Whether you know him best as the Voltron: Legendary Defender or Gambit in X-Men ’97’s Lotor, or countless other performances in a multitude of acclaimed fan favorite animated series, it’s no exaggeration to say that AJ Locascio is one of the best in the narration industry. Locascio is someone who doesn’t know about participating in San Diego Comic-Con, and this year was no exception. However, last month he was marked as the first comic book creator at SDCC with his debut children’s graphic novel, Spoops: Little Spirit of Halloween.
The graphic novel, drawn by Laurie a Conley, follows an adorable young girl named Holly Hollowell, who is forbidden from enjoying the Halloween festival by dentist parents. Luckily, a magical sprite known as a spoop arrives to turn things around, teaching your parents the true spirit of Halloween in the process.
I was very pleased to interview Rocasio on Press Junquet for many of his animation projects over the years with Beat. So the opportunity to chat with him about the spoop was a great way to finish off the SDCC with an incredibly high sound.
The interviews have been compiled for length and clarity.
Taimur Dar: Obviously, most people are familiar with your work as a voice actor, but I have not completely realized for years that I have created these little Halloween sculptures called Spoops. How did this venture start and ultimately lead to this graphic novel?
AJ Locascio: I always make and write art. I just love making things. Actors who don’t make things or have any hobbies are odd and usually get hooked. (lol). I started making small decorations for my desk. That’s where the spoop begins. I wanted to make a small figurine that didn’t take up much space. They were not huge decorations. A lot of people saw them on my Instagram and asked how I could get these and I was like, “I don’t know!” But then it turns out that people wanted to buy them. And it bulged me, made some of them, then made a bunch of them. I began to develop stories for them. My partner Josh Keaton from Voltron (said), “Hey, you have to make this a book.” I started developing books six years ago, and it took a long time. Some people are similar to “There are a lot of 72 pages for a picture book.” However, I needed to reduce that and work for six years.
Taimur Dar: You and I are both kids in the 90s, so we both saw a lot of the same Halloween specials.
AJ Locascio: Ah, absolutely.
Taimur Dar: One of my greatest favorites of all time was the Halloween tree.
AJ Locascio: He said the Halloween tree was a huge inspiration for me. Clearly a great pumpkin. ABC has Garfield Halloween (Special) and Hocus Pocus and Tower of Tower
Taimur Dar: With Kirsten Dunst!
AJ Rocasio: Yes! Steve Guttenberg. I miss Halloween specials from the 80s and 90s. It’s like my desire. I go home as a kid and miss the rush of whatever the new Halloween special is. In addition to loving old-fashioned books such as Little Bear, Dr. Seuss and Matilda. I don’t often see this book because I’m getting older. I don’t notice them in the wild.
Taimur Dar: I cover many kids’ media, especially animation. Even if I didn’t, I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I still see the media that intends children in my free time. I think the previous generation had this expectation that as adults they would abandon children’s media. But there’s a lot of kids entertainment that I really enjoy.
AJ Locascio: Same! There are certain shows I like. “This is better than any adult show right now.” Learn more about what’s going on from Bluey. There’s a show that captivated me, called Sarah & Duck. It’s a British cartoon about a little girl who has a pet duck she lives with. The narrator is like her parents. It’s about their absurd and surreal adventures. It has so many minds and meaning behind it. I found myself drawn to such soft entertainment, nostalgic, warm and comforting. “I think I’ll re-watch Breaking Bad.” The reality is hard enough! Doug was one of my favourite shows. The way he dealt with anxiety was a huge comforting experience as a child. He would have pretended he was Indiana Jones or Smash Adams.
Taimur Dar: Following that theme, Spoops follows a little girl named Holly. I think anyone can relate to it. Want to hear about what influenced the story and the characters?
AJ Locascio: Thank you for getting it and looking through the set dressing! (i) I grew up a very nerd, no one liked me and I had a hard time in high school and middle school. I’m lucky that my parents understood some of the things I like, but not all of them. (It’s) this feeling of trying to make your parents understand who you are, what you love and passionate about, and other people who see you who you are. She’s stuck with Halloween. This is about her that was definitely something I had as a child.
It feels like all of us in the nerd community can stick to something and that will become your obsession. In many ways, this is a very thinly veiled similarity for this, or in some way I feel about myself that I want others to understand. The story is about a lot about it, trying to make people meet you for who you are and accept who you are.
Taimur Dar: As I mentioned before, I’m always blown away to discover performers who have artistic skills and talent. For a long time, I never thought Phil Hartman was the graphic artist who designed album covers before becoming a performer. The artist for Spoop is Laurie Conley. How did you want to work with her to explain the spoop yourself?
AJ Locascio: I had time. I definitely thought about drawing it myself at first. But I only thought about it for a few seconds. I’ve been a Raleigh fan for years. It’s funny that when I first saw her, she had no followers. (lol). She was ambiguous in several respects. I was fortunate to have found her very early. Hers is so rich and beautiful, it feels like a different era. That’s very rare. I’ve seen thousands of picture books, children’s books and artists, but I never met anyone who hits it hard, like Maurice Sendak, Quentin Blake, and Beatrix Potter, timeless. I’m obsessed with all the styles of those paintings, but I haven’t found anyone who hits it and who does it in a way she’s not wearing it. She does it in a very serious way, and that’s what she loves.
Also, the fact that she portrayed Halloween with a ghost. That was something we connected early on. I approached her and said, “I have these sculptured numbers and I want to do a book with them. If I send these numbers, can I start developing (it)?” It was difficult to translate them from sculpture to pictures. Essentially, I had to do the same thing as you with animations that built turnarounds on the front, back and sides. They are constantly swooping down on their backs and their eyes never get bigger (size). I had to create a model sheet so that I could stay with how my brain saw the spoop. I was unfortunately very strict but she nails it. She comes up with things I couldn’t imagine. She is a genius. I think I’m very fortunate that she was able to draw this.
Taimur Dar: The book is amazing.
AJ Rocasio: Thank you! you are wonderful!
(Laughter)
Taimur Dar: I want to know where I want to take a picture of my speed next. Perhaps its own animation special?
AJ Locascio: I love it. Animation specials will become dreams. Something in a great pumpkin style that kids can wear every year will be the ultimate. I want to do more spoop stories. I don’t know if it’s the same format that a child needs more help with spoops. I think they are fairies like Woodstock of Peanuts or Tinker Bell, who has their own world in which they live. I want to do more with them on their own. This book must be done well first!
Spoop: The little Halloween spirit is now available.
Keep an eye out for more coverage from SDCC ’25.
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