we first sat down with this idea, but we knew it was a good idea and that ultimately carried the day. 

CBY: Another rather unique element of your collaboration; you’re all experienced professional visual artists. I see Mark and A.K., you’re credited with writing, and Todd, you handled pencils before handing pages back over to Mark for inking. Given your respective creative inclinations, how did you decide upon carving up the various duties on this title? Who handled lettering and coloring? Were there any other collaborators involved in the process you’d like to shout out at this opportunity?

TH: It was a pleasure to be welcomed into the project. They were both very open to ideas, though honestly they had their story well-baked by the time I showed up. For me, it was so refreshing just being a penciler on the project. It allowed me to play in a way my day job doesn’t allow. Also, I get to see Mark swoop in and level up my work which was super novel for someone like me; it’s like having art steroids.

MM: When A.K. and I came up with the story, Todd was the first person I asked about doing it.  I loved the work I’d seen from him in his storyboards and the comics that he had done. The book calls for an ability to draw everything convincingly, from facial expressions to accurate environments to wild action and he does it all very well. I had a blast inking the pages. As for colors, we have the great Paul Little and on letters, Reed Hinckley Barnes who is doing a bang up job.

AKL: Yeah, we had to build a whole team. At the end of the day, it's a lot of work putting together a proper book and you need a team. We all had strengths that naturally worked well for the project and the timing on it. It was also a great opportunity to flex and develop different muscles as a storyteller. 

CBY: It looks like Paul and Reed both contributed greatly to the cohesive look you've achieved with The Magical. Concerning the setting, you’ve constructed a world in which magic has a tangible role, with special abilities imbued across members of the population. While it commences in the aftermath of World War One, the story is expected to span through the current era - what sort of operative rules have you all agreed upon for this narrative universe? Is the presence of magic the only change you’ve made to our reality?

TH: The thing that’s great about the story is that skepticism is baked into it. Seeing characters, questioning their eyes until they realize what they’re seeing is incredible and potentially dangerous is such a cool journey to depict in The Magical.

MM:  The book, at least at the beginning, takes place during the 1910’s-20’s and doesn’t diverge much from our reality.  As we go along, events that happen in the book diverge and another path is taken.

AKL: That's a great question. There’s a lot to play with. I think a certain hardwired skepticism is innate in human nature and the ability for people to, in theory, not believe their own eyes creates a lot of room to move with when it comes to the magic and how it affects our story's reality. That said, there is definitely a tipping point. But as is often the case, by the time people realize what's going on, it's probably too late.

CBY: With over a century to explore within The Magical, how long do you expect the story to run before it concludes? Is the project fully formed and completed with a specific length you’ve settled on for the edition offered in the Zoop campaign? 

TH: Oh I know two guys who can answer that perfectly. Let me step aside.

MM: The plan here is to have three or four volumes of the book.  Book one is around 60 pages and really introduces the characters, the settings, and what’s at stake. We tried to make it as entertaining as possible while continuing to set up the story for bigger payoffs down the road.

AKL: The core story is complete and we have a format in terms of how many installments it is in total. It has an ending and all of the key plot points are locked in. It's a bit of an epic ride and a lot of work went into properly building the momentum.

CBY: It's good to know there is plenty more to this story yet to be unpacked. As you’ve each traveled your own path toward creative professions that have led you to this project together, do you have any advice you’d like to share for aspiring comic creators starting out on their career journey?

TH: Consistency is king. Predictable results build careers.

MM:  Not much to say, but just do it. Ideas are plentiful, but to make them tangible you have to put them on paper.  Put your energy and passion into it and try to get better with every page.

AKL: Be all-in on taking up the challenge of getting very good at the craft and when possible align yourself with people that both compliment your drive and push/challenge you. Community is important. 

CBY: How do each of you approach the creative process differently when working on material of your own creation as opposed to picking up intellectual property held at the corporate level? What do you enjoy about the freedom, and what has your experience working with other IP imparted to the rest of your perspective?

TH: The start of the process is always the same. How can I make this project something that I would enjoy producing or consuming? The main difference is my relationship with revisions and notes. Since I’m working with like-minded collaborators, that step is minimal and always fosters a better result.

MM: It’s the first thing that I’ve written or co-written that’ll be published in a comic (I’ve written a few articles in the past).  So it’s been an interesting experiment to come up with the ideas and flesh them out and give them some structure.  I’m very excited to share the story and see how people react to it.

AKL: I find that, when you’re running the show it becomes very important that you have a small but reliable core of people whom you trust to not just be supportive but also push and if necessary challenge/test your ideas. You spend an enormous amount of time alone with your big idea and that is its own double edged sword. 

CBY: Todd, I know Eyes of Wakanda just dropped, and A.K., you’ve got ongoing responsibilities at the Harlem School of Arts. What can you both share about your work beyond the pages of comics? Mark, your comic work spans the industry; are there any projects you’re working on in other media formats you have in the works? 

TH: My life is mired in NDAs, but honestly at this point I’m just so happy to talk publicly about Eyes of Wakanda that nothing else really matters to me. Aside from that, there’s a few studio and creator-owned projects in film, television, and print that hopefully I can share with you in the near future.

MM: Currently I’m doing some Batman work for DC Comics inking the masterful Tony Daniel.  So good! I’m also working away on another creator owned project.  Now that I’ve gotten the bug to do the creator owned work, I have a bunch of ideas I want to get out there.

AKL: I have another creator-owned project I have been developing that is entering its next stage of production and is shaping up to be super dope. Besides that a little while back I had the privilege to work with Chesney Snow and Princeton University for their exhibition, “In the Company of Good Books: Shakespeare to Morrison” (they have an insane collection of work spanning centuries). I am currently working on another project with them now which is very exciting. This year also marked many big steps for the MaD department at HSA. Not the least of which was our comic book program working with Webtoon and Webtoon Artist Brent Bristol to create a mentorship, which was not only bespoke, but a truly incredible experience for the students. 

CBY: So now that we’ve given The Magical its due, we always wrap things up with an opportunity for creators to discuss unrelated work that has caught their attention lately. What other comics, films, music, literature, etc., is captivating you - what should our readers check out once they’ve given The Magical a look?

TH: Recently I was blown away by a short in Love Death and Robots called “How Zeke Found Religion.” Not only was it a fantastic interpretation of a short story, but an inspired translation of a comic book; illustrations into full animation.

MM: I have been reading a lot of comics the last few months and one of the very best things I’ve read is Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade from Boom Studios.  Just a unique and wonderful read.  Haven’t read anything quite like it ever.  And of course, I’ve been waiting patiently to watch Todd’s upcoming Eyes of Wakanda series.

AKL: I recently watched an animated series called Leviathan which I enjoyed immensely. It takes place in the opening moments of WWI, so they kinda had me from jump. Besides that, I, too, have been patiently waiting to watch Todd's new joint, lol. 

CBY: I think much of the comics community is right there with you all! Here at the close, if you’ve got any portfolio, publication or social media links to share, this is the place, and now is the time. Thank you all for joining us today! 

TH: Thank you so much. You can find my tiny shingle on Instagram @the_brocasso 

MM:  Thanks for having us!  You can find me @mark_morales11 on all the social medias and on markmorales.bigcartel.com

AKL: Thank you for inviting us to speak and share. You can find me on ig @a.k.lovelace

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