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Tim Probert Promises Adventure Throughout a Land Without a Sun in “Bea & Cad”

By | April 27th, 2018
Posted in Interviews | % Comments

Later this year, First Second will release the debut graphic novel from Tim Probert, an animator at Aardman Animation North as well as contributor to Kazu Kibuishi’s “Amulet” series. Titled “Bea & Cad,” this all ages story takes place on a fantasy world without a sun. It follows our heroes as they set out to find Bea’s kidnapped grandfather and unravel the mystery of what happened to Cad’s lost people.

We had a chance to talk with Probert about the upcoming book.

To start, could you introduce yourself and how you got involved in comics?

Tim Probert: I’m Tim Probert, an illustrator in New York. I’ve been working in illustration and animation professionally for a while, where I’ve done a lot of storytelling work. But comics have been something I’ve just done for myself, usually silly little things or dumb jokes. The appeal of comics has always been being able to tell a story of any scale and any style, and the only limit being your patience and imagination.

I do a lot of storyboarding, so moving into comics has felt pretty natural. As far as getting involved in comics more seriously, I helped paint some backgrounds on “Amulet” 6 and 8 and learned a ton about producing a large scale graphic novel working with Kazu Kibuishi and Jason Caffoe, two wonderful and gracious people. This book for First Second is my first step into doing my own comic on a big scale.

What can you tell us about the book? How did it come about? What was it about this story that was most exciting for you?

TB: The book is a fantasy adventure that takes place in Irpa, a world that has lost its sun. The story follows two friends, Beatrice and Cadwallader, who are thrown together by unexpected circumstances. Bea is smart, tough and curious, but also pretty anxious, while Cad is bold and full of bravado which is often misplaced. They are searching for Bea’s kidnapped grandfather, the Pig Wizard, who Cad hopes can lead him to his long lost people.

I came up with the characters of Bea and Cad about five years ago and they’ve been bouncing around my head ever since. The story and world around them has changed and grown, but these two and their friendship has always been there. I’ve been drawn to this idea of them not being ‘special’ – not chosen ones, or royalty, or prophesied. They become heroes because no one else will. They’re flawed and overmatched in pretty much every way but their optimism and determination. That’s been a story I’ve wanted to tell and has always been exciting to me and hopefully to others.

What were you looking at when developing the book? 

TB: Lots of things! Life experience is a big one, especially for character stuff. Bea and Cad are both very much a part of me, and I’m pulling from myself and my relationships. I have plenty of anxiety and that was always something I wanted to get into the story, an overactive brain holding you back from doing things you want. For instance, I hate flying, but I love seeing new places. So I’ve managed to do a bit of traveling recently and seen some really beautiful stuff. The difficulty of getting on a plane and the reward of amazing things on the other side, all that stuff finds a way into the story.

Then there’s also things that made a big impact on me when I was younger and stuck around in my imagination. Books like Redwall, the Chronicles of Prydain, and Dinotopia; games like Zelda and Final Fantasy; endless buckets of Legos, classics like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. These days I try and read and see and watch lots of things and absorb as much as I can.

How did you get involved with First Second? How did working with a major publisher change your usual way of cartooning?

TB:  I got involved with First Second through Andrew Arnold, who is Associate Art Director there. I’ve been working with Andrew on middle grade novels for years and when he moved over to First Second he asked if I had any ideas for comics. I sent my pitch for “Bea & Cad” and it went from there.

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I have only good things to say about working with First Second. It’s my first chance to do something like this on a bigger scale and they’ve been super supportive and helpful. If anything has changed, it’s just that I’m more focused and have a clear goal. I couldn’t be happier to be working with them on this project.

You’ve worked for Aardman Nathan Love for a while, how do you think those experiences helped influence this project or yourself in the process of making this project?

TB: Aardman Nathan Love is a great place to work. I have learned a ton and grown as an artist in my time there. It’s full of inspiring, talented people and I feel like I learn something from them everyday.

On top of all that, Joe Burrascano, the founder and head of ANL, and I worked together on “Bea & Cad” for a while. It was an earlier version that we were developing for animation. Though it didn’t go that route, it was an important and influential time for the project and for me. Joe’s a thoughtful and generous guy and working with him has always pushed myself to be a better artist, storyteller and person.

Finally, what are you most excited for people to see with this?

TB: I’m excited for people to see the world of Irpa and hang out with Bea and Cad! I hope they like exploring, discovering, and getting into trouble with these two goofballs.

 


Matthew Garcia

Matt hails from Colorado. He can be found on Twitter as @MattSG.

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