Happy winter everyone! It definitely feels like winter right now in New York City. Welcome to another queer creator spotlight. For this installment I’ll be talking to friends and colleagues of the late Aaron Reese creator/writer of Bytchcraft who left us way too soon earlier this year.

It’s a little atypical to talk about a project without being able to interview the creator, but I thought we could pay tribute to Aaron and their love letter to all things witchy, Bytchcraft, through those that knew them and worked with them on the book and who helped bring it to publication through Mad Cave Studios. James B. Emmett, editor at Mad Cave Studios and for Bytchcraft, Lema Carrill artist on Bytchcraft as well as….and Stephanie Williams rising star writer in the comics industry. She’s written such books as Nubia for DC Comics, Roots of Madness for Ignition Press and My Little Pony for Boom Studios. She was also colleague and best friend of Aaron’s.

Bytchcraft is a contemporary take on witchcraft with a side car of biblical mythological lore. Coupled with queer joyousness and dark fantasy, the book is beautiful ode to friendships, found families, and the dark arts! It’s authentically penned by Aaron, lavishly drawn Lema Carril, super-naturally colored by Bex Glendining and sorcerously letters by Morgan Martinez. And with magically crafted covers by A.L. Kaplan, this is a book that is a must read!

Below is my interview with Aaron’s friend and comic writer Stephanie Williams, Bytchcraft editor James B. Emmett, and illustrator Lema Carril.

Chris Allo: Stephanie, can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with Aaron and how that dovetailed into bringing Bytchcraft to fruition?

Stephanie: Aaron and I met about four years ago on an episode of Slayer’s Fest 98, discussing X-Men movies, and we instantly connected. We discovered we’d been in similar orbits for years, both from Chicago and the South Suburbs, with our grandmothers even living in the same senior apartments at one point. We were clearly destined to be besties. We talked every day, multiple times a day. We talked about everything from the mundane to creating stories together and bouncing ideas off each other. 

Aaron would often talk about the story of Bytchcraft and its various iterations. Each time they spoke about it, it was clear that they had a burning desire to put it out into the world. One day, I suggested to Aaron that they consider collaborating with different artists to put out bite-sized stories for the character of Bytchcraft. I thought it would be a great way for Aaron to explore these characters in a manageable way for themselves and the artists. It was also a great way to build a comic writing portfolio. Aaron took that suggestion and ran with it. I couldn’t have been prouder. 

Ultimately, through all their hard work and dedication, Bytchcraft became Aaron’s debut creator-owned comic. It made it all the sweeter, too, that both our series found homes at Mad Cave. Aaron worked on it tirelessly, even when their body was in pain from their sickle cell disease. Now that they’re gone, I’m making sure they’re vision reaches the world exactly as Aaron intended it.

CA: Stephanie and James, given that this was the first mainstream comics project from Aaron, what about the book, do you feel, made it special enough to want to be published by Mad Cave?

Stephanie: Bytchcraft is pure magic. It’s an unapologetic celebration of queerness, Blackness, friendship, and opulence as only Aaron could express. It’s everything they wanted it to be, told exactly how they wished to tell it. The authenticity and uniqueness of Aaron’s voice, combined with his dedication to the project, made it impossible to ignore. This was a story that needed to be told, and Mad Cave recognized that.

James: I really love the whole concept of queer wytches and felt like it was something that would stand out on the shelves. I also liked how enormous the evil they were combating was, but it was really about this sibling dynamic of our coven. Aaron and I discussed at great length the influences of various movies and TV shows on the work that we both watched and adored (The Craft, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc.) 

CA: Once the project was approved by Mad Cave, did you and Aaron(and Stephanie?) know who the artists were going to be on the book? Or were you looking for someone new to tackle this book?  Was it more about a style of art that was the angle you were looking to satisfy?

James: No, we didn’t know who was going to be the artist when the book came in. Aaron and I had many conversations regarding the artwork and who might work best to bring this project to life. It was more about who could achieve the feel and look for the series. 

Stephanie: Aaron didn’t know who the artist would be, which made the artist selection crucial because they had such a specific vision for how Bytchcraft should look and feel. Bytchcraft needed someone who could capture both the magical elements and the authentic human moments that were so important to the story. I remember how excited Aaron was the day they decided to go with Lema Carril. And I think the results speak highly to the belief Aaron had in Lema’s storytelling abilities. 

CA: Lema Carril has such a clear crisp style, with gorgeously precise compositions, great acting, expressions and movement on the figures-it almost seems antithetical to the vague-ethereal world of Bytchcraft, but it works quite beautifully! Can you tell us how you wound up working with Lema on this?

James: I gathered some options, and Aaron and I went through and discussed them all. Lema Carril was one of the artists I had in the list, and he was a top pick for both me and Aaron. We felt that he would bring a great dynamic energy to the world. But we also really enjoyed his characters and the acting showcased in his samples.

Stephanie: You’re absolutely right that Lema’s crisp, precise style creates an interesting contrast with Bytchcraft’s ethereal world, but that’s exactly why it works so beautifully. The clarity of Lema’s compositions and expressions grounds the magical elements in emotional truth—something that was essential to Aaron’s vision. The gorgeous acting and movement in the figures bring out the humanity in every character, which was paramount to the story Aaron wanted to tell.

CA: Lema, can you tell us how you wound up doing the art for this book? When you read the script, what was it about the story that made you say “Yes!” to this project?

