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School Library Journal vol. 70 no. 2 Feb., 2024. Lisa Rowland, “BRENNAN, Megan. Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess.”.
Kirkus Reviews Jan. 15, 2024, , “Brennan, Megan: KIRA AND THE (MAYBE) SPACE PRINCESS.”. p. NA.
Megan Brennan is a comics artist and author in Brooklyn, NY. Her goofy, exuberant comics are influenced by shoujo manga, newspaper comics, and the absurd. Her debut solo graphic novel, Magic Girls 1: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess, was published by Random House Graphic in 2024, and she's also written multiple Amazing World of Gumball graphic novels published by Boom! Studios in addition to self-publishing comics on the web and in print.
Megan has also been an art/production assistant for various graphic novels, including Drama, Teen Boat, Amulet, and The Adventure Zone: Here Be Gerblins. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2011.
She likes cats and collecting little plastic anime figures.
contact me at: Meg.The.Brennan@gmail
Debut Author Interview: Megan Brennan and Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess Giveaway
Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Megan Brennan here to share about her MG graphic novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess. It sounds like a fun story that also tackles many issues middle graders go through. I don’t read many graphic novels, but this one looks like one I’d enjoy.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
Fashionable fights, flashy attacks, and friends that are out of this world! This wacky and funny graphic novel series is a love letter to manga fans. With a tongue in cheek humor and delightfully fun action scenes, this series is perfect for fans of Sailor Moon , Cardcaptor Sakura , and Katie the Catsitter.
There's nothing cooler than Magical Girls - pretty superheroes fighting villains with the power of friendship and glitter? What could be better than that! This year in middle school, Kira is going to be cool and popular and have SO many friends because she’s going to be a MAGICAL GIRL! ...Or not.
Frustrated beyond belief, Kira makes a wish on a shooting star that her life will change – and when Catacorn, a cat-unicorn-space-princess, crashes into Kira's backyard, it seems her wish has come true…kinda…maybe… Oh no. Is Kira's dream of being a Magical Girl really possible...or is Catacorn not really what she promises to be?
Follower News
Before I get to my interview with Megan, I have Follower News to share. Follower Elizabeth James has
a new chapter book release, Pippa Speaks Up. Here's a blurb: All Pippa wants to do is blend in at her new school—which isn’t easy when your mom’s new job is President of the United States! But when her teacher assigns class speeches, Pippa's best-laid plans at blending in begin to crumble and she literally becomes sick to her stomach. She must learn to calm her anxieties and embrace the power of speaking up—before she not only flops the assignment but also buries her true feelings from everyone closest to her, including the President herself.
And here are a few links:
https://youtu.be/VxEelHTfimM?si=A3r2YD7aG0H65xZm and www.elizabethjameswrites.com/pippa-speaks-up/
Interview With Megan Brennan
Hi Megan! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Te ll us about yourself and how you became a writer.
I always loved writing and drawing, and spent a while as a teen trying make some kind of epic fantasy story, but never really got past the daydreaming stage! I ended up going to school at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and majoring in cartooning, because I knew I wanted to make comics (and luckily had parents who supported me in that). Getting to be in an environment that nurtured young creatives while also pushing them to improve was really helpful for me, because I lacked a lot of confidence in sharing the things I wanted to make.
After graduation I made my own comics while trying to freelance – doing art assistant work and collaborating with people occasionally. Eventually, after posting my own comics online and doing some smaller jobs, I got a gig writing scripts for Boom! Studio’s Amazing World of Gumball graphic novels. Having to come up with ideas and write whole graphic novel scripts for a property I didn’t create was weirdly great for my growth as a writer! There was an existing framework of characters and world, so I had to focus only on making the plot make sense and feel engaging within that. I learned a lot about the process itself.
2. That’s great that your job helped you with your own writing. Where did you get the idea for Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess?
It’s funny, I originally drew Kira and Catacorn in a 3 page tiny submission to a comic anthology focused on nostalgic shoujo comics (shoujo comics = Japanese comics aimed at young girls, the genre which magical girl stories like Sailor Moon, a huge inspiration for me and for the Kira books) called Hana Doki Kira. I had so much fun coming up with scenarios related to magical girl tropes! After I finished that little comic, I kept coming up with what might happen next. I ended up expanding to three short Magic Girls comics that I self-published over a few years.
