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We were recently lucky enough to chat with writer Chynna Clugston Flores about her fantastic work on Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy #1. As well, the kind folks over at BOOM! Studios have graciously provided us with an extended look at the first issue, just in case you were still on the fence about whether you should check it out or not. Protip: you should.
But if by now you’ve read through Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy #1, then hopefully you’ve come to understand just how much fun is sewn throughout this comic. This is, of course, thanks in no small part to the amazing efforts of Clugston Flores, who wrote such a brilliant crossover setup for these two ostensibly very different franchises. Below, we chat with Clugston Flores about what it was like to get the go-ahead for the series and about the creative process.
Jessica Lachenal (TMS): When you got the nod that you were going to write a crossover for two major titles, what was going through your head? What was it like to hear that news?
Chynna Clugston Flores: I was psyched! They’re two titles I love, so to have the opportunity to work on both of them simultaneously in a crossover was completely unexpected! Especially in a crossover that hadn’t been attempted before. They were characters that I’d been wanting to draw, too, so getting to do one of the variant covers was an extra bonus!
TMS: What was it like to work with two major publishers while writing this crossover? Each of them obviously has a strong stake in how their characters are represented, did that make it difficult for you at all?
Clugston Flores: Naturally anything involving two publishers with set ideas about each property is going to have certain parameters that you have to work within and sometimes get creative about, but I haven’t found it too difficult in this case, luckily! Editorial has been infinitely helpful. Additionally I worked as an assistant editor several years back and have also drawn licensed books before, so I had a good idea of what to expect in this kind of situation!
TMS: How did you merge the two different tones of each series? Looking at the amazing preview, they seem to harmonize well, which is something I never thought would be possible.
Clugston Flores: I felt like it was a balance of yin and yang with these groups — the Academy kids coming from the gritty, danger-filled city of Gotham and being a much moodier crowd, with the Lumberjanes’ sunshiny attitudes and deceptively tranquil camp setting (tranquil until you realize it’s beset by monsters and all kind of weirdness all the time). Even with these opposite backdrops and general dispositions, I felt that they complimented each other in more ways than they clash. Especially since they both encounter the supernatural, or what initially appears to be supernatural, on a regular basis. Both sets of teens are unique and gifted in their own way, they all stand out from the crowd. With that common ground I felt like it wouldn’t be too difficult for them to find a way to harmonize overall in a larger group, even if a couple of the characters initially rub each other the wrong way.
TMS: The stakes seem pretty high right out the gate here, and you waste no time setting the pace. Given such a limited space with which to work, how hard was it to establish these characters in this crossed over universe? Was it difficult at all?
Clugston Flores: I didn’t feel like it was too terribly difficult, they all have such highly developed personalities that blend well that I felt comfortable getting those characteristics across right away without it feeling too forced, at least in my view. I hope others will agree! We all felt it would be best to hit the ground running since it is a relatively large cast to be working with. I’m very happy with the pacing.
TMS: Which Lumberjane and/or Gotham Academy student do you most identify with, if any?
Clugston Flores: I’d probably go with Mal from Lumberjanes. Like her I’m not terrified of every little thing, but I’m hyper aware of just about anything that could possibly go wrong at any given moment and worry about it more than most people would. Doesn’t mean I won’t go and fight jerk monsters that threaten my friends, though!
TMS: If you could go to camp with the Lumberjanes or spend a summer with the Gotham Academy kids, which would you choose? Why?
Clugston Flores: I think I’m probably too sarcastic for the Lumberjanes, and as much as I love them, they’d likely vote for me to move to another cabin with my unwillingness to participate in group activities, snarkiness and intense disapproval of macrame and encountering carnivorous animals that run faster than I do. I’d most likely be with the Gotham kids in the city, hanging out reading weird books and listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees or exploring dilapidated old buildings next to graveyards by the light of a lantern. Which incidentally is pretty close to what I do on average anyway.
Lumberjanes Gotham Academy #1 is out on shelves now!
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