Luna Brothers
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Luna and Joshua Luna (born January 9, 1981), professionally known as the Luna Brothers, are American
comics artist
s. They have created three series together: Ultra
, Girls
, and The Sword
, and provided art for Marvel Comics
' Spider-Woman: Origin.
Although early in their career they shared both writing and art duties in their work, their collaboration evolved to the point where, after writing plots together, Joshua primarily scripts the dialogue, and Jonathan does all the art.
The Lunas prefer to concentrate on female characters such as Spider-Woman, Red Sonja
and their own creations, Ultra, Girls and The Sword, explaining, "Women are beautiful, smart, and strong, and we like to work on characters like that. It’s also fun to see women do amazing things like jump over buildings."
parents. Their earliest interest in comics were through publications like Mad magazine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
and Uncanny X-Men
, and in particular, creators such as Mort Drucker, Jim Lee
, Marc Silvestri
and Adam Hughes
. In their teens they were enthusiastic fans of fellow Filipino comics creator Whilce Portacio
, and his creation, Wetworks
.
The Lunas eventually took a hiatus from comics, and attended Savannah College of Art and Design
, where they earned Bachelor of Fine Arts
degrees, with Jonathan graduating in 2001, and Joshua in 2003. Their interest in the medium was reignited when they noticed works such as Garth Ennis
's Preacher
, and inspired them to work in mature genres other than superheroes, as typified by the material published by Vertigo Comics.
publisher Erik Larsen
as a blind submission, which consisted of a synopsis and five-page sequence. Image published Ultra as a miniseries between 2004
and 2005
.
Girls
was also published by Image and ran, between May 2005 and April 2007
. Their latest venture is a limited series
, again for Image, called The Sword
. It started in October 2007.
The Lunas have expressed a preference for working on their own creations, but have stated that if given the opportunity, would like to work on Superman
, Supergirl
, Batman
and Spider-Man
. Joshua has also expressed an interest in one day writing movie screenplays.
works such as The Walking Dead
, The Descent
and I Am Legend
, as well as an appreciation for the works of Stephen King
. The Lunas have also cited TV shows such as True Blood
and Six Feet Under
as inspirations.
Early in their career they shared both writing and art duties in their work, as seen in the first several issues of Girls
, which they have described as a transition point in their collaborative process. Today, they both collaborate on plots, but Joshua primarily scripts the dialogue, and Jonathan does all the art.
When illustrating their work, Jonathan Luna uses 14 x 17 Strathmore bristol board
, which he cuts into 11 x 17 pieces on which to draw. He draws using a 2H pencil, and after inking his pencils with a Micron pen, he edits his line work on a graphics tablet
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comics artist
Comics artist
A comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...
s. They have created three series together: Ultra
Ultra (comics)
Ultra is an eight-issue comic book limited series created by the Luna Brothers, Jonathan and Joshua , and published by Image Comics in 2004 and 2005....
, Girls
Girls (comics)
Girls is an American monthly comic book limited series created by Jonathan and Joshua Luna, published by Image Comics between 2005 and 2007....
, and The Sword
The Sword (comics)
The Sword was a monthly comic book limited series created by the Luna Brothers and published by Image Comics. The first issue was published in October 2007 and the series concluded in May 2010 with a giant-sized 24th issue....
, and provided art for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Spider-Woman: Origin.
Although early in their career they shared both writing and art duties in their work, their collaboration evolved to the point where, after writing plots together, Joshua primarily scripts the dialogue, and Jonathan does all the art.
The Lunas prefer to concentrate on female characters such as Spider-Woman, Red Sonja
Red Sonja
Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture"...
and their own creations, Ultra, Girls and The Sword, explaining, "Women are beautiful, smart, and strong, and we like to work on characters like that. It’s also fun to see women do amazing things like jump over buildings."
