Everyone has that one book from their childhood that’s stuck with them for years. The characters and the lessons they learned stay with them far after they put the book down and get older. This is the sort of story that Jorge Corona is attempting to tell with his upcoming all-ages miniseries “Feathers” from Boom/Archaia.
“Feathers” is a sort of Dickensian tale about a young boy named Poe, who’s completely covered in feathers. Hidden away by his adoptive father Gabriel, Poe doesn’t have any friends or know much about the outside world other than what he’s able to see when he sneaks out when he’s supposed to be asleep. Bianca is the daughter of a wealthy family and has been sheltered much like Poe, though for different reasons. When the two meet, they pull one another into a journey that will forever change the both of them.
Read on as we chat with Jorge Corona about trying to build an all-ages book that stays true to the “all” portion, working on up to three books at once, the origins of “Feathers” years ago, and much more.
“Feathers” is your new miniseries from Boom/Archaia about a feathered boy who makes a friend for the first time. One really interesting bit that’s said in the press release is that this grew out from something you did as part of a project during your time at the Savannah College of Art and Design. What was the origins of “Feathers” at SCAD and what made it finally become fully fleshed out a couple years later?
Jorge Corona: Well, actually the concept and basic story for “Feathers” was something I had been playing with in my head for a few years, even before going to SCAD. The idea of the main cast, the message, and the world they lived in was all there. It was one of those projects that you keep in the back of your brain and try to give shape slowly sketching something here and there while you’re working on other things.
When I started my MFA at SCAD, one of the things I kept hearing was not to work on your baby (that story you’ve been nurturing for years) in class. Some people did and some people didn’t, but I always thought that was actually a very good point. When you go in to study Sequential Art you suddenly learn all these things about storytelling that you might have missed when you were first putting your story together.
So for the first year and a half I worked on new stories done specifically for assignments and projects within SCAD, trying to get a better grip in understanding how to tell a story effectively. It was on my second to last quarter that I decided to finally bring back those stories I was saving for when I thought I was “ready” and apply everything I had learn up until that point.
“Feathers”, that at the time was simply called “Poe”, was the story I most wanted to tell, and I thought it had a solid plot idea and character development. Now, SCAD has this wonderful thing called “Editor’s Day” where they invite editors from different publishers and have students go through portfolio reviews among other things, and the last one I was going to be able to attend before graduating was coming up. At the time I was taking a class for self-promotion and self-publishing which I thought was perfect for finally crafting a pitch package for “Poe”. Then it was just about revisiting all of those ideas I had for the character and shape them into, more or less, the story that’s going to come out next year. Within the class I made 5 sample pages of the book, the title logo, and the complete synopsis; I was ready to show it around.
Rebecca Taylor was an editor at Archaia I was lucky to meet a year before and that I had ran into in a couple conventions. I always loved the quality of the books published by Archaia and Rebecca was someone I really wanted to work with. Needless to say, she was one of the guest editors at SCAD and I had the opportunity to show and talk with her about the story. She loved the idea of the book and helped me with the process of getting it to Archaia. Since then, we’ve been working together for almost a year now and I couldn’t be happier or more thankful that she is part of the project.
Continued belowSo, even though the idea for “Feathers” was something that I had prior to my time at SCAD, the story and book that you will read would not have been possible without all the classes, professors, fellow students I met and learned from there; and later on with Rebecca and the people from Archaia/Boom who have been nothing but a pleasure to work with.
“Feathers” is an all-ages book, much like some of your work on “Teen Titans Go!”. What made you decide to go in that direction?
JC: I think between “Teen Titans Go!” and my work with “Goners” this book is somewhere in the middle, actually. I love working in all kinds of stories, but there is something about the books that you read when you’re young that I think stays with you over the years. “Feathers” is there to, hopefully, do just that.
The basic structure for “Feathers” is that of a fairy tale with a lot of elements of dark fantasy. The world of “Feathers” is not our world, it’s grounded on things similar to our own but it also has its own set of rules, it’s not New York or London but it asks from the reader that trust of letting them think that he or she is reading about a real place, and I think that is something that speaks to the kid in all of us. There is an underlying magic in the world of the Maze and City and in the characters of Poe and Bianca, they are the eyes of the younger audience, they will look at all with awe and, to some extent, innocence. They are the characters that will drive the story focusing on friendship, family, growing off age and becoming the person they want to be. But behind all that, there is also politics, social struggle, religion, and oppression that will become more palpable for an older audience.