Back in 2019 I was trying to pitch a completely different graphic novel that didn’t work out, with a pitch for Magic Girls as a graphic novel as kind of a backup plan. Of course, I ended up struggling with my other pitch, but Magic Girls was more fun and ended up being what Random House Graphic wanted anyway! I feel lucky that the comic I have fun making is the one that seems to also connect with people.
Your Writing Process
3. What is your plotting process like? Do you think this is different than for writers who are only writing the text and not illustrating the story too?
In some ways it’s different for sure, but I think the need to find some kind of structure under the creativity on is the same. Especially since I have to keep in mind that I need to make the drawing and planning process understandable to my editor, so she can see what’s going on.
I usually have to use my sketchbook to think about what should happen, and what kinds of visuals I want to include, but to make it all cohesive I have to make an outline. I think because my previous work in making a graphic novel was focused on the script, I am a little more intense about that stage of the book than some other comic artists. I have to write myself a really detailed outline to get my ideas in order. Some of this is because as I go into the thumbnail stage (rough sketched plans of all the pages) I end up tweaking things. Once you’re working visually, things sometimes come together differently than you planned! So I have to really know what I was intending to happen in each part of the book. But that kind of thing is what’s so magical about writing and drawing the comic myself.
I also have to step back and think a lot about how the reader will view each page objectively, if it makes sense from panel to panel, and if the way the page is set up will lead to reading things in the correct order. I guess a novelist wouldn’t have to think about that on each page!
4. It’s so interesting to learn about your plotting process and what you have to think about creating the graphics too. Writing a graphic novel that is a satisfying middle grade story sounds challenging because you’re telling it through a combination of illustrations and words. What are some of your tips for getting the balance right and telling a complete story?
I think you have to take advantage of each half of the medium - the potential for really funny or cool images, and the power of dialogue (or narration, though I don’t use this as often), and really embrace them. You don’t want to crowd up a page with a ton of text when an image could communicate the mood or action in a more effective way. The art is also part of telling the story, so while it’s more work, it also means I have another tool in my arsenal.
5. Share about how Kira developed as a character and three things you really like about her.
Honestly, the first version of Kira was really just a parody character! She was kind of a generic teenager, who just loved snacks and wanted to look cute. Which is definitely relatable, but I hadn’t given much thought to her as a whole character. The old version of the comic was all jokes. As I tried to expand it into a graphic novel, I ended up having to think of her as a person, what kind of kid she would be.
I like that she is really determined, and even though she is SO easily embarrassed, she still is pretty sure of who she is and what she wants. I like that she is also is really open to trying things, even if she might complain a little about it.
Your Road to Publication
6. Linda Camacho is your agent. How did she become your agent and what was your road to getting a publishing contract like?
Graphic novels usually require a kind of proof of concept packet/etc to communicate what the book will be, instead of an entire manuscript. Obviously it’ll vary with each publisher, but that seems pretty standard, in my experience. was really lucky, in that I had a version of my pitch in talks with Random House Graphic before talking to Linda! I already knew Whitney Leopard from comics shows and from working with her at Boom!, so we were in an ongoing conversation about pitching things. She wound up being interested in the Kira books! But I had to go on a panicked search for an agent to negotiate for me.
I had previously been trying to find an agent and didn’t hear back from anyone at the time. One of the agents I queried actually was Linda, but it was with a totally different comic pitch, that worked less well. Thankfully Linda was able to take me on when I emailed her that I had an offer and needed help with negotiating specifically, which I am so grateful for! I was interested in working with her because I knew a few of the other graphic novelists she works with, and I thought my work would fit on the same shelf, if that makes sense.
7. It’s cool that you had a connection with your publisher through your job. How long did Linda and you work on revising your manuscript before you went on submission? What are your tips on working with an agent on revisions?
Honestly I’m an anomaly and mostly skipped this stage of the process with this project! I’m interested myself in how it will work in the future. Linda has been great at helping me navigate all other complicated parts of the process and being a cheerleader.
