You may not have heard of Cherish, but you’ll likely want to pay close attention.
For one, the story is written by Katana Collins, the award-winning romance/erotica author (who also penned Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn). She’s joined by artist Gabriel Caitano, who has already begun to make a name with titles likes Mega Centarri (with Robert and Kat Szutyany) and Yuga (with Avinash Gudipati). And speaking of the art, several character designs were handled by none other than industry legend Marc Silvestri. (There’s also more big names providing variant covers, including Soo Lee and Eric Canet.)
The story itself is no slouch, either. After her father is murdered by a cabal of his fellow super rich world leaders/entrepreneurs, Amelia Fellows must become the titular “well-armed hi-tech vigilante” in order to have her revenge. It’s a thrilling, multi-layered story about family, vengeance, and holding the powerful accountable — sort of like if Perfect Dark met Succession and Dark Angel.
With Cherish issue #1 not out until November 2 (via Dynamite Entertainment), Collins was kind enough to answer some questions recently via email. That includes making the move into comics writing, working with her many collaborators, and learning from her other projects/titles.
The main cover to Cherish #1 by Marc Silvestri. Courtesy of Dynamite.
AIPT: What’s the elevator pitch for Cherish?
Katana Collins: A young woman comes back to New York City after twenty years on the lam to avenge her father’s death and take down the big, bad corporation and person… or persons… who murdered her father.
AIPT: There’s kind of a long story about the creation of Cherish — can you give the TL;DR version? Did that “journey” impact the book or its story at all?
KC: You know, I had to think about this question for a minute. My initial gut reaction was “No, it didn’t impact the story!” But then on as the question resonated deeper, I think it very much did… in the best possible way. By having this long creation where a lot of sets of eyes and hands got to mold it, we’ve created a tight story with a ton of well-rounded, exciting characters. Every developmental team member brought a new perspective to the creation and I wish I had been a fly on the wall in the earlier days so I could have seen the full process for myself!
AIPT: You’re mostly known for prose. What’s the “transition” to comics been like? Did your earlier work shape how this story was developed or plotted?
KC: Oh, for sure! In some ways, my transition felt easy. Sometimes writing comics is speedy and I can tear through the pages and words in no time. But then there are days that one single page takes me a full day of staring at the blinking cursor.
There were so many things to learn (and that I’m still learning) about with writing comics. Training your brain to start writing visually was a huge learning curve for me. In prose, you have to describe everything you want the reader to see or know with your words. But with comics, you don’t need to describe the shade of the moon reflecting off the lake… because the art does that for you!
Unlettered interior art by Gabriel Caitano. Courtesy of Dynamite.
So in some ways, half that burden is off of your shoulders. However, as someone who’s not a classically visual artist, it’s a real challenge to have to think in terms of single, static images to convey your story.
But my work in writing romance has certainly helped shape my writing for Cherish, too. I’ve mentioned this before, but I strongly believe that love and relationships are usually a person’s main motivator. And while that love doesn’t always have to be romantic, always knowing at the core of your story what part of love is motivating your character — whether that’s a love for a spouse, or the grief of losing a child, or familial love — strengthens your story.
AIPT: You wrote that great Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn. Did any of that character or that experience filter directly into Cherish?
KC: Thank you! I wouldn’t say it filtered directly, but certainly there’s a parallel between the two vigilante heroines. It’s a careful balance to strike in trying to take what you’ve learned from past projects without being repetitive in your storytelling. But if I had to choose one thing I was able to carry over, it was kickass fight scenes. Except now, it’s kickass fight scenes with sci-fi technology and weapons!
AIPT: Does having design work from Marc Silvestri ever feel intimidating at all? Or did his status help you at all?
KC: Having a comic book legend on the team? Nope, not intimidating at all!!! ;)
Unlettered interior art by Gabriel Caitano. Courtesy of Dynamite.
I think any time you have someone as talented as Marc on the developmental team, you automatically have a huge leg up. There are readers out there who will pick up a copy solely because Marc is so incredible and they want to see this character he helped design.
AIPT: What was it like working with Gabriel Caitano — what did they add to the storytelling process via the art/visuals?
KC: Gabriel is an absolute superstar… working with him is such a dream. He is on top of his deadlines and can take a one paragraph description of my gobbly-gook and turn it into magic. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here and what other projects he has lined up!
AIPT: You have a pretty great quote about the theme of revenge in Cherish. What about that idea is interesting to you? And how does that play out in the book?
KC: I’ve always found the concept of revenge to be fascinating. I think many of us enjoy the idea of revenge. We want the person who cut us off in traffic to get pulled over by a cop. We want the 7th grade bully to wake up on picture day with a pimple on their nose. We want karma to come around and do our dirty work for us.
Unlettered interior art by Gabriel Caitano. Courtesy of Dynamite.
And by reading books and absorbing content about revenge, we get to safely explore that odd desire that is in many of us. But as Gandhi’s quote says, “An eye for an eye leaves the world blind,” is so beautifully poetic. And I think that quote one hundred percent sets the tone for the entire series of Cherish.
AIPT: Similarly, do you feel like this specific story feels extra pertinent right now amid this, the most hellacious timeline?
KC: This story feels so pertinent today because our character is on a quest for truth and she is completely unsure of who to trust. And even with the hints of sci-fi, it very much feels set in the world today which was a very conscious decision on everyone’s part so that despite the cool tech and futuristic weaponry, readers can still connect to the world and interpret it in ways that are relevant to their lives.
AIPT: Does being married to a comics writer the caliber of Sean Gordon Murphy help or hurt your own burgeoning efforts as a comics scribe?
KC: Sean was actually the person who encouraged me to try my hand at writing comics. For years, he’s been saying I could and should write my own story, so the Harley Quinn story seemed like a natural and perfect way to start.
Variant covers from Eric Canete (L) and Soo Lee (R). Courtesy of Dynamite.
There is, of course, so much help that comes from having Sean at my disposal. =) But like most things, it also presents really unique challenges and sometimes unfair expectations.
That being said, I strongly believe that we help each other in ways that exceed genre or mediums of storytelling. Having two writers in the family means constant conversations about craft and plot and burgeoning ideas. He comes to me for help as much as I come to him for help. The other side of that coin is that because we’re so passionate, we can become a little too immersed in discussing our projects! We have to remind each other to set work aside.
AIPT: Why should anyone pick up Cherish?
KC: Well, I might be a little biased (hehe), but Dynamite gave me the freedom to tell a fresh story and play in the world they created. It’s a fun, action-packed story that hits the ground running immediately. Not to mention, readers are going to want to get in on the ground floor to Gabriel Caitano’s mainstream comics debut because there is no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be a superstar once people see this comic!
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