By Larry Jorash — This week marks the release of LEGO Ninjago - Garmadon #1, which is written and illustrated by Tri Vuong, colored by Annalisa Leoni, and lettered by Rus Wooton. Like the name says, it’s a comic extension of LEGO Ninjago, a great and very funny TV series, too. When Skybound —which is published the new series — gave us the chance to send some questions about the new comic to Vuong, I jumped at it.

Check out our chat below…

INTERVIEW: Tri Vuong talks Lego Ninjago - Garmadon #1

LARRY JORASH: So, to start I should note that I'm a big fan of LEGO: Ninjago. We play it often on the TV at the comic shop where I work. I'm curious, how much direct influence will the prior lore have on this comic? 

TRI VUONG: The comic ties directly into the show!  We pick up right after Garmadon's last appearance at the end of Season 10 "March of the Oni" and we'll finally get to see what he's been up to since then.

LARRY: Will this book also be a good introduction for readers new to the world of Ninjago? 

TRI: Garmadon has quite a complex backstory but we worked really hard to make the comic accessible to new readers.  I think Garmadon is such a compelling character that new readers should be able to just enjoy the ride but hopefully they'll check out some of the past episodes that we allude to in the comic if they're curious about his origin.

LARRY: When I read comics I tend to assign voices to some characters in my head. On top of that, the characters in Lego Ninjago: Garmadon have also appeared on the big screen. To what extent do you write with a particular set of voices in your head, both generally as well as with characters like these from other media?

TRI: I definitely wrote Garmadon with Mark Oliver's (Garmadon's TV actor) voice in mind and I tried to stay really faithful to his portrayal of the character.  If it's an existing character I tend to have their voices in mind when I write but for new characters, it takes a little longer for it to emerge.  Having said that, comics is of course a visual medium and having it look right on the page is probably more important than having it sound right in my head.

LARRY: Did you play with LEGO sets as a kid? If so, what were some of your favorite/most memorable?  

 TRI: I did!  My dad got me alot of the space themed LEGO sets.  My memory is a little hazy about which specific one but it might have been 6980 "Galaxy Commander".  I wish I still had it!

 LARRY: You have a new, original graphic novel  arriving this fall (also from Skybound) titled Everyday Hero Machine Boy. In it, we see classic anime fixtures such as a domed city, high intellect machine life, and a sassy, elderly sensei woman. What were some of your biggest inspirations for the project, and were they rooted at all in specific anime? 

TRI: Retro anime was definitely one of inspirations for "Everyday Hero Machine Boy".  I grew up in the 80s and Irma Kniivila (co-creator of the comic), grew up in the 90s, so we had two decades of source material to draw from.  We weren't consciously trying to pick from any particular series but our childhood love for Dragon Ball (the original series) and Ranma 1/2 definitely informed some of our decisions.  While not particularly old, we were also really inspired by Mitsuru Adachi's baseball manga "Cross Game" which has a really lovely timeless vibe about it.  

 Beyond anime, I would say that nostalgia for our respective childhoods inspired "Everyday Hero Machine Boy".  This ranged from general pop culture stuff (16-bit video games was a big one), music (both new and old), and also just oversized feelings kids in general have about everything.

LARRY: Was there any research on historical ninja lore for this project? And if so, what specifically did you learn of note? 

TRI: I did not research any specific historical ninja lore for Garmadon's tale but I did draw alot of inspiration from the films of Akira Kurosawa, believe it or not.  It may sound a bit odd to connect Ninjago to Kurosawa but it's a surprisingly good fit!

 LARRY: Finally, Garmadon has a pension for making dad jokes. Do we (hopefully) explore this at all in the comic? 

TRI: Yes!  I think Garmadon is one of the funniest characters in Ninjago because he's just so serious about everything most of the time.  It's a lot of fun to put a character like that in humorous situations to see what happens. 

Lego Ninjago: Garmadon #1

Lego Ninjago: Garmadon #1
Writer/Artist: Tri Vuong
Colorist: Annalisa Leoni
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Skybound / Image Comics
SERIES PREMIERE! The All-New LEGO NINJAGO Comic Book Series Starts HERE! Perfect for fans new and old alike, an official new chapter of the LEGO NINJAGO universe begins here!
Far away from Ninjago City, a village is terrorized by a mysterious new threat when they're saved by a stranger with incredible powers known as... Garmadon, Lord of Destruction?! Has Garmadon turned over a new leaf since his disappearance, or is this just the first step in his master plan of finally defeating Master Wu and the ninja forever?
The first collaboration between the LEGO Group and Skybound kicks off from rising star writer/artist TRI VUONG (EVERYDAY HERO MACHINE BOY)! LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, the Minifigure and NINJAGO are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2022 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Digital

Pre-Order Lego Ninjago - Garmadon #1!

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Larry Jorash (He/Him) resides in Central Florida managing a comic book shop and coaching youth sports. In his spare time he enjoys ice hockey and reading. You will almost never find his hand vacant of coffee. Find him on twitter: (@theREALlarbear)