We reached out to Luca Debus to gain insight into his creative journey, the evolution of his characters in Wannabe, and the realities of life as a comic artist. The artist shared that the fun part of creating daily comic strip characters is watching them grow and evolve, though keeping them under control can be quite a challenge! "I have to confess that I started my Wannabe journey quite shy," Debus revealed to Bored Panda.
"I wasn't sure how some traits of my characters would be perceived by some readers. After a while, I felt like the readers had warmed up enough, and it was time to let my characters loose. That's when I could allow McKenzie to be a complete goof, and see where that took her. The goof revealed her to be more layered. I didn’t expect her to be such a good friend! She turned out to be smarter and more loving than she initially appears.
Mostly, I like how the characters evolve in relation to each other. How they help each other, how they nag each other... It's fun to see the different dynamics between them."
Many artists face creative blocks or burnout, but Debus told us that for him, there’s simply no time for those setbacks! "The problem with a daily schedule is that there's no room for creative blocks and burnouts. You just have to keep going. During those moments, I'm sure my work isn't at its best, and I'm really sorry for that. But I just have to trust the process and know that eventually I’ll come out the other end.
Creative blocks can teach a lot too. I hope that after overcoming one, I learn a little more about myself and my comic. Because of that, there’s also no need to fear them! They're yet another chance to better myself."
Creating comics isn’t always a walk in the park. For Debus, the biggest challenge is definitely the current state of the comic industry. "Like many creative jobs, making comics takes a lot of time, energy, and love. Sadly, there's no money to support all this effort, especially if you're starting out and if you're not as big of a cartoonist as others. I end up juggling lots of jobs at the same time in order to make ends meet. Like many people in creative fields, I have to overwork myself and divide my energy in order to make a little money.
Cartoonists and creative people in general simply aren't given the chance to fully commit to their craft. And, I believe, only with a full commitment can we create something truly artistic and meaningful. On top of that, often I feel like we're expected to get the same results as if we were given the chance to fully commit, too. And that's simply not possible."
Despite the challenges, Debus truly enjoys making comics. "It’s my way to communicate with the world, my own language I crafted to convey all my feelings and thoughts," he says. "The best part is connecting with people through this language and the communication that it creates. Through my comics, I met so many incredible people, I got to know other fantastic comics and special languages! I became friends with people who, I hope, will be in my life forever. This is the best thing that came out of my Wannabe journey so far, for sure."
Like everyone else, artists grow and change over time, and their art reflects that evolution. With that in mind, we wondered if Debus had any advice he would give to his younger self just starting out in comics. "I’d have many pieces of advice for that teeny-tiny, daydreaming boy! First of all, don't let the mainstream idea of success get into your head. It's easy to feel discouraged when you're the smallest cartoonist out there who's struggling so much to get any kind of attention. You'll soon start thinking that what you do has no value. But it does. It does for you, and that’s what matters. Views, likes, and follows may be an easy way to find approval and gratification, but they don’t define your worth.
Then, I’d say not to put all your eggs in one basket. The industry is changing a lot in present time. Don’t follow only one path to become the cartoonist you wish, but pursue many of them because you’ll never know what’ll stick in the future."
