Justin Roiland & Tess Stone Talk Comics (+Exclusive Sneak Peek @ Issue 2!)
FAT NEWS DROP! We’re just two days away from the Trover Saves the Universe #1 comic launch at your favorite local and online book stores. Hours from now, you can hold this precious comic in your tender hands. Caress it, bathe with it, tuck it into your pillowcase, or send it to an international pen-pal as a foreign good.
No matter what you end up doing, you don’t want to miss out this exclusive insight from the creators breathing life into the comical universe: Justin Roiland and Tess Stone. That’s right, we’re squeezing every droplet of their creative juices and serving up a zesty Squanch Blog exclusive, dishing all the best details behind Trover’s new adventure into the cosmos.
They’ve got a lot to say, and you better listen.
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Squanch Blog (SB): Justin, you obviously have a background in art and animation. and Tess as well as an author. What was it about comics specifically that made them the right avenue to tell this new story?
Justin Roiland (JR): I tossed [Skybound] this idea and [they’re] like, “Yes, yeah, absolutely.” And then I was excited because they do a really good job of finding awesome artists to bring on, and this is no exception. Tess killed it. And really fast too.
Comics are really like a low stakes way of just building worlds out, getting really good ideas, fleshed out stories, character ideas, all kinds of stuff, you know?
SB: What better way to communicate a story visually than with a comic series? Justin created this world of Trover Saves the Universe and Tess, it’s now been your job to help continue telling the story in this new format. How did you guys work together to tell a story in a way that was authentic to you both?
Tess Stone (TS): All I have to say is I just tried really hard and hope people like this!
JR: My philosophy for a lot of stuff is just partner with really talented people and let them just go nuts.
And by and large I read [the drafts] and was like “Yeah, these are great! Approved, approved, approved–to everything." I'm letting Tess just kind of build this world and have fun with it.
TS: So much has been a lot of fun. And don’t worry, I always want more Trover-lore even if I'm not changing anything. You can give me a little bit of Trover-lore and I'll take it!
SB: The comic is about to drop, so people have yet to be introduced to a couple of all new characters, including Klover and Bo. So what are they like? What's their dynamic? What type of humor can people expect from them?
TS: Klover and Bo are personal messes of mine that I created to enjoy to along this ride. I always liked characters that are hot disasters. And so that's kind of what they are–hot disasters completely two different ways. They definitely have that, ‘start off by yelling at each other and then they want to become friends–they think that they can later.’ It's just a fun dynamic of me getting to write characters who start off yelling at each other, meaning the mean things they said, and then ending it hopefully still saying the same things, but with affection at the end. It's that sort of friendship.
SB: Definitely! And the people reading this comic, maybe it’s a Trover fan, a general comic book fan, a collector, or possibly someone seeing Trover for the first time. No matter who’s picking up the issue, why should they read it? What makes it special?
TS: I think that everybody that worked on it had a really good time. And I think that can be infectious and hopefully you will enjoy it and that can be spread that way.
SB: I know readers will be able to buy multiple cover variants of the first issue, two of which are by both of you. Did you work together to collaborate on the art or do they each tell their own independent, fun story as cover art?
JR: It’s just fun. Tess will do a handful of thumbnail options and we'll definitely weigh in on our favorites.
I think Tess’ covers are a bit more woven into what's going on in that particular issue.
SB: The people love Trover. Is there anything special that the comic reveals about him that we don't necessarily get in the game. Personality-wise? Visually? Maybe he’s wearing some sort of funky costume we’ve never seen before.
TS: I try not to touch Trover too much out of respect! I hopefully integrated him in a way that people can enjoy. He’s pretty great.
JR: He’s the storyteller!
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And there you have it, folks. Trover is an icon even in print form. But alas, we couldn’t leave you hanging without a little something extra to brag to your friends about! So if you’ve read this far, consider yourself The Chosen Ones. Take a gander at this Squanch Games special feature for all you blog clickers that’s sure to make your screens explode...queue the drumroll...an exclusive look at ISSUE #2!
Now that’s fire content worthy of your eyeballs.
August 4th, support your local comic book shops by giving them your dollars on drop day! Not sure which stores have stock? We got you. Head to comicshoplocator.com to discover more businesses near you. Give ‘em a ring, then give ‘em your dollars.
