CODEX BLACK (BOOK ONE): A FIRE AMONG CLOUDS - MY INTERVIEW WITH CAMILO MONCADA LOZANO

Last week, the team over at IDW Publishing kindly allowed me to share several pages from their upcoming graphic novel, 'Codex Black (Book One): A Fire Among Clouds'. But if you missed this excerpt, don't worry, because you can check it out by clicking here. Otherwise, you can just go with the flow and dive into the following Q and A with the creator of the aforementioned book, Camilo Moncada Lozano. Please enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, obsessive, bashful, and crow.

2) What inspired you to create, 'Codex Black (Book One): A Fire Among Clouds'?   Even though my love of Mesoamerican cultures and their respective histories play an important role in conveying the overall adventure, I actually created each of the main characters, Donají and Itzcacalotl, as part of two completely different projects. Well, for a very long time, I've strived to be a storyteller and bring my characters to life. So, in an effort to get my hands dirty and gain some experience, I eventually thought of bringing these two characters together through a crossover of sorts, thus effectively, abandoning my daydreaming phase.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   At face value, I'd say 'Codex Black' is a story set in ancient Mesoamerica that revolves around two brave adventurers, Donají and Itzcacalotl, who go on a quest to find Donají's missing father. But underneath the surface, it's also a coming-of-age story, where we see these two young adventurers looking for one thing, but ultimately, find something else... something they didn't know they truly desired.

4) What song would you say best represents this graphic novel and why?   To answer this question, I would like to select the song 'DAYS' by the Japanese rock band, FLOW. Not only because the song's acoustic style is somewhat similar to the visual style of the story, upbeat and energetic, but in addition to this, the song's beautiful melody would also be a suitable representation of the serious and mature elements featured throughout 'Codex Black'.

5) If you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I would like to choose the Aztec emperor, Ahuizotl, as I would love to know his opinions about my portrayal of him in the graphic novel (he might think he looks cool?).

6) What's the one thing about this graphic novel that might surprise people?   My art style and character designs have often been called cute. So, some readers may be surprised to find out that 'Codex Black' includes several dark elements and serious moments, intertwined with moments of light comedy.

'Codex Black (Book One): A Fire Among Clouds' is a 320-page graphic novel created by Camilo Moncada Lozano and colored by Angel De Santiago. It'll be released on the 4th of April, 2023, and for further information, please feel free to check out the official Website, Instagram, and Twitter pages for IDW Publishing.