I think, recently, shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender –a major influence in the kind of stories I like to tell- have proven that all-ages stories can go beyond the limits of just for kids and also be appealing to a wider demographic. And with “Feathers” I plan to take full advantage of that “all” part in all-ages.
In addition to “Feathers”, you’ve just had “Goners” debut from Image in October. I imagine that you’ve been working on both for some time, almost certainly with an overlap. While not terribly dark, “Goners” is a bit darker than I feel “Feathers” to be. How was it switching between the two projects as you worked on both, while maintaining the distinct tones?
JC: Ha! Yes, it’s been a balancing act. This past year was all about “Feathers”, “Goners”, and “Teen Titans Go!” all of them with very distinctive tones. Where one was more about the humor, the other one was more about the action, while at the same time the third one was about the world-building. It was a matter of finding what was fundamental to each project and kind of programing my brain for it every time I jumped from one to the other.
While is obvious that “Goners” has a darker tone right of the bat, “Feathers”, as the story progresses and the risks gets higher, also takes some dark tones with its characters. I think it was kind of like what a movie director would do working on different themed movies, trying to create a language unique to each but also finding what was similar so that my own style could come through.
I think the good thing about working on all these projects at the same time is that I was able to take the best of each and come out from it a better artist, or something like it, Ha!
Working with Jacob Semahn, who is a terrific writer by the way, has actually improved my writing for “Feathers”. And working with Alex Antone, the editor for “Teen Titans Go!”, along with all of the writers, has helped in creating a better work ethic and understanding of the teamwork and collaboration that happens in this industry.
Hopefully some of that has stuck with me in “Feathers” where I’ve been lucky enough to work with an incredible team of people.
Continued belowMost of your other comics work, as far as I can tell, has been with someone else doing the writing. How does it feel now to be both writing and drawing your own series? Does is present challenges that just being the artist does not, besides the obvious writerly aspects?
JC: It’s been nerve racking! Like you said, for most part, if not all, of my career in comics I’ve been responsible for the visual aspect of the story, now I’m taking the lead as the writer too and it’s been a lot of hard work and experimentation. I’ve always wanted to tell my own stories but the process is, in reality, incredibly intimidating, all responsibilities fall on you and where before I had the writer figure to kind of bounce ideas with and each person tackling it on different ends now it has to happen simultaneously and sometimes is not until everything is done and in paper that you see if it worked. This is where working with Rebecca Taylor and Mary Gumport at Archaia/Boom has really been lifesaving. Since the beginning I’ve been able to count on them to work on the story and make it the best book we can for the reader to enjoy. We also have Jen Hickman who is coloring the pages of the book and is making a beautiful job creating the palette for this world.
But, apart from the challenges it might have, it is also extremely rewarding to be able to tell your own story, it is still the product of a lot of teamwork but in the end is that idea you had that is now taking shape and is there for everyone to read and, hopefully, follow and love.
Poe, the central character in “Feathers”, is a small boy who’s completely covered in feathers and was found abandoned as a child. Whether he knows it or not, he seems to part of something much larger than his humble upbringing. What can you tell us about Poe, his past, and his childhood?
JC: Poe is a kid that has been sheltered his whole life. Gabriel, the man who found him and raised him like a son, is someone that has been beaten down by life in the Maze, and because of that he kept Poe away from the rest of the world thinking that an already harsh environment wouldn’t react too well to a boy as different as Poe.
His past is a mystery to him, and that has always made Poe very curious, he wants to learn about what’s out there and maybe that way learn more about who he is. In a way he also wants to find if there is a place where he belongs. At the same time, Gabriel’s warnings about the world have made Poe someone inherently afraid of other people, so even when he sneaks out away from his father he still feels safe only in the shadows.
It is only when he meets Bianca, a girl that has also been sheltered within the safety and apparent order of the City, that Poe will start to finally come out of his shell and become the person he is meant to be, and maybe in the process learn a little of where he came from.
Like you said Poe might be part of something much larger, and it might take a while for him, and us, to discover what that is, but it will be the journey he takes to get there what’ll truly define him.
