Husband and wife team Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Pratt are not only some of the most prolific voice actors in the industry, but also accomplished independent filmmakers. Their collaborations include Topsy McGee vs. the Sky Pirates, a period silent short film about the steampunk adventures of the titular heroine and her husband Captain Sean, played by a real-life couple.
Nearly a decade after the short film was released, Lowenthal and Pratt are not only reviving the world of their original work, but also making their first comics project with the paperback Topsy McGee and Solomon’s Scarab, out this week. We are getting started.
The Beat had the pleasure of chatting with the duo about their experiences working in comics for the first time and what the future holds for Topsy McGee.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Taimur Dar: For me, the story of a project’s conception is as interesting as the story itself. So the first obvious question is, how did the characters Topsy McGee and Sean McGee come about?
Lowenthal: It’s been a winding road, but it started a long time ago, so I’m glad you’re interested.
Pratt: Since we’ve been married, whenever we have some free time, like when we’re waiting for the bus or when we’ve been stuck on something for a while, we talk to each other. We created a strong heroine like Topsy McGee, who loves tea but also wields a rapier. We just played around with her as a character, verbally adding stories back and forth.
Lowenthal: Once, I went to a convention and saw an artist I really liked. For Tara’s birthday, I commissioned artwork of her as the character without her knowledge.
Pratt: It was amazing. Seeing her in print felt like she had become real in a way. Seeing the gift of this beautiful commissioned work he gave me was the turning point where I actually thought maybe we could do something with it beyond just entertaining each other.
Lowenthal: At the Renaissance Faire, there was someone who did some amazing custom work. We contacted them and sent them the artwork and her measurements. They created this amazing costume that is perfect for costume parties. but…
Pratt: I had this costume and decided to use my film expertise to make a short film. That’s what we’re used to doing. This allowed me to play Topsy and her husband in front of the camera. We got to do some really fun stunts. We worked with a really great stunt team. It came to life in its own way, in its own pocket of fun.
Lowenthal: We had to get really creative because this world isn’t cheap.
Pratt: We had to build an entire airship.
Lowenthal: We built the airship set in an old production studio. That wasn’t a smart move.
Platt: We loved it so much and a friend of ours who is a writer was so proud of it…
Lowenthal: Chris Pearson created a show a while ago called “Dan vs.,” and he loved the world and the ideas that we were playing with. He said, “Can I write a pilot for TV?” We said, “We’d love to see that.”
Pratt: So you like our characters too? Yes, please!
Lowenthal: So we wrote this pilot and started looking for it with the production team that made the short film. But those were very bad times for steampunk on television. So it didn’t really go anywhere. But the characters and stories in that world…
Pratt: (They) had their claws on us!
Lowenthal: We thought, how else can we continue to tell this story and have a little more control? When you pitch something, you have to wait for someone to greenlight the project. We don’t like waiting for it.
Pratt: You said you should make a comic book. I could have written a novel. But I think the reason you brought up the comics was because we wanted to keep it very visually beautiful and exciting. That’s how the idea of comics was born and how we can hold power and control what’s going on and manage it financially and get through it. . There was no way they could make a version with a camera on a budget unless someone gave them the green light. Then I ended up learning how to make comics.
Lowenthal: We knew how to make movies and books, but we didn’t know how to make comics. Enter Comfort Love, known in the comic book world as Comfort Love, and Adam Withers, who we also met at a convention.
Pratt: All of our contacts are at the convention. (lol).
Lowenthal: We contacted them and said: “You guys make great comic books. We’ve never done this before. Will you help us get through this?” They brought this comic to life. He made a huge contribution to the development. They did that whenever we didn’t know the next step.
Pratt: Even if I make a lot of mistakes. It’s like trying to revise while you’re still writing.
Lowenthal: It turns out that this process also takes a very long time. Now you have a little more control. But if you’re paying everyone yourself and don’t have a major comic studio holding your neck for the next issue or the structure to make it all happen, it can take a long time.
Platt: Even though he wrote the script for the first three issues of the comic, it took so long that Yuri quickly realized that it would be a waste to try to release the comic and not set a deadline for when the next issue was published. I realized it was fair.
Lowenthal: We were very aware that if it took a long time to make something, people might lose interest. Instead of publishing one issue and then another, we decided to end every issue. We thought a paperback or graphic novel format would be a better way to tell this special story.
Platt: That said, I have so many connections that I’m considering what it would be like if it were an animated series.
Lowenthal: We’re stupid not to have thought of that first. It was staring us right in the face!
(laughs)
Dahl: It’s interesting that you’re discussing your past experiences in television and film and comics. As you know, I’m a big fan of Dwayne McDuffie. He was great at both, but I remember him saying he preferred writing on panels, or at least that it was easier than comics. Did you find writing this Topsy McGee story in a comics medium easier or more difficult than you expected?