Lema: I remember Luis, my agent, calling me with a job offer from Mad Cave Studios. The only details I remember are that the series is called Bytchcraft and that it’s a five-issue series. It doesn’t sound very spectacular, I know, but I was very happy and nervous when I got that call. Drawing my first comic book had been a dream of mine for many years, and that call was a big step forward in making it come true. 

If I had to choose one thing that caught my attention above all else, it would be the character Em. When we started the project, I received the designs for the main characters that Luciano Vecchio had originally drawn. From there, I had to adapt them to my drawing style. I loved drawing Adriyel and Michelle, but Em always turned out amazing. After I sent James the first designs of the main characters in my style, he told me that Aaron loved my work. But, I remember he was especially excited about Em’s design. That made me very happy and created a special bond with that character even before I started drawing the pages.

CA: The imagery on a lot of the splash pages is very intentional in that it has almost a ritualistic presentation. There’s a lot of use of three-images, figures, panels. “3” is a very symbolic and prophetic number often representing balance and harmony or the sacred trinity. Was this a consideration when composing pages and panels for the book?

Lema: I’ve generally had a lot of freedom when it comes to storytelling. However, there were pages where Aaron clearly had a specific layout in mind for how the panels should be arranged. So, I would definitely say that the balance was intentional.

CA: What were you most excited about when crafting the visual story for Bytchcraft? What did you find most challenging?

Lema: Without a doubt, I loved designing the characters’ outfits. Aaron always had incredible outfit references ready for each chapter. I also enjoyed experimenting with each character’s body language as they encountered different situations throughout the story. I hope I captured their personalities through their movements.

As for the most difficult part, I wouldn’t be lying if I said that almost everything I drew in the five issues of Bytchcraft was challenging. With each new chapter, Aaron challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and tackle subjects I had never drawn before. I think I’ve improved as an artist thanks to that, and I’m very grateful for it. However, to be honest, the animals were really difficult for me. I’d never drawn that many before! 

CA: Did you work with Bex the colorist at all? What did you think about the coloring once the issues were colored?

Lema: Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pleasure of working directly with Bex. Since I’m not very good with color, I thought I wouldn’t be able to contribute much in that area. However, after seeing her work with color on her Instagram account, I knew she would do an amazing job at Bytchcraft.

I’m not used to seeing my drawings in color. So, when I saw the first pages that Bex had colored, I was thrilled! They had taken on an incredible power. Of the first ones I saw, the third page of the first chapter impressed me the most. It shows the angels breaking through the cathedral window with Lady Genevieve in the foreground. After seeing it in color, it became one of my favorite pages.

CA: James and Stephanie, we can’t talk about the book without acknowledging the covers by A.L. Kaplan. His? Her? Their? work is fantastic! Aside from the movement, composition, acting and expressions which are on point, there’s this sense of attitude and almost a challenge to the reader to pick up this book!  What was it about Kaplan’s work that made you choose them for the covers?  Did they color?

Stephanie: A.L. Kaplan’s work perfectly captures that sense of attitude and challenge you mentioned. It’s almost daring readers to step into this world. That boldness and confidence in the covers reflect Aaron’s own approach to storytelling: unapologetic and opulent. The movement and expressions Kaplan brings to the covers do a fabulous job of promising readers exactly what they’ll find inside: a story that refuses to be anything other than itself.

James: I have been a big fan of A.L.’s work for a while, and when I shared his work with Aaron, it was clear that we both really wanted him to do the covers for Bytchcraft. We lucked out, and A.L. was available and interested in the project. He does everything for his covers, including colors. 

CA: Speaking of the colors, Bex Glendining is a powerhouse of coloring-the book is so vivid and eye-catching without being overly rendered or saturated. it has a natural brightness and the transitions between the “magical” and real world sequences are organic and seamless. How did Bex become attached to the project?  Did they color Kaplan’s covers as well?

James: Bex is an utter rockstar! They had illustrated and colored a page or two of Bytchcraft back when it was a web comic, and Aaron really loved the mood that they captured and thought they would be the perfect fit for the series. I had also worked with Bex previously on another project, and they had done another job with Mad Cave in the past, so it really made a lot of sense. They did a magnificent job on the colors, and I can’t imagine anyone else coloring the interiors. They didn’t color the covers, though. The main covers for the series were by A.L. Kaplan, but we also had a Pride variant by Joshua “Sway” Swaby, and a B variant by Luciano Vecchio (who did the original character designs for the Bytchcraft characters). 

Stephanie: Bex’s coloring is absolutely vital to Bytchcraft‘s visual storytelling. Aaron was also a big fan of Bex’s and had even worked with them on one of the bite-sized entries for Bytchcraft when it was a webcomic. That natural brightness you mentioned, along with the seamless transitions between magical and real-world sequences, creates exactly the atmosphere Aaron envisioned. The vividness draws you in without overwhelming, much like Aaron himself could shift the atmosphere of any room he entered.

CA: What do you hope people will take away with them about Aaron after reading Bytchcraft?

James: I hope people will take away what an incredibly gifted, talented, and wonderful writer Aaron was, but also that readers will fall in love with this fantastical wytchy world that Aaron crafted. I know that’s what they would have wanted more than anything. 

Stephanie: I hope others feel inspired to tell they’re stories and do so unapologetically as Aaron did. I hope they feel seen. I hope they dare to dream the big impossible dream and believe they can make it possible. 

I want to thank you all for allowing us to celebrate Aaron Reese in some small yet meaningful way. And I hope the world will partake and enjoy this wonderful and lovely world they brought to life in Bytchcraft.

You can get your copy of the complete series directly through Mad Cave Studios here.