Joshua and Jonathan Luna: Ultra, Girls and Spider-Woman
By Rik Offenberger
There aren't many brother teams in comics,
Joshua and Jonathan Luna are part of that
unique brotherhood. They have had success
in all there endeavors to date from Ultra to
Girls. Coming up this month the Luna Brothers
are entering the Marvel Universe with
Spider-Woman. Before the first issue
reaches the stands the Brothers took time
to answer a few questions for the
Second String Sanctuary.
Rik Offenberger: How did Ultra come about?
Joshua Luna: Whenever we start a new story, Jon and I discuss concepts, themes, and storylines we want to explore, and we just run with them, and let them evolve into whatever it evolves into. And that’s how we came up with Ultra. I make it sound easier than it sounds, but like anything else, it’s a process.
Rik: How did you get Image interested in publishing Ultra?
Joshua: We just sent them the standard submission
package: five sample sequential pages and a typed, one
page, story synopsis. They expressed interest a month or so afterwards.
Rik: What was the thinking behind using magazine covers
Joshua: We definitely wanted Ultra to be somewhat
grounded in reality. So, we basically ran with that
mindset, and thought, if superheroes were real, in our
celebrity crazed culture; we’re guessing it wouldn’t be
gorgeous movie stars, or pop tartlets gracing the front
page of popular magazines. It’d be gorgeous people in
Rik: Did Ultra do well enough for a sequel?
Joshua: We were actually urged to do a sequel,
but Ultra was always meant to be a finite story.
In fact, the story was done in such a finite way
that a sequel would almost contradict it.
Rik: Ultra is getting some international reprints,
how does that come about?
Jonathan Luna: A handful of foreign publishers
will be reprinting Girls and Ultra. They contact
Image, pay fees for rights, and they do their thing.
It’s relatively easy on our side. So far, we’ve seen
Delcourt’s French version of Ultra. It’s beautiful.
Rik: You are currently working on Girls at Image, what is [it] about?
Joshua: Girls is about a small town bachelor named
Ethan Daniels, who has trouble dealing with the opposite
sex. One night he meets a mystery girl who changes his
life, the town, and quite possibly the world. That’s the
abridged version. Everything that happens next would
probably spoil the story.
Rik: Do you prefer comics with a female lead?
Joshua: If the character is interesting enough, gender is
pretty much secondary. But yes, I do have a weakness
for a strong female lead.
Rik: When was the decision to change Girls from a mini-series to an ongoing series?
Joshua: When we decided we needed more time to develop the story properly. It’s an ongoing that will last two years, so it has a definite ending. We wouldn’t keep something going for the sake of keeping it going.
Rik: How did you get the Spider-Woman assignment?
Jonathan: Brian Bendis called me up one day, told me
he was doing a Spider-Woman book and asked if I
was interested in doing the art. I wanted to say yes
immediately, but it took some time to figure out whether
or not I could pencil, ink, and color two books each
month. Eventually we figured it out and I said yes.
Rik: Has the Spider-Woman assignment increased
interest in Girls?
Joshua: I’m sure it doesn’t hurt but that’s probably a little
difficult to gauge for us.
Rik: Usually you two do the entire comic without anyone
else involved in the story. What is it like to work with
Brian Michael Bendis & Brian Reed?
Jonathan: It’s really not too different for me. I get the
script, Josh lays the pages out as he does with Girls, and
I get to work. I guess the biggest difference is the speed
of communication. Bendis and Reed aren’t as accessible
as Josh is, being in the same room with me.
Rik: Are you working with a full script or is this plot/script?
Jonathan: I’m working with a full script for both books.
Rik: Had you been a Spider-Woman fan prior to taking
the assignment?
Jonathan: The first time I’ve ever heard of Spider-Woman
was when she appeared in Alias. Now, she’s probably
my favorite Marvel character ever. At least next to Spider-Man.
Rik: How much artistic freedom does Marvel give you?
Jonathan: A lot I think. Of course, I can’t do anything too crazy, but I do the covers, pencils, inks, and colors. Besides the lettering, I have complete control of the imagery.
Rik: Although Jonathan is the only one on Marvel
solicitations, I assume that Joshua is doing layouts?
Jonathan: The solicitations do mention us as “The Luna
Rik: What can you tell us about Spider-Woman that the
Jonathan: My lips are tied. Sorry.
Rik: Is this a one time deal at Marvel, or do you have another project lined up after Spider-Woman?
Jonathan: It’s too early to tell. Sorry again.
Rik: Do you have anything else lined up at any other publishers?
Joshua: Not at the moment.
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Rik Offenberger has spent the last several years running the Super Hero News service, and in his free time he interviews comic book creators. He has been published both online and in print, with his work appearing in The Comics Buyers Guide, Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, the Second String Sanctuary, Silver Bullet Comicbooks and Newsarma. He maintains his own website at MightyCrusaders.net.
