YOUTH GROUP - SerioComics 57 + a Q&A with the Author Jordan Morris about the book and his new WEB OF SPIDER-VERSE: NEW BLOOD and GODZILLA VS. AMERICA: LOS ANGELES
YOUTH GROUP written by Jordan Morris, drawn by Bowen McCurdy, published by First Second + The Monthly Gun Debate Update - February 2025
How I Met Jordan Morris!
I met Jordan Morris via LinkedIn.
He posted that he had two projects that he was looking for promo for.
And I had been interested in connecting with him.
Because I was very curious about his graphic novel, YOUTH GROUP.
So I reached out!
Read the book.
Sent over some questions.
And here we are :)
Jordan Morris
Jordan’s a comedy writer with experience working in TV, features, comics, podcasts, digital comedy and video games!
For television he’s written for shows on Max, Disney Plus, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and YouTube Originals.
For comics he created and co-wrote the 2x Eisner nominated graphic novel Bubble, based on the hit Maximum Fun podcast of the same name (also created by Jordan).
His second graphic novel, the 2x national bestseller Youth Group, a YA horror-comedy with artist Bowen McCurdy is available NOW from First Second Books!
He’s also written several stories for Archie: Chilling Adventures, a forthcoming story for Marvel Comics, and a Spiderman as well as a Godzilla we will feature in the Q&A!
He co-hosts Jordan, Jesse, Go!, a totally nonsensical chat podcast with Jesse Thorn (NPR) and Free With Ads, a movie recap show with comedians Emily Fleming & Matt Leib.
You can also see him pop up semi-regularly on the hit YouTube show Good Mythical Morning as a variety of unpleasant characters.
YOUTH GROUP
Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in this darkly funny YA graphic novel.
When cynical, gothy Kay lets her mom talk her into joining the youth group at their church, she's prepared for the dorky sing-alongs and the cheesy slogans about dodging temptation. What she isn't prepared for is walking in on the clean-cut youth group leaders, Meg and Cortland, in the middle of a real-deal exorcism.
Turns out these wholesome Christian teens are demon-hunting soldiers in a secret war that’s heating up fast, and even if Kay wanted to stay on the sidelines, she doesn’t have a choice – she’s a “Blight,” a human who demons can’t possess, and that makes her a target.
But Kay's in good hands with her new friends – for them, fighting literal demons is all in a Sunday’s work!
Spiritual Comedy!
This book’s title alone, YOUTH GROUP, attracted me because of its suggestion of spiritual humor.
And I loved how it found the entertainment in the odd couple pairing of someone who doesn’t believe in the spiritual world joining a group of people who not only do.
But actively need that agnostic person to engage in the metaphysical battle.
It was particularly great to see this concept have a Perennial/Ecumenical theme.
The different Youth Groups like Catholics, Wiccans, and Jews have historically not gotten along due to previous leadership.
But this new generation starts to realize that it’s all the same spirit just seen differently.
Which makes the story even more fun and is something we can relate to too!
Really Funny Dialogue!!
Jordan’s a comedy writer with experience writing for TV and much more.
And the dialogue in the script is crackling with jokes.
I also loved how the period was set in the 1990s and the many references in the dialogue to that era.
Beautiful/Real Match of Artist/Writer!!!
As someone who is a writer that collaborates with artists for graphic novels, I’m definitely sensitive to how partnerships feel to readers.
And I would say that Jordan Morris and Bowen McCurdy’s collaboration feels like one of the more in synch pairings I’ve covered here.
Bowen finds a way to draw a lot of relatability and beauty at the same time.
These feel like beautiful archetypes that also are recognizable people.
And Morris finds that universal/personal balance in characterization as well.
Which is a hard thing to pull off both in terms of the art and story.
But they do it well!
Q&A with the Author Jordan Morris about YOUTH GROUP and his new WEB OF SPIDER-VERSE: NEW BLOOD and GODZILLA VS. AMERICA: LOS ANGELES
OK, now we have a Q&A with Jordan!
Yay.
1. SerioComics: YOUTH GROUP is a very fun concept and so well-executed. It's such a common YA experience and also captures recent trends in the rise of Spirituality in the Zeitgeist. Did you think of that 2020s post-Religion, more Ecumenical moment when you came up with the concept? Or more generally, what inspired it?! And did you have your own youth group experience?
Jordan Morris: I was a youth group kid in Southern California in the 90s. A lot of the cringiest specifics in the book are pulled from my actual experiences (changing the lyrics of pop songs to be about Jesus, for instance). In the back of my head I always thought it would be a great setting for a story. It’s just so weird and funny and specific. I’ve always loved religious horror but they’re typically set in a very serious, very Catholic world. I thought it would be fun to set an exorcism story in my childhood youth group and see if I could bring a little comedy to the proceedings. That was the germ of the idea.
