Did you read our Kickstart This feature on Day of the Dead Girl, written by AJ Mendez and Aimee Garcia with art from Belén Culebras?
Here’s the rundown:
This hardback book collects the first four issues of the Day of the Dead Girl comic book, written by New York Times bestselling author AJ Mendez (Crazy Is My Superpower) and acclaimed actress Aimee Garcia (Dexter), with gorgeous illustrations by Spanish artist Belén Culebras.
Fans won’t want to miss this exciting new campaign, which also includes a dust jacket variant with art by Coffin Comics artist Sorah Suhng, a Kickstarter Exclusive cover of #1 by artist Joel Gomez (La Muerta), a Black Edition Slipcase version, signed versions, a Bonus Comic with behind-the-scenes material, original art commissions, and much more!
AJ Mendez and Aimee Garcia were kind enough to answer some questions via email about the Day of the Dead Girl Kickstarter, the history of the book, their writing process, and more!
Andy Burns: Aimee and AJ, congratulations on Day of the Dead Girl already hitting its Kickstarter target! You both must be thrilled. How are you feeling about fans’ reactions to the book?
AJ: We were buzzing like children on too much sugar. I was genuinely going to be psyched if we hit a couple hundred bucks the first day, but we ended up getting fully funded in hours, and two hundred percent funded in one day. It was really moving to see this story and art connect to people so strongly.
Aimee: My mind was blown. I felt like offering each person who pledged my kidney. The fans have responded so positively to the comic. It warms my heart that readers thanked us for honoring Latino culture and community. AJ and I poured our hearts into these pages and it was beyond rewarding to see fans wowed by Belén’s drawings and Dearbhla’s colors and, also, connect with Sam and her bruja mother.
Andy Burns: Why did going the Kickstarter route make sense for the hardcover of Day of the Dead Girl?
Aimee: Kickstarter plants the seeds for a passionate on-line community. It’s a platform that creates a virtual, global familia. AJ and I have fans from all over the world who appreciate learning how the sausage is made. Lucifer fans, for example, enjoyed the behind-the-scenes videos I shot on set. Kickstarter provides that opportunity for fans – to peek behind the curtain and learn what inspired AJ and I to write this story. It also gives readers the chance to collect variant covers, stickers, candle designs and other fun unlocked goodies.
AJ: I love having a traditional pull list and walking to my local comic shop (shout out Challengers in Chicago woot woot) but we were excited to be able to offer even more content and special art than people could get in stores. Magma Comix has put their heart into making these editions quality and one-of-a-kind. Through this campaign we’re able to write a whole bonus issue, an intimate diary that’ll take readers into our process and reveal more of the story. And Kickstarter makes it possible to reach people all over the world with ease, cuz we want everyone to come to our party.
Andy Burns: Could you give us some history on the creation of Day of the Dead Girl? How did you come up with the idea?
AJ: Aimee’s Mexican and Puerto Rican family has never feared death, they celebrate life. My Puerto Rican family tree has bruja branches in it, so we’ve never feared witchcraft, we appreciate its protective intentions. But Aimee and I realized many other cultures feel quite differently, and associate death and magic with darkness and evil. So we wanted to share our personal experiences, and tell a story about the beauty of the macabre and the wonders of the supernatural.
Aimee: I died and came back when I was four years old. I spent three weeks in the hospital with severe pneumonia (water in the lungs). I flatlined and, for some reason, came back. My family always believed an angel said, “It’s not your time kiddo” and sent me back to the World of the Living. So, since I stared death in the face, death has never scared me. For me, death was the beginning of my cognitive life. I also love that death is universal. No one escapes it; it doesn’t matter how beautiful, talented, rich, famous, kind-hearted someone is, we are all bound by death. Plus, growing up in Latino households, AJ and I learned the supernatural was real. So, there was something fun and creepy about creating an X-Files dynamic between a believer and non-believer … except with a Latina Scully and Bruja Mulder.
Andy Burns: You two have a successful partnership that is working. I’m really curious about your creative process when you were writing Day of the Dead Girl. Could you give some insight on how you worked together on this? Do you sit in a room or Zoom and jam out ideas? Does one of you do a pass on the script, and then the other jumps in? How does the magic happen?
AJ: Every one of our projects has a different process, but they all begin with a brainstorm session that feels like two grown-ass women playing with dolls. We sit in a room together, write plot points on index cards that get chaotically spread across a table like that Charlie Day meme, and we dive into the characters’ brains while trying to make each other laugh. Best idea wins and carbs are devoured. Sometimes one of us will feel deeply connected to a certain story beat, and want to take first crack, and then the other adds their spice. My absolute favorite issue so far is Issue Four, which is all Aimee’s heart on the page.
Aimee: Aww. Yes, our process is so fun! Like AJ said, we’re kids in a candy store. We’re very “yes-and.” AJ’s mind is brilliant, so I’m usually the one typing on the computer like a mad-scientist because when AJ speaks stream-of-consciousness – it’s gold. She’s the most creative person I know. So, it’s fun to let her flow. Then, I’ll jump in and try to build on her genius. I think the most important thing about our creative process is that there is no bad idea, no judgment, no stress. We’ve built an environment where we both feel safe, inspired and creative. Plus, AJ and I are genre, fantasy and comic fans so we write things we’d want to read. If it makes us go, “Oooooo that’s fun.” Or if it makes us laugh, we hope it does the same for readers.
Andy Burns: Belén Culebras’ art is gorgeous. Talk about a perfect fit for your story. How did you find them?
Aimee: We hit the jackpot with Belén. Being from Spain, she innately understands Latino culture and has the ability to make each panel feel like the frame of a movie. AJ always talks about Belèn’s attention to detail and it’s that detail that makes the story leap off the page. She brought a passion that went above-and-beyond our expectations. Belén is a rockstar.
AJ: Our team at Magma introduced us to many wonderful artists but Belen’s work really jumped out at us. It’s warm, inviting, and playful, yet can switch into unsettling and frightening in an instant. There’s loving detail in every single panel and the world feels alive. She’s a very empathetic and intuitive artist and did amazing research to get the creepy autopsies spot on.
Andy Burns: Finally, with the instant success of the Kickstarter, there’s obviously an appetite for what you’ve created with Day of the Dead Girl—can we expect more from that world in the future?
AJ: My alignment is Chaotic Good, so while these four issues are a complete story we believe readers will love and feel satisfied with its conclusion, I very much enjoy leaving readers screaming “WTF WITCH” as they turn that last page. There are definitely plenty of mysteries in our world to explore and adventures for these characters that we’ve planned out, but it truly depends on readers’ appetites.
Aimee: Ha. Fingers crossed! We’d love to continue this story. AJ and I have such a personal connection to Sam and Ana so our reservoir is deep for these two. Hopefully, we’ve created a world that is fresh, cultural and enticing enough for readers to crave more Day of the Dead Girl.
Thanks to AJ Mendez and Aimee Garcia for their time, and Melissa Meszaros for helping make it happen. Visit the Day of the Dead Girl Kickstarter here.
