Catching Up with the Luna Brothers

We’re clearing out our notebooks and catching up – today, Baltimore. Jonathan and Joshua Luna were signing for fans at the Image booth and talking about their current limited series, The Sword.

At the end of the last issue of The Sword, the lead character, Dara Brighton, was in serious trouble as she fought against one of the three strangers who killed her family. "The next issue [issue #12], we'll find out if she's successful in her quest for revenge on Zakros," Joshua said. "You're going to find out who wins. Obviously, this is the first one she fights, so chances are good."

The brothers said the three god-like siblings won't be an easy fight for Dara as she continues on her quest. "They all have their own thing going on, their own quirks. I think Zakros is the most animalistic," Joshua said. "It's definitely going to get more challenging with each sibling, so it presents a different challenge, on a physical level and also on an emotional and spiritual level. It's an escalation."

The series was originally billed by Image Comics as a mix of "Kill Bill, Highlander and Blade of the Immortal," so it's no surprise that fans have voiced an interest in seeing The Sword adapted into a movie. We asked: Has there been interest from Hollywood? "There has been interest, but we don't option until it's over. We just wait it out," Joshua said.

"We don't make books to make movies or TV shows. After we're done with it, that's great. But we want to be able to tell our own story first and not have anything else affect that," Jonathan added.

The brothers, who found success with their original series Ultra and Girls, were brought up during the Bendis vs. Kirkmam panel in Baltimore, which was the talk of the con the next day. In fact, Robert Kirkman used the Lunas as an example, saying the creators "make a fantastic living" by only doing creator-owner work.

"It was jarring at first [to be used as an example]. It was flattering to be considered as people who are making it solely on creator work," Joshua said. "It can be done, but it takes a lot of work, risk and sacrifice. It's definitely not easy."

After Kirkman used the Lunas as an example, Brian Bendis countered that the brothers may actually have other jobs to support themselves while they do comics, even joking that they might sell themselves at the airport to get by.

"Just for the record, we're not prostitutes," Jonathan added with a laugh. "For the people that missed the conversation, Bendis was wondering if we really, solely lived on what we made from comics and said maybe we prostituted ourselves. We don't."

But Joshua pointed out that he did have a "day job" when he started out in comics. "To jump in head first is a little risky," he said.

"You've got to have a balance between the two. The more time you spend with the comics, the more quality the comic is going to have. But you definitely shouldn't quit your day job at first, because you'll need that foundation to make sure you can keep going with comics," Jonathan added.

"Creator-owned work is like an investment. You put a lot of work into it at the beginning, and it might not seem profitable right away. But if you invest in yourself, you'll see some substantial profits or income in time," Joshua said.

Since the subject had turned to profits in time, and because the brothers DO talk to Hollywood after their comics are finished, we asked if there's been any movement on Hollywood's interest in Ultra.

"We were trying with Ultra, with a director and a couple screenwriters, but it didn't go through. TV is tough," Jonathan said.

"We got spoiled with Ultra. It was our first book and then it became a pilot. And we thought, 'Oh, this is easy!' But it's not. So we're a little bit jaded with Hollywood," Jonathan said.

Joshua said comic books are more rewarding for them right now than worrying about movies. After all, comics are like making a movie on paper. "There's no executive notes, no interference. You have an idea and it's on paper and it's published within a month," he said.