My revision conversations are with my editor. I’m pretty open to making changes to my work, so I think trying to weigh what are necessary changes vs things that might cloud the vision I have for the story is the thing I keep trying to keep in mind. I want all the changes I make to make the overall story more clear and cohesive.
Promoting Your Book
8. How are you planning to promote your book after it is released? What advice do you have for other authors who have an upcoming release on marketing their book?
I’m planning on attending some comic festivals with my book, which will be an exciting way to meet readers and potentially get new readers who are seeing it for the first time! I’m on social media, and will be using that to talk about the book, but getting to see people in person and feel the enthusiasm for comics hits different.
9. What are you working on now?
I’m currently midway into the follow up to Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess. I’m finally at the stage where I’m working on the final version of the line art (we call it inking), so the book is starting to feel real to me!
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Megan. You can find Megan at www.Megan-Brennan.com or on Bluesky under the username @MeganBrennan
Monday, February 26, 2024
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Interviewed: MEGAN BRENNAN
31. August 2011 by Palle Schmidt
Tell us a little about yourself
I’m from New Jersey, and I’ll graduating from the School of Visual Arts this May. I’ve been working on posting short stories (well, compared to a graphic novel , 30-something pages is short. To me it seems pretty long right now) online at www.megan-brennan.com. Besides comics, I’m also interested in children’s book illustration.
What comics or art projects are you working on right now?
I’m currently in the middle of working on a comic story called ‘The Egg’ that’s also posting right now at my website. It’s basically about a girl who wants to befriend a bizarre cat-monster, but runs into trouble when she can’t understand it so she ends up seeking out the help of an animal psychic. I’m planning to continue to post stories within this ‘universe’ of characters after this story is over.
I’m also working on illustrations for a hypothetical children’s book I began in a class this year. It’s funny how comics and children’s books have so much in common (both tell a narrative through words and pictures) but are also so different in rhythm and what each image or panel needs visually.
What other artists in your field inspire you?
Oh man, I keep writing too much for this question!
Right now I’m very inspired by creators like Yuko Ota and Anath Panagariya and Kate Beaton, who do comics online but also work in print, and branch out into multiple areas. I think that’s an important thing to do now, as the comics field is changing.
I’ve also been interning with Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman, and seeing how they work and all the little things that have to get done when putting together a graphic novel is really helpful and inspiring. They really love what they do, and it’s clear that that is incredibly important in making comics.
Growing up I was really inspired by Charles Schulz and a ton of different manga and webcomic titles, and as I’ve been learning more about comics in school I’ve been inspired by Windsor McKay, Chris Ware, David B and a lot of other genius comic artists.
I’m also continually in awe of Calvin and Hobbes. It’s pretty much perfect.
Do you work out of your home or do you have an office/studio space?
I work in my apartment right now, and in the facilities at my school. After graduation I’ll be back to only working at home.
What upcoming projects are you most excited about and why?
I’m excited to keep working on my webcomic! I was an avid reader of webcomics when I was younger, and I’m excited to be actually making comics I’m proud of and getting them online consistently at this point.
Where do you see comics heading in the next 5 years?
I’m not so sure about what Marvel and DC will be doing, but I think print comics in general will still exist/do alright.
I hope webcomics will gain more serious recognition; so many people (even people who don’t usually read comics) read them, but they don’t get anywhere near as much critical recognition as print comics, which is a shame, since there are so many talented people doing great things in webcomics. I’d also love to see more experimentation with the way that webcomics are presented; I’ve seen a handful of great comics that really utilize the scrolling of the screen and stuff like that, and I sometimes think it gets too gimmick-y, and it’s something I’m guilty of not thinking that much about, but I think it’s worth exploring.
As for digitally downloaded comics, I’m slightly skeptical, just because I love physical books, and people are so used to digital things being free (webcomics and pirated manga, for example) but once tablets become more popular/afforable, I’m sure comics will be sold that way in increasing numbers.
Interview: Megan Brennan on the spellbinding MAGIC GIRLS: KIRA AND THE (MAYBE) SPACE PRINCESS
Featuring Catacorn: half-cat, half-unicorn, all-weird!
