I was privileged enough to get a chance to talk to Joshua and Jonathan Luna—more commonly known as the Luna Brothers—about their most recent project together for Image Comics: The Sword. The brothers answer some pressing questions about themselves, their work, and most importantly, The Sword! Plus, a teaser of what’s to come.

A good friend of mine introduced me to a series that at the moment has ten issues under its belt—a little comic called The Sword. And boy, am I glad he did! This “little” comic is absolutely fantastic and highly enjoyable. Its originality in both its art and writing is genuine, and the faces behind the comic, Joshua and Jonathan Luna—who are responsible for the story/concept as well as the writing and art, respectively—never fail to keep the story fresh and interesting.

I’m crazy about the comic so far, so I just had to see if I could get in contact with the brothers for an interview. Before I knew it, I was in (big thanks to Image Comics), and the brothers and I had an interview underway …

WITA: Before we get to The Sword, let’s talk a little about you guys and your work. You both graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with BFAs [Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees] in Sequential Art, correct? When did you two start drawing, and how was it that you both got involved in art in the first place? What sparked your interest and talent in it?

Josh:  We started pretty early—around when we were toddlers.  Back then, we didn’t have PS3, internet, cool DVDs or all the cool things kids today have access to.  Just GI Joes and pencil and paper.  So, we learned to entertain ourselves and be creative, and drawing and telling stories was something that we really enjoyed.  Then, we naturally gravitated towards sequential art (comic strips, picture books, comic books) because that particular medium combined the two elements we loved—words and images.  So, from an early age, we pretty much knew this what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives.

Jonathan:  Right—I guess we were subconsciously drawn to comics, because the first things we did was staple paper together and made stories in them, using sequential art.

WITA: Now, you’ve both collaborated on some previous creator-owned comics before, so your current title, The Sword, isn’t your first project together. You’ve also written and drawn the art for Girls and Ultra. I would imagine as brothers that you two already have an understanding, a connection between you two—does that make it easier to collaborate on a comic, and did being siblings influence your decision to do so?

Jonathan:  As brothers, I do think it makes it a little easier to collaborate.  Our line of communication is probably more on the same wavelength.  So, not only is it easier, but I think our work is stronger for it.  We’re more able to be honest with each other, and that’s always great when it comes to trying to improve everything we do.

Wanting to do comics together was almost an unspoken thing.  Again, we’ve been drawing since we were children, so we always talked of creating different story ideas over the years.  It was just a matter of time that it happened.

WITA: All right, on to The Sword. Joshua, you’re responsible for the writing, and Jonathan, you do the art and cover. Taking a look at your past work—especially your work together—you two seem to gravitate toward those roles, respectively. Is there a particular reason for that? I mean, do you like tackling the writing more, Joshua—and the same thing goes with you, Jonathan, with art? Or did you guys work out an agreement about who would do what, or …?

Josh:  When we first began submitting to Image, I was actually interested in taking on the art chores, because I’ve always considered myself a penciler, before a writer, but I had a full-time job, so I knew I wouldn’t have had time to do it.  It made more sense if Jon did the art and I took on the scripts.  I love writing, but now that I’m doing comics full-time, I would like to start drawing again, as well.

Jonathan:  Yeah, we’re both artists, primarily.  I just did the art because Josh didn’t have the time, and I’m a little faster.  We both work on the plot together, but Josh is stronger when it comes to scripting.

WITA: You guys have had some really unique ideas before—and that definitely goes for The Sword and its ten issues so far. How did you two come up with this story, and what made you to want to pursue it?

Jonathan:  We’ve always wanted to tell a revenge story with some twists.  We like the idea of a powerful sword in modern day.  We also like the idea of seeking vengeance from god-like beings.

WITA: For our readers who may not be familiar with The Sword, it’s about a girl named Dara Brighton whose entire life changes when she finds the said sword in the title, which has legendary, magical properties that gives the wielder superhuman powers. Swords have always fascinated me—I’m a big fantasy lover; the sword of Damocles from Greek mythology keeps coming to mind. Of course, there’s no mention of Damocles in the comic, and no doubt this sword is different, but Greek mythology does weave itself throughout the series. Why a sword, and why Greek mythology for this story?

