Kloud 9: The Star Soldier is a graphic novel by AJ O. Mason (writer), Dominic Bustamante (creator, artist, co-writer), Leonardo Ito (colorist), Alice Ito (flats colorist), and Lucas Gattoni (letterer). Kloud 9 is a sci fi adventure romp filled with heart and soul, humor, and derring do and danger. At its heart though Kloud 9 is the story of two young men named Kal and Cosmo who just so happen to meet and begin to fall in love under most unusual circumstances. Thanks to Dominic Bustamante I’ve had the opportunity to read Kloud 9 a couple times and I really enjoy Kal and Cosmo’s fledgling romance and how the theme of found family is woven into their back stories. The images included in this interview focus on the characters because the action scenes that caught my eye also seemed to be spoilery.
On behalf of Dominic, Lucas, AJ, Leonardo, and Alice, we hope you enjoy the interview and are intrigued to check out Kloud 9: The Star Soldier. This interview was proposed by Dominic for which he and Lucas Gattoni have my deep appreciation.
Gay League: Hello and welcome, Dominic and Lucas! Thank you both so much for this interview! How are you doing? There’s a lot to talk about with your graphic novel Kloud 9: The Star Soldier about to be released so I imagine you’re very excited!
D: Thank you so much for having us. We really appreciate the opportunity to get to talk to you about this project that we’ve been so eager to share. I’ve expressed this before when talking about KLOUD 9, but I’m just so happy that these characters will now get to live outside of myself, AJ, and the team, and to belong to readers and everyone else already. It makes me feel like the characters can finally be alive and free to have their own adventures beyond us.
L: We are beyond excited! I’ve been working with Dom and AJ for a couple of years on this, so the need to have this out is REAL. We want the readers to fall in love with the Kloud 9 crew as we have.
GL: Thanks to you, Dominic, I’ve had the opportunity to read Kloud 9. I really enjoy the two male leads Kal and Cosmo and the supporting cast, Xoya, Akeel, and Rye. Well, enjoy may not be the right word to use about Andromeda. She’s deliciously evil in a Maleficent sort of way and I suspect there’s more to her backstory yet to be told.
D: That’s very kind, thank you – I really appreciate that! And you suspect correctly. I’m giving a little tease but in the next installment in the KLOUD 9 series, we get even more of an insight into Andromeda and the history that informs her character in the first book, but for now, we really hope the taste we give of her is enough to entice readers. I also appreciate the mention of Maleficent for her. I was a big Disney kid and completely raised by the Disney villains, with Maleficent being my number one girl, so she’s definitely one of the influences that is in the DNA of Andromeda and how I approached that character.
Back to the boys though! In some ways they’re opposites. Kal is from earth and Cosmo, well, he’s from somewhere else. Kal is very guarded about himself and Cosmo has an outgoing personality. So of course these opposites attract each other and stumble into each other in a meet cute. I fell in love with the sweet and charming scenes in the first chapter and the ways this was built on as the adventure part of the plot kicked in. How would you describe the plot to pique the interest of people reading now?
D: That makes me so happy to hear – thank you, Joe! I would say that the plot follows, as you mentioned, two very different boys from different worlds, but both find themselves lost and very alone at this stage in their life. When they meet each other, their connection is largely based on a mutual recognition of that feeling of displacement and also because they’re both running away from something in their lives… except what Cosmo is running away from is big bad Andromeda, who successfully tracks him down on Earth. Andromeda’s mission quickly becomes hunting him down and now Kal is well, back up to the stars. Through this crazy adventure that the two boys embark on, they both end up learning more about themselves, coming into their power as individuals, form a newfound tribe to call family, and finally discover their place in the universe.
L: Dom described it beautifully. Just three words from me: intergalactic love chase!
GL: Would you talk about the journey it’s undergone from that first idea to realizing the project was going to print? Since most mainstream comics come out on a monthly basis I sometimes wonder how many readers have an accurate idea how much time is involved with graphic novels, especially with original characters.
D: Absolutely, and the duration of each step of production came as a surprise to me initially, because I was still so green to the world of publishing and comics at the time.
KLOUD 9 originally came to me in the form of a dream I had in 2017, that visually felt like a sequence straight out of Blade Runner, about a boy being chased through a nightclub by a group of people hunting him down. I was really fascinated by this dream, and it led to more questions about this world and who this boy was, so I put these questions and my own conclusions down in a 10-page comic that I wrote and drew the following year for my third year comic-making course in university. This comic was the first incarnation of what the book is today, and it was really vital in the next step of the journey because I ended up posting it on Reddit (of all places) in 2019, looking for a writer and collaborative partner to develop and build it with me. I had a few interested writers who reached out and one of them happened to be AJ O. Mason, who is the main writer of the series today, and my very best friend.
