A letter from the writer of the new Cruella DeVille comic. We are taking pre-orders for it:
You might know me as a comic artist on titles like Marvel Action: Captain Marvel and most recently the ongoing Harley Quinn with the incredible Tini Howard. But because I love working (a bit too much) and love to tell stories, I dip my toes in the writing pool from time to time too. I also have a deep love for complicated characters, the ones that have multiple layers, the ones that switch from being good to being bad, because I want to understand the why of it all.
When I received an email from Dynamite with the opportunity to write Cruella De Vil, “YES!” was the obvious answer. First of all, getting an offer to write her felt like an incredible new challenge, and I love a challenge. But mostly, I’m deeply attached to the original 101 Dalmatians movie, and Cruella is a staple of the Disney Villains. She embodies the word FASHION, which is one of my passions. There was truly no way for me to say no.
But… What could I really write about a would-be puppy kidnapper?
Well… not to play De Vil’s advocate (see what I did there?) Cruella technically never hurt the Dalmatians. Even though she steals the show, the dogs are the main attraction and I wanted to keep this sort of canine connection with her. She has a maniacal personality and short temper which makes for really great comedy. In my head there was no way that the dogs of London would let her get away with kidnapping a litter of puppies, so of course they would try to ruin her life at any given occasion.
This is pretty much what we are focusing on in this story, it’s an arc about a desire for redemption, in a true Cruella way. Which means it’s showy, grandiose…but ultimately fabricated. Anything to better project her perfect public image, and it will fail… every time. It’s a nostalgic adventure for the people who grew up with the movie as many familiar faces will appear, but also an opportunity to extend Cruella’s story with many newcomers both human and four legged.
And the art... my gosh the ART. Miriana Puglia is truly incredible at storytelling, and body language. Every character is so dynamic and alive, they practically pop out of the page. Each dog emanates so much personality, and Cruella’s mannerism and lunacy shine in every panel.
Amusing, charming and a good amount of crazy are the three words I would use to describe this story. Each member of the team that made this book surely had to have had fun working on it, and I think readers will enjoy it too!
Sweeney Boo