Josh:  I’ve always been interested in reading stories about ancient, mystical objects with really rich mythologies, such as Excalibur, the holy grail, the ring (from Lord of the Rings), and so on.  And I also am a fan of Greek mythology, as well.  Though, in the story, even though the origins of the sword come from Greece, we try to avoid getting specific about already established mythologies because we don’t want to influence the reader with stories and characters they’ve already read about.  The Sword is our take on myth. We want to create our own.

WITA: There’s always a sketch before each issue begins. Of course, Dara has impressive artistic ability, so the sketches fit with her as a character. How do you decide what to draw for these sketches before each issue begins? I mean, is there a reason each particular sketch is in a particular issue, or are they just meant to be fragments of Dara’s life and memories that reveal a little more about her each time?

Jonathan:  Each sketch is definitely not random—they all have some meaning with each issue.  In deciding what to do for the sketches, we just look at the all the themes that each issue portrays, and work from there.  The sketches are a lot of fun for me.

Josh:  Also, not only are the sketches relevant to each issue, but at the end of the story, a deeper, even bigger meaning to them will be revealed.  How’s that for a tease?

WITA: When you started writing The Sword, did you have it all laid out with the ending in mind, or are you working it out as you go … What kind of process do you have?

Josh:  Well, we definitely had the ending planned when we started The Sword.  Personally, I think it’s always best to know your ending before you even write the first page.  That way, every piece of art and dialogue is feeding that big payoff, making it a stronger, more rewarding story.  But did we have the entire story planned?  Oh, God no.  We plotted out benchmarks and we know what’s going to happen to every character, but we give ourselves enough wiggle room to keep it organic and make it entertaining to create.  Knowing everything would just be boring. The writing process, to me, is pretty much like life.  We all know we’re going to die.  How it happens and what we do in the meantime, we work it out as we go.

Jonathan:  [Laughs]  How morbid.

WITA: I love the memories from Dara’s past spliced throughout the story, and I got the impression with the later issues, especially, that they’re definitely building up to something crucial. Am I getting warm there; if so, is there something you can tell us about that—or about Dara’s character development and growth in general?

Jonathan:  Dara’s memories are basically a way to get to know her family better.  More importantly, they fuel her into going after her family’s god-like murderers.

WITA: [This question is a favor to my friend John who is also a big fan of The Sword.] You two are both guys, but you have many female characters in The Sword. What are some of your influences in being able to speak from a female’s perspective; what are your inspirations for examining that perspective?

I know our female readers of the site would be interested in your thoughts on that, as well.

Josh:  Well, obviously, I’m a female trapped in a man’s body.  No, I’m joking.  Honestly, we didn’t think it was a big deal that we were depicting a good number of female characters in our stories until people started telling us that it was weird to see that in comics.  I personally enjoy writing both genders equally—so, choosing which sex each character will be is never really a matter of personal bias or “girls vs guys.”  It’s all about what works best for the story.  My influences include basically every female I’ve ever come in contact with—mother, aunts, friends, ex-girlfriends, co-workers, etc.  But even then, I never actively try to portray a gender.  It’s more important for me to accurately portray a human being. 

WITA: You guys are the masters of cliffhangers. It’s great that every issue ends on a powerful note. This last issue (#10) suggests that in the next issue, Dara and Zakros and going to really duke it out. Is there something you can give us a teaser for the next issue, or what we can expect to see later on—something to hook people into reading The Sword?

Josh:  A teaser … hmm.  Something happens to Dara in issue #11 that you probably aren’t expecting.  I can’t guarantee that you’ll crap your pants, but you may come pretty darn close.  As for those who haven’t read The Sword yet, you should give it a read.  There’s a payoff in the end that makes me confident enough to actually give that crap-in-your-pants guarantee.  So, check it out and have a blast!

Jonathan:  The Sword #11 is in stores Sep.17.08.  So, don’t worry, your wait isn’t too much longer!

WITA: Thanks for your time, guys! I really appreciate it and I’m looking forward to the next issue!

You can find out more about the brothers, The Sword, and their other work on their website. The first volume of The Sword (Vol. 1 Fire), which collects the first six issues, is available in stores now. And look out for issue #11, which as Jonathan mentioned, releases next Wednesday.

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