DC's next love story will feature one of the most iconic, tragic romances in the publisher's history. Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story stars teenage versions of Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze) and Nora Kumar. The young adult graphic novel will showcase how the couple met and how they will live life to the fullest knowing that Nora is terminally ill.
The graphic novel by Lauren Myracle and Isaac Goodhart, who previously teamed-up on Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale, will tell the tale of the two teens falling in love dealing with grief and personal struggles. Victor is struggling after he feels responsible for his brother's death in a fire, and Nora is suffering from an incurable illness and plans to kill herself on her birthday. We spoke with Myracle and Goodhart about the upcoming graphic novel and what readers can expect in this remix of a classic DC love story.
What was it like to tell this story together? The art compliments the tone of the book incredibly well.
Lauren Myracle: I’ve only created graphic novels with Isaac Goodhart, and I can’t imagine doing it any other way. When I describe scenes in the script, I’m describing them for Isaac, all while knowing that he’ll take anything I say and provide me with whatever I’ve asked for, only better. Working with him—and with our editors, Diego Lopez and Michele Wells—is a collaborative joy.
Isaac Goodhart: Thank you!! I love working with Lauren. Victor and Nora is the second DC YA graphic novel we’re telling together! I joined our first book, Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale, after Lauren had already written the script. While I was drawing those pages, Lauren and I were eager to do another project as soon as we could because we enjoyed collaborating with each other so much! We pitched the idea of Victor and Nora together after some back and forth between us and Lauren wrote a script that played to my strengths and interests. Lauren is a generous collaborator and we have very similar storytelling instincts!
It's refreshing to see a story with Victor and Nora that isn't just about Victor's quest to save her. How important was it to tell an all-new story and feature Nora in the top-billing and give her more agency than past tales have?
LM: Omigosh, I couldn’t have done it any other way. No female is a prop for a male’s story, and this absolutely goes for Nora. The whole point of this story was to give Nora agency, and yes, it was a challenge. How in the world do we get two characters to both reach a place in their minds and their hearts where they’re ready to give up something so important (Victor) or give in to that sacrifice (Nora)? But, I think we did it, and I hope Nora would be proud!
IG: One of our main goals with this story was to give Nora strong characterization! She’s often the supporting character to Victor’s story, or just seen frozen without any dialogue. We really wanted to explore who this character was and why Victor loves her so much. We knew Nora had her own story and goals separate of Victor and we wanted to present them as equals. Even in our earliest conversations about the story, we always wanted the story to be told through alternating points of view. Nora is more than a damsel for Mr. Freeze to save and we wanted to show that !
Was it daunting to take on such a well-known DC Character and backstory and remix it for a new audience?
LM: For me, no! But only because I’m naïve enough not to have been scared. Plus, Isaac knows the DC world backward and forward, so with him as my safety net, I felt comfortable just diving in and telling the story that we wanted to tell.
IG: It’s always daunting to work on a new DC project!! Intimidating even! Especially with Victor Freeze, who is my FAVORITE Batman villain. I grew up loving (and still very much do) Heart of Ice from Batman the Animated Series. I truly believe that storyline is one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. It’s a high precedent to reach. But! I knew I could trust Lauren to craft a perfect script and interesting new approach. All I had to worry about was trying to do my best work in a way that felt honest and personal.
A heavy theme about this book is grief - which is prevalent through Victor and Norah's origin stories through the years. However, trauma surrounding lost love ones (Victor's brother's death and subsequent PTSD... and Norah's Mom) ultimately brings these two together. What were you trying to say about grief in this story?
LM: Oh dear, grief is indeed a theme, isn’t it? But it’s more about getting past grief and embracing life regardless. It takes deliberate effort, sure, but if Victor and Nora can do it, so can we.
How fun was it to change up art styles in some of the more fantastical moments?
IG: I did not know Lauren was going to ask me to draw in different styles for this project! But she did and I loved it! I’m very grateful she challenged me in this way. The fantasy scenes gave me an opportunity to experiment and even use different media. I’ve been a digital artist since I started drawing comics professionally in 2014, but Victor and Nora is the first comic I’ve ever done with some traditionally drawn pages! I hope to incorporate some of those techniques in the future.
While the book is about love, it's just as much about letting go. Was that a difficult theme to explore?
LM: Oof. Yes. I cried!
What do you hope readers get from this story?
LM: I hope that readers will be sucked in, will eagerly turn every single page, and will come out on the other side with a more nuanced understanding of both Victor and Nora.
IG: I hope readers will resonate with how we present Victor and Nora’s relationship. Relationships are hard! Even great ones have complicated and difficult times. I hope the alternating points of view and the different ways our main characters react to the same situations will highlight the importance of listening to those you care about. We can all listen more :)
Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story is in stores now! Check out a preview of the book below.
