Wrassle Castle Piledrives Into 2019 From Colleen Coover & Paul Tobin
Enjoy an Exclusive Sneak Peak at the Upcoming All-Ages Vault Comics Series
Art by Colleen Coover
Graphic novels, especially for young readers, are one of the fastest-growing markets in publishing. Powerhouses like Raina Telgemeier and Kazu Kibuishi have proven that kids are as eager for new comics stories as “Wednesday Warriors” are for each week’s batch of new single issues—and those single-issue publishers are beginning to take notice.
Earlier this year, Vault Comics announced the launch of Myriad, a new publishing imprint that will focus on stories for Middle Grade and Young Adult readers, and just last month they announced a roster of talent on Myriad first announced works, including Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover’s all-ages adventure graphic novel Wrassle Castle.
Wrassle Castle follows aspiring young wrestler Lydia Riverthane as she trains in secret with her successful older brother, John Gator-Chomp. Unfortunately, Lydia’s problems soon escalate far beyond just trying to keep her training a secret from her parents: when one of the Legendary Wrasslin Folios goes missing, Lydia decides the only way to learn the truth about its disappearance, and her brother’s involvement, is to join the Grand Wrasslin tournament. In advance of Wrassle Castle’s 2019 release, Paste is excited to offer an exclusive first look at Lydia’s adventures in this interview with Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover, featuring concept art from Coover herself.
Wrassle Castle Concept Art by Colleen Coover
Paste:This isn’t the first time you’ve collaborated on an all-ages work—what brought you back together for Wrassle Castle? And what made Myriad, and Vault, the right home for it?
Paul Tobin: Colleen and I have our ongoing Bandette series, which I write and she illustrates, but I wanted to expand the scope of our collaborations in a way that didn’t take her away from Bandette, and since she’s a far better writer than I am an illustrator, co-writing a project was the natural step.
Colleen Coover: As soon as Paul came to me with the title Wrassle Castle, I was pretty well hooked. Ideas just started popping out of my head! That’s not how I usually work, where I work out stories by drawing them, so this has been an interesting stretch for me.
Tobin: And what we liked about Vault/Myriad was the energy of the whole company, the feeling that anything was possible as long as it was entertaining and fun. There isn’t a “house” style beyond… do something you enjoy, and readers will enjoy it as well.
Paste:Writing specifically for young readers is an underappreciated art form. What’s different about working on a comic geared towards younger readers, like Wrassle Castle, versus working on a title like Bandette?
Tobin: Honestly, I don’t vary much between the two. Everything I write, I gear toward enjoying it myself, and then making it accessible toward certain groups. It sometimes feels like a self-centered approach (“This project is about ME!”) but as I look back in my life on the books/films/comics/movies that I’ve really enjoyed, it’s always the ones where the creators were the most personally invested. So, whatever project I’m on… whether it’s Wrassle Castle, or Bandette, or my weekly Messenger comic on Webtoons, or the Plants vs. Zombies comics, my middle-grade Genius Factor novels from Bloomsbury, or anything else… I feel as long as I’m having a blast, then I’m starting a ride that we’ll all enjoy.