J. Torres And Sean Dove Get Bro-Active In ‘BroBots and the Mecha Malarky’ [Exclusive]

J. Torres and Sean Dove's Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle was one of the standout all-ages releases in recent years, combining friendship, teamwork and sweet puns with exciting action and awesome monsters. This August, the BroBots return for a new adventure and ComicsAlliance caught up the creators to discuss what readers can expect from BroBots and the Mecha Malarky. 

ComicsAlliance: What has the reaction to the first volume been like from young readers?

J. Torres: It’s been brodacious! Kids seem to really enjoy the book. But we’re also hearing from “big kids” who grew up watching the cartoons from the '80s and '90s that inspired Brobots, and they’re digging the book too.

Sean Dove: I couldn’t be happier with the amount of parents I get telling me how much their kids enjoy the book. They are my favorite fans, so I’m glad parents are picking up the book.

CA: The climax of Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle ended up almost being a modern interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk, only with radical robots. Is the updating of fairy tales a trend we’ll see more of?

JT: Yes, it’s become a key element of our stories now. “Anime action with a fairy tale twist.” In Mecha Malarkey, the second Brobots book, the story begins much like Hansel and Gretel, and we go from there.

SD: It’s really fun because it gives us a ton of super great jumping off points and finding fun ways to play with the original fairy tales.

CA: How do you work together to come up with monster designs?

JT: My part is easy, I’ll reference a monster or monster type in pop culture and maybe say “make it red instead” and Sean does the heavy lifting...

SD: Thankfully J. and I love a lot of the same stuff. The monsters so far have been a mix of fairy tale creatures and Japanese inspired fair. I normally end up making a huge reference folder and just fill it with stuff to inspire the designs. In volume two I looked at a lot of super sentai and lots of old Hansel and Gretel illustrations.

CA: What can fans expect from Brobots and The Mecha Malarky?

JT: Sweet, sweet action! Crumb-y villains who get their just desserts! A feast for the eyes cooked up by Sean!

SD: All of what J. said and more! And by more I mean a ton of puns.

CA: Do you have plans for more Brobots volumes beyond this one?

JT: Sean and I have discussed at least two or three other possible plots, including the introduction of some cool new characters, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to tell those stories.

SD: Every time J. and I get to do a con together we seem to come up a million ideas for new ones. So far they have been super fun to work on and would love to continue, hopefully fans and fans with children agree and keep picking them up.

CA: Lastly, is it possible to have too many bro puns?

JT: Bro-fessionally speaking? No!

SD: Yes! But J. is a Bro-pun-making machine. I groan a lot, but really I love it.

Brobots, Vol. 2: Brobots and the Mecha Malarky is due out on August 9 for $12.99. The first run of Brobots, Vol. 1: Brobots and the Kaiju Kerfuffle sold out, but a second edition is available now for $12.99.

Notice of disclosure: One of the editors at ComicsAlliance has a working relationship with Oni Press, but had no participation in the commission or execution of this piece.