By Avery Kaplan -03/05/2024 10:00 am0
In Magic Girls: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess by Meg Brennan, average middle schooler plans to achieve popularity by becoming a magical girl. When she meets Catacorn, a half-cat, half-unicorn from far beyond the stars, she’s surely taken her first steps towards magical girl success… Right?!
Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess, the first book in the new Magic Girls series, was published today by Random House Graphic. To mark the occasion, The Beat caught up with Brennan over email. We asked about the road the book took from zine to graphic novel, the source material that inspired the story and what went into the worldbuilding of Magic Girls‘ setting, Neo-Earth.
AVERY KAPLAN: Can you tell our readers about the road this book had to publication? What was the process of adapting it from zine to graphic novel series like?
MEG BRENNAN: Magic Girls originally existed as 3 zines that combined to maybe 25 pages total, so even though I had ideas for more story I didn’t want to pitch something totally unreasonable. So when I was talking with Random House Graphic I assumed they would want just a single book, but as we talked we both agreed there was the potential for more volumes, which was such a relief! It was hard trying to condense all my ideas into one book, and I’ve been able to have time to come up with new and better ideas to make the series better.
As I got into breaking down the existing story and future ideas into 3 volumes, I took a lot of time adding more structure. The original zines were a lot more focused on jokes, but not a ton of connective tissue, and sometimes things made no sense once they were extended further than 3 or 4 panels. As a result, I had to reverse engineer some worldbuilding stuff, which is a weird spot to be in! But it was an interesting exercise.
KAPLAN: What inspired Magic Girls? Can you tell us about your relationship with the inspirational source material?
BRENNAN: It’s kind of a long story: I was asked to be in an anthology called Hana Doki Kira years and years ago, which was a tribute to shoujo manga. I couldn’t possibly do anything but a magical girl story, since reading Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura were some of the things that made me want to do long form comics from a young age. I liked newspaper comics a lot already, but the concept of getting to make long stories? About girls with magic? No contest.
So I made a little 3 page comic lovingly making fun of some tropes of the genre. And of course a magical girl needs a cute mascot sidekick, so I reused a weird cat character design I’d made for a project even longer ago, while I was at school at SVA. Something about the way the two characters played off each other was so fun, and so was getting to play with the tropes of the magical girl genre, so I kept making more comics with them in it, in between other projects.
KAPLAN: What was the character design process for Magic Girls like? Did any characters present a particular challenge, or conversely, did any come particularly easily?
BRENNAN: Kira and Catacorn came easily, partly because I was designing them so fast and without worrying too much! If I’d known I would be drawing them so much in the future I might have worried more. Although, I took a while to decide what color Catacorn should be — I had been drawing the characters in black & white for so long that I only thought of her being some kind of vague pastel shade.
On the other hand, when it came to designing Baleen (a magical girl who mentors Kira for a hot minute) I had to make her distinct, but also fit within the world Kira and Catacorn exist in. I ended up giving her multiple themed costumes partly because I couldn’t decide which was most fun for a mermaid magical girl to be in!
KAPLAN: Did you ever crack yourself up when drawing Kira wearing that one costume, or Groundy, or Catacorn?
BRENNAN: I would be lying if I didn’t say I gave her that silly outfit mostly because it made me laugh!
I’m drawing book 2 right now, and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Groundy (the school mascot, seen briefly in book 1) comes back. Every panel with the Groundy helmet feels like I’ve been pranked by my past self. She was right though, it IS funny to see that goofy unchanging face talking about friendship. I’m excited to see how people react to it.
KAPLAN: Readers will learn all about your creative process in the super informative back matter for Magic Girls. But I’m curious if there’s a certain snack, drink or anything else that fuels your creative process?
BRENNAN: Hmm, it feels extremely boring to say that this year I got excited about making myself cold brew to get myself started in the morning. So the better answer is: I made a playlist of pop music in foreign languages that I can listen to even when I’m writing or thumbnailing, or whenever else I really need the upbeat energy without the distraction of lyrics! Once I’m inking and coloring I can get deep into podcasts and audiobooks again.
KAPLAN: Magic Girls has some fantastic worldbuilding. Is there any element of Neo-Earth of which you are particularly proud?
