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DF INTERVIEW: LANDRY WALKER
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 By: Brian Hofacker
Nothing less than stellar reviews greeted the debut of DC’s newest all-ages title, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade. Written by Landry Walker and with art and cover by Eric Jones, the title easily captures the hearts of readers old and young by providing a fun introduction to one of DC’s most iconic characters.
Brian Hofacker of Dynamic Forces spoke with writer Landry Walker about what goes into the making of such a beloved title.
Brian Hofacker: In the grand scheme of characters to choose from, why Supergirl?
Landry Walker: Well, we went into our first DC meeting with the idea that we wanted to work with a female protagonist, as our most recent work had been on Kid Gravity, a series with a male protagonist. Of possible female characters that would fit well with an all-ages feel, Supergirl is one of the characters I find most interesting: she’s a teenager who is trying to fit in with an alien culture, while simultaneously learning to cope with unfamiliar super powers. There is a lot in there that younger readers can potentially relate to.
BH: Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade is a great blend of cartoon-type humor and fun with some significant coming-of-age issues. Where do you look for inspiration for this mix? And is it difficult keeping a balance?
LW: Inspiration comes from all over the place. I listen to a lot of music while I work. Well, to be specific, I find one or two songs that help convey the emotion of a scene and then I put them on a loop for weeks.
The balance is quite difficult, and I’m sure I won’t achieve it as cleanly every issue, but I think it’s important to try. The humor is defined by the drama, and vice versa; without the more serious moments, I think the comedy becomes unrelatable. Because of this -- and I’ve said it elsewhere, as well -- I think the book skews a little heavier starting with the 4th issue.
 BH: Looks like issue #1 has a bit of a cliffhanger ending. Does this mean that Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures is meant to be an ongoing story rather than a series of one-shot episodes?
LW: I’m trying for both, but it’s another tricky balance. There is an arc to the series -- specifically, certain things may not always be what they seem, so that upon first reading a particular action taken by a character reads one way, and upon the second reading it will read another. Putting in a level of depth to the story that younger readers are likely to miss or gloss over is part of writing something geared at “all ages”. So hopefully older readers will respond to the developing arc while younger readers will focus on the immediate story being told.
BH: What appeal do you feel Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures has for mainstream readers?
LW: That depends on what you mean by mainstream readers: are we talking about mainstream culture outside of the world of comics, or readers of mainstream comic books? If it’s the former, I think that Supergirl offers a recognizable figure in an easy to understand form. You don’t need years of comic book reading behind you in order to understand who and what the character is. If the question refers to the latter, the avid DC reader should see aspects of Kara’s previous history heavily interwoven and reinterpreted into this new series. Basically, if you are a fan of the character, there are many small acknowledgments to Supergirl’s massive history to pick up on.
BH: Along with your work on Supergirl, you’ve created a few all-ages titles and characters such as Little Gloomy and Kid Gravity; when designing such books do you try to capture a particular audience?
LW: All of these titles were co-created with artist Eric Jones. Generally, we bounce the concept around awhile and see what audience it feels like it fits with the most. One thing we don’t do is worry about gender identification -- I believe a key aspect of writing material targeting female readers versus male readers is to remember that the two genders share a great deal of traits. This is also true of any distinction one might make between ages. The differences in physiology are significant, sure, but both female students and male students of the same school have more in common than two males living a thousand mile apart in different countries. In other words, I don’t make any significant alteration if I’m designing a book for a male audience versus a female audience.
Beyond the age and gender demographics, there are the specific subculture demographics – generally, we don’t worry about those either, though sometimes it works out regardless. As an example, we were lucky with Little Gloomy, as it came out at a time when the Goth subculture was on the rise and there were relatively few comics exploring the genre. We didn’t actually intend the series to be one that would be “Goth” so much as it was intended to play off of the mythology of old monster movies. We benefited regardless (in part due to our affiliation with publisher SLG), and Little Gloomy was successful with a demographic with a noticeably large disposable income.
BH: How would you say Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures compares to your other works like Little Gloomy and Kid Gravity?
LW: Well, so far I like this work better, as it’s more recent, but I always like my more recent work better than my older work. Gloomy was much harder to write than Supergirl, because Gloomy is a perpetual cynic. Kid Gravity was pretty easy to write, but less satisfying, as he is comparatively one-dimensional. I do think that if someone enjoys Supergirl, they are likely to enjoy Kid Gravity. The weird science fiction angle exists pretty heavily in both.
 BH: Are there any plans to see Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures animated series?
LW: If so, it would be a surprise to me. I wouldn’t complain, mind you. It would be weird, as this particular execution of Supergirl comes directly from Eric and myself, as opposed to us being hired to work on something previously conceived of. That said, it’s not our property, and our work on it exists as it is because of all the work on Supergirl that preceded us. So while weird, it would be very exciting to see someone else pick up this specific interpretation of Supergirl and reinterpret it through his or her own perspective. Plus, I would love to see this series with a score. Music is important in conveying emotion, and writing comics, as opposed to TV or film, is considerably more difficult because of that absence.
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