Originally written as an online comic, Purpah’s Suitor Armor is jumping to print with a collection called Suitor Armor, Volume 1 (hardcover, paperback).
In the following email interview, the author and artist talks about what originally inspired this fantasy with romance tale, as well as their plans for Volume 2.
Let’s start with the text. What is Suitor Armor about, and what kind of a world is it set in?
Suitor Armor follows Lucia, lady-in-waiting to the future Queen, as she attempts to navigate the royal court. The catch? She is secretly a fairy living amongst the most powerful humans during a time of war between fae and human. During her time at the castle she meets Modeus, an enchanted suit of armor that seemingly has a soul of his own.
The world is one where magic is regulated and treated with caution by the humans, while it is a natural part of life and culture for the fairies.
What originally inspired you to write Suitor Armor, and where did you get the idea for the story you’re telling in Suitor Armor, Volume 1?
The original idea for Suitor Armor came from a dream. Any time I have one that sticks with me, or if I remember anything coherent from it, I write it down to use later.
The concept was pretty simple: A dark knight falling in love. His being an enchanted suit of armor and her being a fairy came later. I just slowly added more and more to the framework of that initial dream / idea.
And is there a reason why you chose to have the war be between humans and fairies as opposed to humans and elves or elves and fairies or Swifties and Slayer fans…?
The main reason is just that I really love fairies. I always wished there were more of them in fantasy media outside of just being tiny and cute. I loved the idea of them being human-sized and regal, kind of like the way elves are usually portrayed. This was my way of creating what I wished to see. The fairies came to represent a lot in terms of how people might relate to them and their treatment. And humans, well, humans are obviously relatable to us. I wanted to keep it simple for the sake of the story as well as my sanity.
It sounds like Suitor Armor is a romantic fantasy story. Or romantasy, as some people like to say. Do you agree?
I would say that it is more a fantasy with romance in it rather than a romantic fantasy. While Lucia and Modeus’ romance is a significant part, I wouldn’t go so far as to categorize the whole story off of it. Lucia and Modeus’ relationship with each other is very important and wonderful to write, but their relationships outside of each other are just as important.
Don’t get me wrong, I love romance in a story. But I seldom enjoy where it is the sole focus of the plot.
So, how romantic does it get? Like, would someone who’s dead inside still enjoy it, or is it too mushy for them?
I would say that it wouldn’t be too much for someone who isn’t super inclined towards romance. Like I mentioned, there is certainly romance, but I’d like to think I offer other things in my story for people to enjoy outside of it! Romance can certainly be a large part of characters, but there are other relationships and dynamics to explore outside of just that.
Are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a particularly big influence on it, both in terms of what you wrote and how you wrote it? And I don’t just mean graphic novels, but prose and poetry as well.
Classic fairytales are the stories that probably have the largest influence on me and the types of things I myself enjoy writing. There are endless interpretations that can be made from those old tales and I adore reading people’s different takes on them. It shows different perspectives each time, allowing for the author to spin their own version of a classic fairytale and really showcasing how versatile and timeless these stories really are across time and cultures.
What about non-literary influences; was Suitor Armor influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games?
Anything by Guillermo del Toro. I adore his work, and his stuff lives in the beautiful realm of dark fantasy. As well as a couple of Jim Henson movies, namely Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. If I manage to evoke the same vibe and feeling as those works through my own then I can die happy.
And then, to shift to the art, what do you consider to be the biggest influences on how you drew Suitor Armor? And I’m including in that movies, etc., as well as paintings and other graphic novels.
My original career plan was to head into animation, specifically TV animation. So my art style was really catered to that in terms of trying to make it as clean as possible and having the colors be flat rather than highly rendered. It wasn’t intentional so much as it was what I knew at the time and it slowly evolved into what it is now. Though I look forward to getting more detailed with my art style in the future.
You originally did Suitor Armor as a webtoon. How much work, if any, did it take to adapt the web version of Suitor Armor into this book?
Most of the work went to the wonderful Miranda Mundt. Reformatting was probably the biggest thing and they did wonders in making my 2019 art look presentable through their amazing job. The biggest parts for me were designing the cover (no pressure, it was only the thing that would either draw people in or lose their interest), as well as the bonus chapter that is included, which was a ton of fun but certainly a lot of work as it was different than making a Webtoon episode.
It sounds like very little changed…
I actually made little to no changes. The main reason for that was for my own sanity. The art in Volume 1 is back from 2019, and it was rather hard for me not to want to update all of the art. It is a slippery slope. If I changed some things I would want to change everything in the worry that it wasn’t good enough. But I had others remind me that if people didn’t like it then it wouldn’t have gotten made into a book. Or had the readbase it does on Webtoon.
The book is, of course, called Suitor Armor, Volume 1. Which suggests there’s going to be a Volume 2. Well, unless you’re Van Halen. Or White Zombie. Anyway, what can people expect in Suitor Armor, Volume 2?
I actually plan on making changes and updating some things [for Volume 2]. Now that the scary and thrilling hurdle of Volume 1 coming out has been jumped, I feel more confident in the process. I am excited to include some fun updates as well as more bonus content for readers to enjoy.
And when can they expect to see it?
I myself don’t have a date to give just yet, but we are in the process of working on it.
Now, you may not know this, but Hollywood kind of likes making movies, TV shows, and games out of comic books. Weird, I know. Do you think Suitor Armor could work as a movie, TV show, or game?
I think anything can be adapted so long as the team is a good fit. In my head, I always imagined that, if it were to be adapted, it would work as a show. Webtoons are episodic in nature so it seems an easy transition as opposed to a movie, unless the plot can be condensed down to a two hour run time. I always preferred watching shows to movies. The run time allows for a lot more time for character development to breathe and allows for a lot of different plot lines (if all done well.) It’s a fun fantasy to indulge in.
Would you want it to be live action or animated?
While I am more than happy to see either or, I get really excited at the idea of a live-action adaptation. Maybe because I already know what everything looks like in drawn format and would be curious to see how it would translate over into live-action.
That being said, I adore animation. So yes. Both. Both is good.
And if this adaptation did happen, who would you want them to cast as Lucia, the voice of Modeus, and the other main characters?
I’ve gotten this question a lot and honestly I don’t have an answer. Maybe because I don’t know enough actors to really say confidently who I think would fit the roles best.
There is only one that I have in my head that I can say 100% for sure would kill the role and that would be Anya Taylor Joy [Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga] as Kirsi.
Finally, if someone enjoys Suitor Armor, what romantasy graphic novel of someone else’s would you suggest they check out next?
One of my favorite romantic graphic novels that I would for sure recommend is The Princess And The Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (who also does Blades Of Furry on Webtoon). I always have it on my desk and it serves as inspiration for me and it just an amazing read.