Early lives
The Lunas were born in the United States to FilipinoPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
parents. Their earliest interest in comics were through publications like Mad magazine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
and Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
, and in particular, creators such as Mort Drucker, Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
, Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri
Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
and Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes is an American comic book artist who has worked for companies such as DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros...
. In their teens they were enthusiastic fans of fellow Filipino comics creator Whilce Portacio
Whilce Portacio
William "Whilce" Portacio is a Filipino-American comic book writer and artist. Noted for his work on such titles as The Punisher, X-Factor, and the Uncanny X-Men. Portacio was also one of the seven co-founders of Image Comics, though he did not become a partner in the company.-Early life:Portacio...
, and his creation, Wetworks
Wetworks
Wetworks is an American comic book series created by comic book artist Whilce Portacio and writer Brandon Choi. It ran for four years before ending in 1998...
.
The Lunas eventually took a hiatus from comics, and attended Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
, where they earned Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degrees, with Jonathan graduating in 2001, and Joshua in 2003. Their interest in the medium was reignited when they noticed works such as Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
's Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
, and inspired them to work in mature genres other than superheroes, as typified by the material published by Vertigo Comics.
Career
The Luna brothers sent Ultra to Image ComicsImage Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
publisher Erik Larsen
Erik Larsen
Erik J. Larsen is an American comic book writer, artist and publisher. He is best known for his work on Savage Dragon, as one of the founders of Image Comics, and for his work on Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.-Early life:...
as a blind submission, which consisted of a synopsis and five-page sequence. Image published Ultra as a miniseries between 2004
2004 in comics
-February:*February 6: Marvel Enterprises and Electronic Arts announce a multi-year agreement in which EA will develop a new generation of fighting video games pitting Marvel superheroes against a new, original set of EA heroes....
and 2005
2005 in comics
- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....
.
Girls
Girls (comics)
Girls is an American monthly comic book limited series created by Jonathan and Joshua Luna, published by Image Comics between 2005 and 2007....
was also published by Image and ran, between May 2005 and April 2007
2007 in comics
-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
. Their latest venture is a limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, again for Image, called The Sword
The Sword (comics)
The Sword was a monthly comic book limited series created by the Luna Brothers and published by Image Comics. The first issue was published in October 2007 and the series concluded in May 2010 with a giant-sized 24th issue....
. It started in October 2007.
The Lunas have expressed a preference for working on their own creations, but have stated that if given the opportunity, would like to work on Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. Joshua has also expressed an interest in one day writing movie screenplays.
Technique and influences
Jonathan Luna has expressed an appreciation for horrorHorror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
works such as The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white US comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue...
, The Descent
The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
and I Am Legend
I Am Legend (film)
I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...
, as well as an appreciation for the works of Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. The Lunas have also cited TV shows such as True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
and Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under is an American drama television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on June 3, 2001 and ended on August 21, 2005, spanning five seasons and 63 episodes. The show was produced by Actual Size Films and The...
as inspirations.
Early in their career they shared both writing and art duties in their work, as seen in the first several issues of Girls
Girls (comics)
Girls is an American monthly comic book limited series created by Jonathan and Joshua Luna, published by Image Comics between 2005 and 2007....
, which they have described as a transition point in their collaborative process. Today, they both collaborate on plots, but Joshua primarily scripts the dialogue, and Jonathan does all the art.
When illustrating their work, Jonathan Luna uses 14 x 17 Strathmore bristol board
Bristol board
Bristol board is an uncoated, machine-finished paperboard. It is named after the city of Bristol in the southwest of England...
, which he cuts into 11 x 17 pieces on which to draw. He draws using a 2H pencil, and after inking his pencils with a Micron pen, he edits his line work on a graphics tablet
Graphics tablet
A graphics tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures...
.
External links
Interviews
- Luna Brothers Hone Storytelling Acumen on Sword, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
, December 4, 2007. - An interview on bdtheque.com
- Catching Up with the Luna Brothers, October 13, 2008