AJ and I fleshed out the story enough to put into a pitch package, which we sent out into the online world during Pitch Madness on Twitter at the end of 2020, and from there an editor, Erika Turner, found the pitch and invited us to pitch it officially to IDW. Now, six years later we’re looking at a three book trilogy in progress, with the first book about to come out.
L: I came along when the book was practically fully inked, but both Dom and AJ and our editor made sure I had enough room to add my own flair with the letters.
GL: How did you feel when you finally held proofs in your hand? I noticed Scott Snyder praised Kloud 9 and Kirkus Review called it a “colorful, exciting, and romantic space fantasy.” Congratulations there!
D: I actually haven’t had the pleasure of holding the proofs yet in my hand unfortunately! It’s funny, because I just received texts from my friend excitedly telling me that their local shop let them know they could pick up their copies, and I haven’t even seen my book in person yet! However, AJ and I did get sent a photo from our friend and friendly neighbourhood author Barbara Perez Marquez, of a stack of KLOUD 9 books being presented at the American Library Association conference this year, and that was the first time we’d seen the book in physical form. Even though it was just a picture, seeing it realized like that definitely invoked an emotional reaction haha!
And yes, we definitely had a pinch ourselves moment with that Scott Snyder quote, and honestly with any of the kind responses we’ve been given from anybody – AJ and I are constantly being mushy and weepy about it with each other.
GL: Dominic, if I’m not mistaken you live in Canada and Lucas, you’re located in Argentina. How did the two of you and co writer AJ O Mason and colorists Leonardo and Alice Ito find each other?
D: I mentioned earlier that AJ O. Mason and I met through a reddit post I had written, which had this serendipitous stars-aligning feel to it, because AJ had been writing short comics for two years up to that point, and had a little adventure going around the states to various conventions to show his work off to industry professionals hoping to break in with no luck. When AJ came across that post, he mentioned to me later on that he almost didn’t respond after seeing the responses from other writers, and was actually already thinking about quitting comics altogether before he commented.
For the rest of the team, it was a similar magical assembling. Originally I was set to color the books myself until we brought it up with the editors that we could use a colorist, and we were given several names, which included Leonardo Ito. I had seen his Batman work previously, and his eye for color palettes and the range of personality and emotion he could express through them really sold me on him being our guy. And of course, Alice Ito being Leo’s wife and the flatter of our book is a total unsung hero because I didn’t exactly make those pages easy to color, and I’ve made many apologies over the years along with my thank you’s to both of them haha!
With Lucas, I had also seen his work previously in the comic anthology Young Men in Love: A Queer Romance. One of the stories, Second Star to the Right, is a queer Peter Pan re-imagining by Tate Brombal and Jacoby Salcedo, and the main character’s inner thoughts were done in this beautiful lettering by Lucas, where it looked like they were torn up pieces of journal paper taken from the character’s diary. I was so struck by this visual that I had actually saved it in an ‘inspiration’ folder for KLOUD 9’s aesthetic, and I referred back to it when AJ and I were writing the script for Book One, in which Kal has a similar moment where he’s writing in a journal and the lettering pops up like so, detailing his inner dialogue. When it came time for the editors to suggest names for letterers, it was a no brainer for me that Lucas had to be the one.
It always feels kind of cheesy to me when I hear “meant to be” from anybody, but that’s really how it feels with this team, and how everyone involved just understood the assignment. AJ and I were constantly floored and overwhelmed by the passion, care, and love that Leonardo, Alice, and Lucas poured into this book. We’re so eager for readers to finally enjoy the artistry that they accomplished, since AJ and I have been excitedly freaking out about them for the last few years already.
GL: The YA graphic novel market has really exploded in the past decade or so. Having so many of these books made by queer creators for queer youth makes me happy. Kloud 9 isn’t just for young adults though, is it?
D: Seconded on that happiness! The abundance and variety of queer books out there is exactly what I would hope for, and it’s definitely something that became increasingly more important to me and present in my mind as I worked through the first book of KLOUD 9. It was surprising to me actually, because I hadn’t felt that so strongly until I worked on this project. I think I was just suddenly made more aware of how I could make a positive contribution out in the world, in giving that feeling of comfort in the form of a book, the same way that various characters, books, or films did for me over the years. I was really determined to create a world and characters that a reader would want to return to, and that they could feel like a familiar friend to them.
KLOUD 9 is definitely not just a book that’s strictly for young adults. I think it’s a very accessible book for anybody and everybody who is interested in a wild space adventure. I really feel like there’s no required reading or background needed to be able to identify with Kal or Cosmo.
