Back in 2017, lauded cartoonist Katie Cook kicked off a new fantasy comic on Webtoon titled Nothing Special. Detailing the adventures of the magically inclined Callie, her friend Declan (who has secrets of his own), and a ghostly radish named Radish, the story follows the trio as they track down Callie’s missing father on an epic journey. And now fans can enjoy that initial story in graphic novel format from Ten Speed Graphic.
Given Cook’s prolific career, it’s a bit of a surprise that she waited this long to release her first original graphic novel. So why the wait?
“Sometimes you need to wait for the right moment to take a leap,” Cook told Comic Book Club over email. “I’ve done so many comics (as both the writer and the artist) but making all those gave me the ability to create something larger, something with world building and the promise of a big adventure. I think all the books I’ve done previously paved the way for me to take on a project of this scale and make it work.”
To find out more about Nothing Special, what changed from the Webtoon to graphic novel format, and much more, read on.
Comic Book Club: I say this complementarity, but given your prolific career it’s a surprise this is your first original graphic novel… Why do you think it took so long, and why was Nothing Special the right story for this new adventure?
Katie Cook: Sometimes you need to wait for the right moment to take a leap. I’ve done so many comics (as both the writer and the artist) but making all those gave me the ability to create something larger, something with world building and the promise of a big adventure. I think all the books I’ve done previously paved the way for me to take on a project of this scale and make it work.
You’re collecting your Webtoon strip – what was involved in translating it for the graphic novel format? Was there anything you had to tweak or change, pacing-wise?
Years ago when I started this comic, I was having so much fun playing with the vertical scrolling format that I always told myself that when the time comes to try and collect the comic into print…. It would be future Katie’s problem. Turns out, it was future Nate’s problem, ha! (Nate Pride has lettered every panel of the book and now is the one who is turning all my crazy artwork into something ready for print)
Nothing Special kicked off in 2017… I’m sure your style has evolved some since then, was there anything artwise you reevaluated for this volume?
Ask any artist to look at their work from so long ago and you will know we all hate what we are looking at. When I first started this, I had spent so long focusing on being the writer for things like My Little Pony that I think my art had atrophied into something that I wasn’t 100% pleased with. As I spent every day back at the drawing board instead of in Microsoft Word, it all came back and I’m having more fun drawing than ever.
You’ve got so much layered in from the start, with secret parentage, a mystical world, a great love triangle, a missing father… How far ahead did you plan for the Webtoon strip? What took you by surprise?
I don’t start drawing the “season” until I have scripted out the entire thing. I do not want a rambling, scattered mess of a story. I want my stories to have layers and depth but are also concise and packaged up perfectly with a little bow on top.
The relationship with Declan and Callie is such a nice slow burn. What’s most important to making a comic book romance work?
I am not a fan of the “will they or wont they?” That so many stories thrive on. I hate love triangles. I just wanted to showcase two young people who know each other well taking their time to let things develop and I wanted the relationships in the story to be healthy instead of toxic.
Radish is, of course, a delight, and seems to get more belligerent as the book goes on. What went into exploring that character?
Radish is usually me. He says what I want to say to the characters he’s interacting with…. Unless it’s him hating on salads.
Has making Nothing Special changed your relationship with vegetables?
Salads are murder…. No, wait. I love vegetables. Radish would be so mad at me.
When you’re building a mystical world like this do you pre-establish rules? Or let yourself figure them out as they go?
It’s my sandbox… and at first I set out magical rules for the confines of that sandbox. That doesn’t mean I can’t make the sandbox a little bigger when I need more room for all the characters to grow and explore. It does mean I’m not going to jump out of the sandbox and go play on the swings and make things too different.
For those who might just be getting into the world of Nothing Special, what can you tease about the other volumes in the series?
The color pink becomes very important.
You will come to love Lasser like a son.
Callie continues to be brave, loyal and protective.
Radish is everything.
New characters and new locations that are charming, interesting and more.
The art? *chef’s kiss*
Nothing Special: Through the Elder Woods (Volume One), by Katie Cook is now available from Ten Speed Graphic. Nothing Special: Volume Two hits stores in October 2024.
