Voice actors (and artistic couple) Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal have expanded their creative talent to the comics format with the recent release of Topsy McGee and the Scarab of Solomon. Based on the characters Platt and Lowenthal first introduced in their 2014 short film “Topsy McGee Vs the Sky Pirates,” the three-issue graphic novel expands Topsy’s worldwide adventures with her husband, Captain Sean McGee, and opens new possibilities for both the characters and the creators.
Topsy McGee and the Scarab of Solomon is a steampunk adventure that takes place at the end of the 19th century. Though England’s premier adventurers, Topsy and Sean, have survived all manner of scoundrels, brutes, and villains, they’ve never had danger strike close to home. Until now.
After receiving a telegram from Topsy’s father, the couple take the next airship to Cairo, where their troubles only begin. With the help of some familiar faces, Topsy and Sean fight their way to learning what, exactly, the Scarab of Solomon is, and how to stop it from being used against them.
Topsy McGee: An Intrepid Heroine
Though Platt and Lowenthal first brought Topsy to life ten years ago, she’s been around for much longer.
“Early on in our marriage, we would tell each other stories,” Platt says. “We would be on a bus or on a train just telling each other stories to sort of pass the time and entertain each other.”
One of their favorite stories featured an “intrepid, plucky explorer heroine” who lived in a fun steampunk world, and who they both loved.
“And then, as a very sweet present,” Platt begins, leading the way for Lowenthal to continue: “When we were at a convention, I found an artist I really liked, and I commissioned for Tara’s birthday a piece of artwork of her as that character.”
From there, the idea of Topsy grew into something more real, allowing Platt and Lowenthal to imagine turning the story that was once just for them into something for others to enjoy. From this, the short film was born. And from the short film came further thoughts about how and where Topsy could continue her adventures next.
Topsy McGee Becomes Real
The couple decided to tell Topsy’s next story via comics because it felt like a more natural way to show off the characters and their vibrant world. The journey was a learning one, with both Platt and Lowenthal new to the creative side of comics. Contacts they met at conventions (including Comfort Love and Adam Withers who are well known in the comics industry) helped set them down the path to creating their graphic novel.
“They helped us get contacts and look through portfolios for various artists and colorists and helped us see how the whole process worked,” Lowenthal says.
“We made a lot of mistakes,” Platt admits, but they also learned “how to fix those mistakes repeatedly, which is what you do if you want to get better.”
Eventually, all the work Platt and Lowenthal — and a host of artists — put into this new creative venture resulted in their very own three-issue graphic novel.
Platt holds up a copy of Topsy, excited to have it physically in her hands. “It’s so cool to have a thing in physical space,” she says as she flips through the pages. “It’s so real. Just real.”
Topsy’s Future: More To Come
At one point, Platt says Topsy is who she would be “if I were British and maybe clever and more witty.”
If you visit Platt’s website, though, the first things you see are a photo of her that brings to my mind Evelyn O’Connel from The Mummy and the words “I create excellence thru play!” Before my interview with her and Lowenthal, I already associated Platt with Topsy. After my half-hour with them, I only see the similarities more.
If there’s one thing that’s abundantly clear both from speaking with Platt and Lowenthal and reading their graphic novel, it’s that Topsy isn’t just a character to them. Her world is not only an imaginary space they conceptualized two decades ago. Topsy is family; her world a manifestation of all the things they love.
And this latest addition to that manifestation won’t be the end.
“There are still so, so many more places we want to explore with [Topsy],” Lowenthal confirms, Platt adding with a smile, “we still want to share tea with Topsy.”
I, for one, can’t wait to see where they go next.
Topsy McGee and the Scarab of Solomon is available now on Amazon.