GL: Lucas, yours is a name that always stands out for me when I look through solicitations. You lettered Liebestrasse, all of the stories in both Young Men In Love anthologies, Killer Queens, and the list goes on. I’d love for you to talk about your work on Kloud 9 especially since lettering is an often overlooked aspect of comics. Also, page numbers! Who decided on using them for Kloud 9? It’s such a small detail and I know I sound a little crazy but page numbers are so useful to have.
L: Thanks, I take a lot of literal pride in having had the chance to letter so many great LBGTQ+ books! In general I approached lettering Kloud-9 as any other project I letter, by doing an initial research that will inform my decisions. I like to have a short summary of the series, the script, and at least a few colored pages. I also ask the team for any references or preferences they want to share with me. For Kloud 9 I remember the guys shared with me an initial take on a logo and the cover, and that truly inspired my whole colorful take on lettering.
With all that in mind I prepare a couple of samples so we can decide what direction to take. All that’s standard lettering styles preparation–but in this particular case what caught me, was the sheer amount of passion and dedication both AJ and Dom were pouring and sharing with me. As you point out, lettering is often treated as an afterthought, so any time I notice creators are willing to make sure I feel like a star is when I can’t help but give it a 1000%.
Page numbers are great for graphic novels! It is not something most regular letterers take care of, as they tend to be a publishers’ decisions–So I would have to give all credit to the design department at IDW for those.
GL: Lucas, you’re also a co-owner and prepress manager of a print shop too. How does that inform/inspire/influence your career in lettering?
L: I’ve been a prepress manager for over 20 years now, which is a very technical and mechanical task–so I have always made sure I cranked my creative juices someplace else. I’ve tried my hand at photography, expressive drawing, pixelated artwork, and typesetting. And one slow summer, 10 years after I graduated as a graphic designer I thought it’d be fun to give my first ever dream job a new try. I lettered a couple of sample pages, and in less than a week I was able to secure my first ever gig.
Prepress has definitely shaped how I make sure my files are tidy and print-ready from the get-go–and it was also the way I first related to some colleagues who cherished some of my humble advice, established a long time friendship and helped me get my first important jobs.
GL: Who are the creators or which comics influenced you both to want to work in comics?
D: The Bone books by Jeff Smith really stand out to me when I think of comics that really pulled at the part of me that wanted to join in all that fun. They were always rented out at the school and the library by other kids, so I could never reach them there, but when I would go grocery shopping with my mom, I would grab them at the little book section in the store and I’d read them in the cart while we shopped. I just loved the art style and the fantastical storytelling so much, and it really stirred this feeling that making a comic book was attainable and achievable. Similarly, Rumiko Takahashi’s work on Inuyasha and Ranma ½ were big influences on me growing up, and there’s definitely Rumiko in how I designed Kal for KLOUD 9. I’ll still go flip through my Inuyasha manga if my panels are feeling a bit lifeless, just so I can get into contact with Rumiko’s magic touch and come back inspired.
L: In my case I’d have to name two of the most important letterers ever: Todd Klein, whose magical work on books like Sandman really piqued my interest in this art form, and Richard Starkings, whose dabblings into the digital world cemented that interest and made me realize it was something I could not just be good at, but enjoy doing. In particular his early work in the Superboy series of the 90s (at first hand made, then digital) and in some of the early 2000s Superman books too. His work there felt so modern and yet such a true homage to classic lettering.
Yes, those are sweet potatoes on the table. They play a silly part in this scene.
GL: Lucas and Dominic, what kind of things feed you creatively? Do you find yourselves working on little projects to keep your hands and your mind busy?
L: That’s totally true for me. But not just little projects–I enjoy lettering so much that I usually take a break from one book by lettering another (not all the time, sometimes I do take real breaks!). Whenever possible I try to make sure I work on several projects during the same day as I’ve found it helps me remain creative and active. But overall, I try to find inspiration everywhere–mostly looking at other letterers, but also following graphic design trends and having quite a hefty comic book library to draw from.
I also choose very specifically the music I listen to when I’m lettering. If I’m working on the first stages of a book and I have time I’ll probably go for something mellow and symphonic, probably with a related theme. But if I’m in chop-chop mode you’ll probably hear me blast something more rhythmic and fast-paced. Music really helps me set the tone (duh!) for whatever I’m working on at the moment.