Pratt: That’s difficult. I think it’s because when writing, whether it’s animation or live-action, there’s a little more flexibility in the depiction and dialogue. Yes, we want to edit and concise and tell the story in the best way possible. But you have spatial freedom. Everything is so valuable in comics because you have to explain to the artist what needs to be translated from the description to make the image on the page look right. But all you need is a tiny little bubble for your words to become a dialogue to express the whole story. I think it’s definitely a skill set. It’s a different type of writing than you do on animated shows.
Lowenthal: When I was writing the script for this book, I had to go back and forth with Comfort and Adama and ask, “Is this an acceptable format to send to the artist?” You need to be more specific about what kind of image you want. Usually I don’t have to think about the image, someone else does. That’s what manga is all about, so I had to think more specifically about what I wanted to show and how the eye would draw attention to the page. We really worked with the artists, Comfort, and Adam to create a better script for the artists to work with. It was definitely a learning curve. I understand why Dwayne would say that.
Dahl: This Topsy McGree comics project features some incredibly talented and well-known artists like Dennis Medli, Will Jones, Hannah Al Shaar & Haley Muramo. Each team deals with a different problem. I’m sure you were looking for an artist that spoke to your style. How did you choose the different artists?
Platt: The way we did it, we didn’t know that it would end up being a paperback, so we were initially focused on getting the first issue published. The style of the artist we found, Denis (Medli), really spoke to Yuri.
Lowenthal: Again, Comfort and Adam helped us research the artists we found and their portfolios. Luckily we found Dennis and it was a great way to start the book.
Pratt: But he also had a blast when we asked him to write the book. He got really busy and the timeline for us to finish it looked like it was going to be very vague. At that point, we decided to use a different artist for each issue. That allowed us to keep moving forward. From there we worked with Comfort and Adam to look at the portfolio.
Lowenthal: The goal is also to develop new artists.
Pratt: That was also something that appealed to both of us. I’m not saying the art here is grotesque, but I like Yuri’s style to be a little darker and a little more grotesque. I just don’t want to do anything scary. We needed to find something exciting, active and adventurous, yet fun and dark at the same time. We found artists who would work with us and reached out and connected.
Dahl: I’ve interviewed a lot of celebrities over the years, and I never assume they’re comics readers. That’s why I always feel a special connection when I interview fellow manga readers. A perfect example is actor David Dastmalchian, who has been making a name for himself in the comics industry over the past few years by being an outspoken fan. Yuri, I believe your love of comics goes back to reading Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. I’d like to ask you about your comic book fandom, both past and present.
Lowenthal: Interesting history!
Pratt: When I was a kid, we had pull lists. But my pull list wasn’t superheroes. There were Scrooge McDuck, Archie, Betty, and Veronica ones. It’s a little lighter. I didn’t have a television, but in a way, cartoons were like Saturday morning cartoons. There’s nothing too scary or dangerous. With Richie Rich, you know exactly where he’s going. That was above my level.
Lowenthal: I’m definitely a superhero person. I don’t read manga as much as I used to these days. I think that’s overwhelming. Usually I end up reading books that people have recommended to me or the new Matt Fraction or Matt Wagner. For some reason I only read Mats! I’m drawn to characters that someone has recommended to me (comics) or that I’m familiar with, like from Moon Knight. I don’t read books like I used to. No more pull boxes.
Platt: But comic shops know you.
Lowenthal: That’s true. But that’s Spider-Man’s fault.
Pratt: No! They know you!
Dahl: You mentioned the animated series, where do you want to take the world of Topsy McGee next?
Pratt: I feel like I still have a story to tell with them. I also feel that there is a lot we can learn from history and even steampunk-style alternative history in this world we live in. You can pick up on what’s going on with it and comment on what’s going on in the world. I think there is an inevitability to characters like them.
Lowenthal: What we’re saying is, we’re three more away from finding out what happens next.
Topsy McGee and Solomon’s Scarab TPB will be released on October 9, 2024.
Action that travels around the world in the early 20th century!
Topsy McGee and her husband, Captain Sean McGee, are some of Britain’s greatest adventurers. They have traveled the world and survived through talent and bravery, from the mundane to the mysterious, including common villains, savages, and villains. But never before has danger struck so close to home.
The airship journey to Cairo is just the beginning when Topsy receives a telegram from her father. Topsy and Sean battle villains, assassins, and cultists with the help of allies such as Harry Houdini and Captain Nemo. Will they learn the truth about Solomon’s Scarab before it is used against them?
It’s a race against time in a steampunk world, with the fate of your family and the world at stake.
Story: Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Pratt, Text: Yuri Lowenthal, Art: Dennis Medli (Issue 1), Art: Will Jones (Issue 2), Art: Hannah Al Shaar & Hayley. Muramoru (Issue 3), Color: Will Jones (Issue 1, Issue 2), Color by Theodora Maron and Comfort & Adam (Issue 3), Color Separation by Malena Salinas and Dylan Klingler, Lettering by Deron Bennett ( Issue 1), Lettering by Comfort & Adam (Issue 2, Issue 3), Cover Written by Comfort & Adam, Produced and Edited by Comfort & Adam
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