With the release of the Agent Cupcake graphic novel from Oni Press, we are delighted to be joined by Mel Hilario, Katie Longua and Lauren Davis, also better known as Triple Dream Comics.
Hi Mel, Katie and Lauren.
Mel, could you tell us about Triple Dream Comics?
One of our taglines is, “We’re a magical girl team fighting for a better world through stories,” and I think that’s a pretty succinct description. Originally we met at a job where we created educational books and toys. When that fell through, we realized that we enjoyed working together so much, we should probably keep doing it! Lauren and I do story and words, Katie, story and art— as a three-woman team, we work on both short and long-form comics.
Our two graphic novels are middle grade narrative-driven education. In Debian Perl: Digital Detective, kids learn the basics of coding; in Agent Cupcake, they learn elements of spycraft. Both embed information in story. We also write for adults and have comics about social issues, politics, history, including history about the CIA—that was part of our research for Agent Cupcake. Basically if a topic is interesting and/or weird, we probably want to write about it.
Katie, what can you tell us about Miguel Mangayayam?
Miguel is a twelve year old kid obsessed with mystical beasts. He can tell you everything about mermaids, griffins, fairies, and most of all unicorns. He doesn’t always fit in with kids his age though and often doubts himself. His knowledge and passion gets him recruited by the Mystical Beasts Bureau to be Agent Cupcake’s new partner. It’s a dream come true but it comes with a new set of challenges. How will Miguel fit in when his coworkers have wings, fangs, and way too many eyes to count?
I remember early in the process it was questioned if Miguel’s emotions were too strong. He can go from jubilant to crisis mode in an afternoon, but I always appreciated that Mel and Lauren wrote him that way. I was that kid growing up and I think it would have meant a lot to see a character like Miguel. Throughout the fun adventures and action of Agent Cupcake, I hope kids will connect with the underlying story of Miguel learning to believe in himself.
Lauren, what is the Mystical Beasts Bureau?
The Mystical Beasts Bureau is a spy agency dedicated to the protection of mystical creatures, who are sometimes exploited for their special abilities. The MBB Headquarters are themselves a fantastical space, part office and part otherworldly forest. And many of the beasts who work there are oddballs who don’t fit in with other beasts – after all, the MBB is run by a mermaid who hangs out on land in a motorized fish bowl! It’s a place where beasts are encouraged to try new things, learn new skills, and be their full, weird, passionate selves.
Mel, who is Agent Cupcake?
She’s an experienced spy who’s skilled, confident, and driven by a firm sense of justice. Like Miguel, she is the only one of her kind who is an agent at the MBB, but she has also felt out of place in her original community, the Unicorn Village. As Miguel’s mentor, she is firm, while patient and encouraging, because she understands what he’s going through. Agent Cupcake is protective of her friends and herself, yet one of her strengths is her ability to be vulnerable, which might seem unusual for a spy. She’s a unicorn in more ways than one.
Katie, you created all of the art for Agent Cupcake. What part of that process did you enjoy the most?
There’s something interesting about every stage of making comics, but there’s a couple parts I enjoy the most. First off, I love when ideas are just starting to take shape and I’m first sketching. Mel, Lauren, and I are talking all the time, brainstorming and cracking jokes. I’ll create different versions of characters and quiz Mel and Lauren on their favorites. I like to try and surprise them!
My most favorite part is coloring. I love experimenting with colors to set the scene and bring out emotions. It’s very engaging work but also relaxing enough to enjoy with a good audiobook or podcast. Like Miguel I deal with self doubt too, but coloring is when I feel the most comfortable and confident in my work! It’s my superpower.
Lauren, what can you tell us about the Agent Cupcake graphic novel?
Agent Cupcake is, first and foremost, a fun (and sometimes silly) adventure story about getting out of your comfort zone in order to find your place in the world. And while it’s filled with mythical creatures, cryptids, and other imaginary animals, it also contains secrets about our non-magical world. Readers might not ever get to meet a real unicorn like Miguel does, but they can learn how to crack codes, how locks and safes work, and why a flashy disguise sometimes works best. It’s a book meant to spark both a reader’s imagination and their curiosity about the wider world.
We would like to say a big thank you to Mel, Katie and Lauren for chatting with us and wish them the best of luck with Agent Cupcake.
