Eowulf Wegmund comes from a long line of monster hunters, descending all the way back to Beowulf himself. Her Summer vacation was spent battling evil gods and saving an army of unicorns alongside her friend, Nico Bravo. Things that don’t typically happen in the New Jersey suburb her family resides in now. Her mom won’t even let her bring her talking sword to school! But when monsters start showing up in town, her and local jerk Amadeus Hornburg must unearth long buried secrets. That’s what readers can expect from “Eowulf: Of Monsters & Middle School,” written and drawn by “Nico Bravo” creator Mike Cavallaro.
Cavallaro is a prolific creator, having studied at the Kubert School. He serves in the faculty of the School of Visual Arts and is a member of the National Cartoonists Society. Along the way, he’s dabbling in both animation and music.
We sat down with Cavallaro.to talk about updating folkloric heroes for the modern era, how “Eowulf” stands as part of the greater “Nico Bravo” universe, and finding time for D&D. We’d like to thank him for his time.
This book is part of the Nico Bravo universe. What was the inspiration for spinning this story out of that series?
MC: Eowulf is an important character in the first two “Nico Bravo” books, but we don’t see her in the third volume, “Nico Bravo and the Trial of Vulcan.” So I had always planned that book 4 would be an Eowulf solo adventure that told where she was while all that was going on. As I worked on it I started to understand the difference between a Nico story and an Eowulf story. A Nico story takes place behind the scenes in hidden dimensions and out of the way places. But Eowulf has a foot in both the mythical and mundane realms, so her adventures must have repercussions in the real world. It was an opportunity to show a whole new side to the “Nico Bravo” universe, and my editor, Mark Siegel, encouraged me to explore all that, so here we are.
How do you think “Eowulf” stands on its own?
MC: It functions perfectly on its own, but if you read the Nico books I think you’ll get even more out of it. I grew up reading comic books off the newsstands at a time when the thinking was, “every issue is someone’s first.” They did a marvelous job making long-running stories make at least some sense no matter when you joined in. I always loved those references to previous issues that made me go, “wait, WHAT?” and then feel I had to track that down and read it! I’d like to think there’s some of that here. Hopefully it makes you want to read Eowulf’s journey from where it began in the first “Nico Bravo” book, but you don’t have to (but you should.) But yeah, it’s up to you (but you really should…)
The book pulls from various mythologies at different points. Is it a challenge to modernize folkloric heroes, particularly when these stories have been told and retold for centuries? Or is that part of the fun?
MC: It’s definitely part of the fun and has been all along. My approach to the mythical figures has always been to ask myself, “What are they up to now?” The characters from myth and legend all come with such rich personalities, the answer to that is always interesting and hilarious.
Favorite Sentry?
MC: Ha, that’s a great question! I mean…The Berserker, a.k.a. Deowulf Wegmund, all the way. But that’s probably because he’s so much more developed than his teammates. A close second would be Fighting Spirit, a.k.a. Lance Lakeland, Sr., who embodies Camelot’s enduring quest for justice. I can imagine some good standalone stories with him…
Outside of the high fantasy (with a bit of sci-fi and superhero flair), many of the themes are very much grounded in the middle school age experience (the cycle of bullying, parental issues, etc.). Is there a challenge in balancing themes with the action/adventure?
MC: I write very intuitively. I start out with a few ideas, some things I want to say, and then try to let the characters steer the ship. If you’ve ever had one of those arguments when, hours later, you’re still having that argument in your head, both you and the other person are saying new things with new responses, you’re not even aware you’re doing it, and it seems so real you forget where you are at the moment, that’s writing. That’s the headspace I try to get into. I want the character voices to come alive, say what they need to say, and let that guide the story.
Continued belowWhen you do this, things can veer far and wide from whatever you had planned. You become even more reliant on those character voices and the whole thing can start to feel like a giant, shapeless, terrifying, balancing act. It’s not always clear whether you’re succeeding or failing until you reach the end. “Of Monsters & Middle School” brought together so many different elements, I really did find it difficult to navigate at times. When the path forward is unclear, you just lean on those characters, let them speak their truths, and you should come out the other side in good shape. That’s how I’ve written all the books in the “Nico” series so far.
The colors are great! Well, all the art is… but subtle changes in palettes and shading communicate things like flashbacks and training room holograms in effective ways. How would you describe your partnership with Irene Yeom?
MC: Well, thanks for that on behalf of Irene and myself. That really is the fundamental job of coloring. It’s the “soundtrack” of the comic, perfect for conveying all those subtleties that are difficult to render in the line art. Fortunately, Irene is a wildly accomplished illustrator herself who is hard at work right now on her own graphic novel series, so she had this well in hand. She came to Eowulf having the previous three books as a guide, but knowing she was free to add her own spin, which she did. When I look at it, I see sequences that are familiar in regards to Nico’s world, and then others rendered in ways I never would have thought of myself, adding a lot of sophistication, but all sitting comfortably side-by-side. Trusting each other was the key. Embrace those things that worked before, but leave the door open to treat new things in different ways.
How has it been working with First Second?
MC: UGH! It’s so difficult!
NO, JUST KIDDING! I’ve worked with so many publishers over the years, several of which no longer even exist. Not all of those have been great. But I love working with Mark Siegel, he knows that, and First Second is home. We don’t always agree on everything, I don’t think it’s normal or necessary to do that, I’m an Italian Scorpio, after all, but First Second is Family.
Any future plans for “Eowulf” and the Nico Bravo universe? I hear a rumor there may be a Dreamworks film in the works…
MC: Well, I think that’s where the Comics art form is right now. There’s a lot of attention on what we make nowadays, which might also be true for publishing in general, I guess. I’d love to see Nico’s world grow and grow until it encompasses our entire reality in a marshmallowy grip of dominance and influence, mwahahahaha! But I’m not a filmmaker myself and can’t control what happens. If I could, I would have done that a long time ago. All I can do is make comics, so my plan is to keep doing that as long as someone lets me.
A certain World’s Greatest Role-Player Game Currently in its Fifth Edition plays a part in the story. Are you a big TTRPG guy?
MC: When I was around 12 years old, my best friends and I were obsessed with D&D, with campaigns that went on for weeks and weeks. It made such a gigantic impact on me, my sense of storytelling and creativity, that although I haven’t played in years, I still feel like I just played yesterday. If I could, I’d jump at the chance to get in on a game with a group of friends, but like…I’m already late on the next “Eowulf” book! There aren’t enough hours in the day…
“Eowulf: Of Monsters & Middle School” is available now in print and digital from First Second. You can learn more about Mike Cavallaro from his website.