You’ve already mentioned Bianca a couple of times. She’s the sheltered child of a wealthy family who Poe befriends one day, making her Poe’s first friend. She’s led a very different life than Poe, but I imagine there’s some similarities between the two. What makes her a good companion for Poe on his journey?
JC: They come from opposite sides of the world and where Bianca has had almost everything she could ever need or want Poe has been struggling to get by with the bare minimum, this obviously makes their points of view radically different but, like you said, that sheltered upbringing is a common ground and in a way, they have similar motivations. She comes from an overprotective family from the City and her contact with the outside world has always been very controlled, she shares Poe’s sense of curiosity but is not limited by fear like he is, instead she’s constantly rebelling in order to satisfy that need. It’s that quality in her that will lead to them actually meeting. She doesn’t see Poe as someone she would fear but actually she’s amazed by him and the way he looks.
Continued belowWith Poe reminded every day of the dangers that are out there and Bianca completely unaware of them they will complement each other in this adventure with Bianca being the one that pushes Poe out of his comfort zone in most of the cases, that’s what makes her so important and essential to Poe’s journey.
What I like about Bianca’s character is that this is her adventure as much as it is Poe’s; she’s not there just to tag along or be the damsel in distress. As the story progresses her motivations and comprehension of the world she lives in will change. She will help Poe grow but in the process she will grow too.
The Maze is something that I’m immediately fascinated by from the first issue, but still don’t have a whole lot of answers on. What is the Maze, how does it relate to the city, and what sort of life do the people in it live?
JC: The Maze and the City are two of the most important characters in “Feathers”, and I know that’s something very cliché to say nowadays, but in this story it is particularly true.
There’s little known about the Maze, the City has more of a record of its own history but the Maze is somewhat of a mystery. The streets of the Maze are the slums to the City and over the years the Maze has spread and grew to the point of almost swallowing it, with the Wall being the only thing in the way. How did it start and why has been lost from memory by the point the story begins.
The dynamic between the Maze and the City is rough to say the least. The people from the City remain closed behind the White Wall, they’re the aristocracy and the wealthy, the ones with power and the Guard to protect it; the only disadvantage is that they are surrounded by the Maze. In the Maze life is harsh, a constant struggle to survive; overpopulated with most, if not all, of the supplies going straight to the City; that has created resentment between them. These are two groups of people that have not learned how to live with each other, and the City and Maze really embody that notion.
Even though for the most part we will keep the point of view from the kids’ perspective the reader will notice that there are bigger things happening behind stage, some are more grounded while others are more fantastical, and that is particularly true in the Maze. Poe is not the only secret the Maze holds and, in this book, some of those secrets will come to light while others will remain in shadows.
Poe’s adopted father is Gabriel, who seems to be something of a scavenger in the Maze. Gabriel has led a less than ideal life, from the look of things, but still has a lot of love to give Poe. We get a pretty good idea of how he fits into Poe’s life, but it seems that he might play a role in the larger actions of the story. How so?
JC: By this point it is safe to say that almost nothing is what it seems at the beginning, and Gabriel is no different. His past has left him scarred and naturally distrustful of everyone else. When he finds Poe he sees someone who is vulnerable and that makes Gabriel relate to him. He decides to take care of the boy and protect him; this means that he might keep things from Poe if he thinks they could hurt him. It’s within these secrets that Gabriel’s true role comes into play, but it might take a while for everyone to find out what they are.
It seems like there’s a sort of stigma, almost, about all-ages books with some of the comic community at large. They don’t understand that “all” part of all-ages and just assume these books are something less than the “more mature and grown-up” books that they’re used to reading. Are you hoping to maybe change a few minds with “Feathers”?
JC: Haha, don’t know about changing minds but I do think “Feathers” is done in a way that there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Lately I think that there’s a preconception in comics and other media that “mature” means “dark”, and the darker something is then it’s obviously more mature. With all-ages books there is only so much dark you can go without running into problems, and the idea of these books is to actually appeal to a wider demographic. This does not mean that the content is just for kids or that only younger audience will enjoy, it just means that they too will find the story compelling while a more grown-up reader will also notice topics and situations that are directed at them.
It is a game of layers, I think, and hopefully I’ve played it well enough to add enough layers in the story to keep people from different ages interested.
