FCBD Interview: Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado Send a Warning to Wyrms

Claudette is a rambuctious adventurer-in-training who is on the hunt for her next big quest, preferrably one that involves a lot of fire-breathing dragons! But will this over-eager hero be able to slay a dragon without ending up in the hot seat—or roasting her pals alive?!

Free Comic Book Day talked with comic creators Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado about Dragons Beware from the Defend Comics anthology, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's 2015 Free Comic Book Day offering.

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Free Comic Book Day: For those who might be new to your comic book, give a quick rundown. What can we expect to see in terms of story and art?

Jorge Aguirre: Dragons Beware! (the sequel to our book Giants Beware!), tells the story of a young warrior, Claudette who is on a quest to slay a dragon and recover a very powerful weapon. Along for the journey are Gaston, Claudette’s little brother and an aspiring blacksmith-slash-pastry chef, and Marie, an aspiring princess-slash-diplomat.

Free Comic Book Day: What has been your favorite part of the book or character to tackle?

Rafael Rosado: It's fun to see the characters grow and change since the first book, yet their strong relationship to each other stays the same. And drawing the dragons was definitely a lot of fun.

Jorge Aguirre: For me, I love when I first see Rafael’s rough pages and start to see the words coming to life.

Free Comic Book Day: Tell FCBD fans why they should pick your book first on Free Comic Book Day!

Jorge Aguirre: Dragons Beware! is fun, funny, gross, and action-packed. And there's dragons! Who doesn't like dragons?

Free Comic Book Day: What are you most looking forward to for Free Comic Book Day?

Jorge Aguirre: More than the free comics themselves, it’s a lot of fun to go to the stores and just soak in the energy and excitement of the day. And it seems like the crowds get bigger each year, which good for all of us in the industry.

Free Comic Book Day: What other titles would you associate with your FCBD book? “If a comic reader likes _______ , they should pick up my title"?

Jorge Aguirre: Anything by Jeff Smith, of course. Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi; Zita The Spacegirl by Ben Hatke.

Free Comic Book Day: What do you think is the best part about Free Comic Book Day?

Jorge Aguirre: Seeing the comic book store jam-packed with happy people. That people get to sample all kinds of books—books they might not think about otherwise. They might even find a new favorite that way.

Free Comic Book Day: What’s your favorite thing about working in comics?

Rafael Rosado: I just love comics as an art form, I feel very fortunate to be part of this world. It's the fulfillment of a lifetime dream, for sure.

Jorge Aguirre: Ditto. Also you get to connect pretty directly with the people who read your comics more so than in TV or film. That’s a lot of fun.

Free Comic Book Day: Many newcomers will pick up comics for the first time on FCBD—what was the first comic you remember reading?

Rafael Rosado: Probably Little Lulu or Donald Duck. And Mexican wrestler comics like Santo and Blue Demon.

Jorge Aguirre: Probably Superman or Spiderman. When my family would visit Colombia, Spiderman was the one comic I could find in English there.

Free Comic Book Day: Where will you be for this year’s FCBD? Do you have any annual FCBD traditions?

Rafael Rosado: I'll be taking my kids to the best comic book shop in Columbus, The Laughing Ogre. It's our annual tradition.

Free Comic Book Day: Looking to the future of the book, is there anything you can tease about what's upcoming?

Jorge Aguirre: We are hard at work on BOOK 3. All we can say is… monsters, beware! Here comes Claudette!

Free Comic Book Day: Tell us why everyone should read comic books?

Jorge Aguirre: There are so many great stories being told in the medium. From heroes with tights to very personal autobiographical stories, to non-fiction graphic novels. There is so much great stuff out there—start reading!

Find a comic shop near you to celebrate Free Comic Book Day 2015!