Kami Garcia wrote the superb DC Ink graphic novel Teen Titans: Raven. This original project helped re-introduce Raven to a new audience who might not be into reading comics. The new Raven is a teenage girl, removed from her costume and the trappings of superhero-dom, but still an identifiable interpretation of the character all the same. The aim was for teens who might not know where to start with comics to find a jumping on point with these iconic characters while still telling a fascinating story.
But Teen Titans: Raven was just the beginning. The next book, Teen Titans: Beast Boy, will be coming out in 2020. We recently sat down with Garcia to discuss how she and artist Gabriel Picolo intend on introducing Beast Boy to a new audience.
The Core of Humor
Garcia had just finished working on Teen Titans: Raven before she dove into working on Teen Titans: Beast Boy. My initial question was what lessons she might have learned from her re-imagining of Raven that she could apply to Beast Boy. Her response offered insight into her creative process.
"I think one of the things that is very important to [Gabriel and I] is that Beast Boy is an amazing character, but he's very often treated as comic relief. I feel like, with all the things he's going through as a kid and all these weird changes happening to him -- yeah, you can still be funny, and maybe laughter is a defense mechanism, but you're gonna have other stuff going on other than jokes. So what I wanted is to keep the funny character that we love, keep the sense of humor, keep the games and the pizza, but show what's under there. What he might be hiding or what he might be using humor to deal with."
A Look Behind the Curtain
One element of re-imagining that Garcia touched upon with Raven was keeping the core of the character the same. With Beast Boy, there are elements that she needs to keep the same core of the character. However, at the same time, the book is her chance to approach and assess the characters in a new light.
"That was my goal with all of the characters. How do I take a character that everybody already loves and that I love, and let you get to know them more? I don't have the whole team together with the origin books, so we have room to see them interact and do different things. So how do you let the fans and readers in so they can see behind the curtain?"
When writing, Garcia also found herself drawing from people in her life to find new ways of looking at this beloved character.
"My son is a funny kid. He's got a lot of charisma, but he's also very sensitive. He just doesn't show that. So I think it's fun to get to know Beast Boy more."
Excitement for the Character
However, as is often the case, the creation of Beast Boy is a collaborative effort. Garcia admits she was a little nervous writing Beast Boy, but that her partner, Picolo, ended up fueling enough excitement to get her psyched over the prospect of re-imagining Beast Boy.
"I actually was nervous, since Raven is my favorite and Beast Boy is [Gabriel's] favorite, so I was like 'Oh my God! What if I can't write it as well?' Gabriel's excitement rubs off on me."
On top of that, she also shared a little strategy she uses to help Picolo make the best art possible for this upcoming book.
"I don't tell him what's coming, because I've learned that when I don't tell him what's coming next, the art's better. Because he gets so excited when he gets the script and starts -- there's one [script] where we look into Beast Boy's closet, and Gabriel's a sneaker-head, and he's like 'Oh my God his room is full of sneakers!'"
The Question of Raven
Of course, we had to ask about Raven as Beast Boy is very famously paired up with Raven. Garcia, however, remained very tight-lipped regarding whether or not the two would ultimately come together. One thing is for certain, though, Garcia isn't ruling anything out when it comes to future prospects.
"You and every other fan has asked me. It's possible. I never say never. I'm not allowed to say if there's a group book."
So that is sadly not a confirmation of a future romance between these two iconic characters. Still, it seems, at least, that the crew behind these wonderful books are well-aware that fans want to see this happen.
So who knows?