BRENNAN: I’m glad to hear that, because (as I said earlier) I had to reverse-engineer a lot of it! I think I was particularly happy about figuring out how to make there be magical girls on Neo-Earth without there being a “end of the world evil” kind of thing happening. Not that I don’t love stories with that kind of stuff! But I like getting to zag on that expectation and do something sillier.
KAPLAN: Have there been any comics, books, video games, movies, or anything else that you’ve been especially enjoying lately?
BRENNAN: I’ve been really enjoying the Delicious in Dungeon anime, as a long time fan of the series. I’ve also been DEEP in finally reading One Piece for the last few months — it’s all on the shonen jump app! Oda’s cartooning is next level,I can’t get over it!
I’ve also been watching a lot of the UK show Taskmaster, it’s such a silly treat.
KAPLAN: Is there anything else you’d like me to include?
BRENNAN: My portfolio is at www.megan-brennan.com if you want to see more of my work! But otherwise, that’s all, thank you so much! I’m a big fan of The Beat, so this was a treat.
BRENNAN, Megan. Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess. illus. by Megan Brennan. 256p. (Magic Girls). Random House Graphic. Mar. 2024. Tr $21.99. ISBN 9780593177549; pap. $13.99. ISBN 9780593709894.
Gr 3-7--Entering the seventh grade at Neo-Earth Junior High is a new chance at a first impression for Kira. Over the summer, her self-proclaimed rival Tulip became a Magical Girl, complete with a familiar, and was able to participate in the Sealander champions in battle competitions. It quickly becomes clear that most of the school is focused on their new hometown hero, Fairytale Fighter, and this year is not the fresh start that lonely Kira had planned. At home, a shooting star illuminates a frustrated Kira's window, so she makes a wish and a subsequent crash leads to her meeting Catacorn--a space princess who has come to Neo-Earth on a secret mission. Kira is soon pulled into helping Catacom use Cutie gadgets, close warp zones, and develop the duo's abilities. At first, Kira is self-absorbed and really only helps Catacorn because she thinks it'll get her recognition as a Magical Girl. By the end, Kira begins to understand that there's more to friendship and to being a Magical Girl than simply getting what she wants. Brennan's artwork is playfully colorful with a loose feel that matches the silly nature of the story. Often, the tale is a bit over-the-top, and young readers probably will not recognize the satire behind some of the humor, but the struggle of finding your place and making true friends will resonate. End notes indicate a sequel is already in the works. VERDICT Recommended where graphic novels are popular.--Lisa Rowland
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Rowland, Lisa. "BRENNAN, Megan. Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, Feb. 2024, pp. 96+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784714395/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=19b9100f. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Brennan, Megan KIRA AND THE (MAYBE) SPACE PRINCESS Random House Graphic (Children's None) $21.99 3, 5 ISBN: 9780593177549
It's a new school year at Neo-Earth Junior High, and seventh grader Kira is determined to start afresh.
This year, she's sure to be cool and popular! But when Tulip, whom Kira has long seen as her rival, steals the spotlight on the first day, Kira can't help feeling like an absolute nobody yet again. While wishing upon a star, her life abruptly changes when Catacorn, a half-cat/half unicorn space princess, crash-lands in her garbage can. Could this really be Kira's chance to become a magical girl like Tulip and have a higher purpose? Brimming with sparkly, chaotic energy, this fast-paced, laugh-out-loud adventure is a love letter to anime and manga like Sailor Moon. Readers will delight in the charming illustrations, rendered in a pastel color palette, that pay homage to the aesthetics of the genre in a fresh way. The story is complete with the familiar beats of magical transformations, cheesy catchphrases, a charismatic villain, and a mysterious boy from out of town. Over-the-top facial expressions perfectly capture the excitable highs and emotional lows of preteen friendships. Tweens will relate to Kira's desire for reinvention and self-discovery and her awkward and goofy attempts to stand out. Although the story has an abundance of unresolved mysteries, it sets the stage for a fun second installment. Kira has glossy black hair and light tan skin; Tulip has brown skin and curly pink hair.
A rollicking adventure. (author's note, additional comics, character sketches) (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Brennan, Megan: KIRA AND THE (MAYBE) SPACE PRINCESS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A779191053/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=70c13dc3. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.