You’ve seen Raven battle her own inner (and outer) demons inTeen Titans: Raven.
You’re about to meet a new version of Gar in his own origin storyTeen Titans: Beast Boy.
Look at her smile!)
Credit: DC Entertainment
and some of the interior artwork below.
It was more like I thought it was a cute idea.
There is all this anticipation.
DC Entertainment
Also, they’re so fun to write.
We wanted to see them meet on the page too.
GABRIEL PICOLO:And theyre characters we both know so well at this point.
DC Entertainment
When did you realize you would actually get the chance to tell the story of Raven and Gars relationship?
GARCIA:It wasn’t until we were doingBeast Boy.
And then at one point, it was when we were at least halfway through, right?
DC Entertainment
PICOLO:Yeah, at some point in the middle of the book.
Then at some point in the middle of the book, it was greenlit.
Gabriel, the aesthetic of both Raven and Gars origin stories are so perfect for their individual styles.
DC Entertainment
How did you go about marrying their two distinct looks in the crossover?
What are you most excited to explore between their connection now that they’re finally going to meet?
GARCIA:They’re really fun to have together because they’re so different.
He wants to let people in, and Raven is nervous about that.
So having them come together with their powers is going to be exciting.
What are you getting to do with these characters thats never been done before?
GARCIA:We were given very much free reign.
The mandate was always to create teen characters who had superpowers but not superhero teens.
PICOLO:I’m a fan of these characters so seeing them interacting more in the comics is amazing.
And I’m drawing it, so thats great.
[Laughs]
What do you think is going to surprise fans about this graphic novel?
GARCIA:That it’s got a lot of friendship, as well as romance.
When they meet for the first time and have that spark, will they/won’t they?
Are they going to stay friends, are they going to get together?
If they like each other, are they going to admit it?
Are they going to open up to each other?
It’s like watching an actual relationship and romance evolve.
GARCIA:Our take is a bit more serious.
PICOLO:A bit more grounded.
And we want to show that underneath the humor there is a lot of other things going on.
He not only gets frustrated, he gets angry.
He can’t act as a foil for anyone.
The spotlight is completely on him.
For people who areTeen Titansfans and Gar fans, they’re going to love that.
It’s a real gift for people who are true fans of the character.
PICOLO:I couldnt have said it better!
Something that Gar struggles with a lot inTeen Titans: Beast Boyis body image anxiety.
Why did you want to focus on that issue with him?
For him, the biggest issue is not necessarily just his size, it’s that he looks young.
The part that he really gets upset about is that he feels like he doesn’t look his age.
That is a thing guys struggle with am I big enough?
Am I tall enough?
Do I have facial hair?
Do I look manly?
And we want to show that it’s fine to look young.
It’s fine to not be super buff.
We associate that with girls but it’s not just a thing that girls struggle with.
We all struggle with that.
PICOLO:He’s got double the problems too because his puberty is kicking in.
One day he realizes that he has a mustache but he also is turning into wolves.
It’s all this mess at the same time, so it’s even more confusing and complicated.
[Laughs] It’s not that different from suddenly turning into a wolf!
What are you most excited for people to see fromTeen Titans: Beast Boy?
GARCIA:Beast Boy has a very similar haircut to Gabriel’s.
Gabriel already had that hair!
PICOLO:[Laughs] Yeah, not going to lie!