D: I’m always chipping away at something. When people ask about my job or hobbies, they’re one and the same – I’m going to be drawing for work and I’ll be doing it for my own personal enjoyment as well. I do notice that when I’m in peak crunch time for projects, that’s actually when I’ll cut out some time in between to draw for myself and start new projects that have absolutely nothing to do with work or continue tinkering with previous ones. I used to feel bad about it because it felt like I was “wasting time” by doing so, but I realize it’s actually a way for me to prevent my brain from being exhausted and stagnant by only being in work-mode all the time. I think, and hope that it’s a way that I keep myself from feeling burnt out artistically, by giving myself the treat of drawing something for fun that’s purely for me.
GL: Who would you like to see cast as Kal, Cosmo, and Andromeda in a movie adaptation?
L: Ooh, that’s a difficult one as I’m quite out of touch with young actors. Maybe I can cheat my way out of this and instead cast voice actors for an animated series, even if they’re a bit older than our heroes? I think Jeremy Shada (from Adventure Time) would rock Kal’s hardened but warm spirit, while I see the sweetness of Manny Jacinto (who I loved in The Good Place) as Cosmo. But the one I have no doubt about would be Jinkx Monsoon as Andromeda! I can already hear her doing some true magic with her voice!
D: Oh my goodness, Lucas and I are on the same page about seeing this as a potential animated adaptation. I’m going to be super greedy and say, let’s add a whole animated series on TOP of a film continuation – I want it all! I’d only ask that the entire creative team of KLOUD 9 be allowed to lend our voices as well to some background characters.
Lucas also gave a really delicious answer with Jinkx Monsoon as the voice of Andromeda… I am so tickled by the idea of that, and I would have never made that connection otherwise, but it’s all I can picture now. Drag and outer space just somehow make sense to me.
Cosmo’s design was inspired by the look of K-Pop idols, so I think it’d be really fitting to have an idol be the voice actor for him, and the fun part of that could be that they might also record an original song for the soundtrack or end credits! Alternately, I’m thinking of Steven Yeun, because it sounds like he’s having a good time voicing on Invincible. For Kal, maybe Dante Basco so we can not only bring in that Filipino representation, but make that Avatar: The Last Airbender connection to KLOUD 9 haha! It was one of the titles we loosely had in mind when developing the story.
Anyway, this is a question and daydream I’ve definitely chewed on before with AJ, so it’s something that’s always chattering in the back of my mind.
GL: Are there any upcoming projects either of you want to mention? Dominic, I remember seeing your name attached to a recently announced project from DC.
D: Yes, that’s right! I had my first gig with DC Comics just last year, on a slice-of-life Wonder Woman comic called Warriors and a Wee Wonder with Stephanie Williams writing it. We recently wrapped on the first season, and now we’re heading into season two for Warriors and a ‘Tween Wonder! There’s also a secret project I’ve been working on for a separate publisher, and hopefully I can share that soon enough. Other than that, I’ve got a couple of stories that I’m still playing around with on my own time, that hopefully will make it out there as future books after KLOUD 9!
L: I’m lucky enough to have some many cool projects coming up! I can mention the mini-series Chachu from Tiny Onion and Image, the first creator owned work by Iman Vellani (of Ms Marvel fame!) with art by Marianna Ignazzi and colors by Jordie Bellaire. I’m also working on many DC books (lucky indeed!), including two titles in the Absolute line, an upcoming Vertigo book, and another one I’m very much excited about–the newly announced reboot of Doom Patrol!
GL: And will there be more adventures for Kal and Cosmo? After all, the cover does say this is volume one!
D: Luckily, there are two more books that readers can look forward to for Kal and Cosmo’s adventures! I’m currently inking the second book, and the third book is now being written by AJ and I. We’re not even close to finishing, and I already start welling up at the thought of not drawing these characters every day, so I can’t even imagine what a blubbery mess I’ll be when we actually get to the end of Book Three and I’ve completely wrapped on this series. But for now, I’m trying as much as I can to be super present and enjoy the ride while it’s going!
GL: Where can folks reading this interview find you on the Internet?
D: I’m on most social media platforms under the same username @Dommnics, but I’m most active and reachable on Instagram and Tumblr, if you want to poke and say hello. For other sites I kind of just dump my art there and skedaddle, hah!
L: You can find me in most social media sites, but the one that’s more focused on my lettering work is my profile on Bluesky. You can also pay a visit to my portfolio at bit.ly/LG_Lettering
Thank you again to Dominic and Lucas for your time and thoughtful replies!
Kloud 9: The Star Soldier is in bookstores now and comic shops on July 7th! Please support your local comic shop and indy book store. Try this service to find a comic shop in your area. Bookshop will help you find a local indy store. Or just order a copy direct from Bookshop and designate an indy bookstore to benefit from your the purchase.
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