2. SerioComics: I love the dialogue, it's full of humor and heart, as well as the witty references to Seinfeld and other things from the 90s. Was the book always going to be set then? Did you also choose that period due to limitations in technology and what it enabled your characters to be? How do you write such good dialogue???
Jordan Morris: The pitch for the book was set in modern times. My editor over at First Second, Calista Brill, had the suggestion to set it in the 90s. I think she saw that the story I wanted to tell was very personal and setting during the time I grew up allowed me to use more specifics from my life. Limited technology is always nice for a horror story, that way you don’t have to keep coming up with excuses why cell phones aren’t an option at any given moment. But I think the main reasoning for making it a period piece was to allow it to be more specific and personal.
That’s nice of you to say about the dialogue! I love the comics how-to book WORDS FOR PICTURES by Brian Michael Bendis. In that book he says that, in a good script, you should be able to tell which character is speaking based on their dialogue alone, without looking at the character name. I think about that a lot when I’m writing. I try to make each character distinct, with their own unique voice.
3. SerioComics: You're the writer and Bowen McCurdy is the illustrator, and there is a very seamless and beautiful collaboration happening throughout. Like the dialogue, the characters are extremely likable and fun both to look at and live an adventure with. How does your collaboration process work? And what was your relationship like with the publisher, First Second, in terms of deciding how to execute this vision? Can you walk us through how it might compare to other writer/illustrator work you've done in the past or since then at more comics-focused houses instead of graphic novel-based ones?
Jordan Morris: Bowen was a dream to work with and a straight up genius. I had already written a good chunk of the script before Bowen was brought on by First Second. After spending some time getting to know Bowen’s work I did some re-writing with their style in mind. I was lucky I got to finish the script knowing Bowen would be drawing it so I got to tailor the latter parts to their style.
The single-issue comics I’ve done have been pretty speedy processes and in a few cases I didn’t know who would be drawing until after the script was done. There’s always at least some time for re-writing once the team is in place so I try to do at least a polish with the artist and their style in mind.
4. SerioComics: Speaking of your comics, you are about to publish on 3/5/25 a new Spiderman that mixes its Spiderverse with the Venomverse. Can you describe what comics readers can expect in this mashup? As well as perhaps also what audience of the Spidey and Venom films would get out of checking out the comics? And can you tell us a bit about what kind of thrill it must be to work with the Spiderman character?!
Jordan Morris: Our Spidey book is an anthology called WEB OF SPIDER-VERSE: NEW BLOOD. In the book you get three different Spidey multiverse stories from three different creative teams. The wonderful artist Sumit Kumar and I have an 80s vampire-inspired story (think: Lost Boys) where Mary Jane Van Helsing has to take down a vampire version of Peter Parker. It’s set in a pretty different world from the movies but hopefully we captured the fun, quippy over-the-top action of good Spidey stories.
5. SerioComics: You also have a Godzilla comic coming out on 4/30/25, which is special, because it's about Godzilla in Los Angeles, and it's going to have proceeds donated to BINC for fire relief from the January fires for comics makers here. Can you tell us a bit about how this Godzilla in different cities project came together? Or how you got involved? And what kind of fun Easter Egg moments there are for us Angelinos in your book? Also about how the charity became central to this project?
Jordan Morris: The GODZILLA VS. AMERICA project was already well underway at IDW when I came on board. In this series Godzilla will be visiting a different American city in each issue with creative teams who hail from that city. In October 2024 Jake Williams (IDW editor) asked if I’d be interested in contributing to the LA issue and I jumped at the chance. We were already chugging along on the book when the wildfires hit and the folks at IDW made the very cool decision to donate the proceeds from the book to relief efforts.
The story I wrote is being illustrated by the great Nicole Goux! It’s set at a (legally dissimilar) version of Universal studios and is from the perspective of the tram driver. If you’re a theme park fan, you’ll notices a few of the iconic rides and attractions that Godzilla will be smashing.
6. SerioComics: Bonus question, if you want to or can answer, is there going to be a Youth Group 2???
Jordan Morris: I’d love to do more stories in the world of Youth Group! I’m sure that’s dependent on sales of the first books so if you dug it at want to see more, please tell a friend, review it online and/or ask for copies at your local library!
Thank you Jordan and thank YOU for reading!
YOUTH GROUP written by Jordan Morris, drawn by Bowen McCurdy, published by First Second is available here!
Monthly Gun Debate Update - February 2025
Lastly, a fascinating update related to Ieva Jusionyte, who is the academic and author I wrote about in November.
She wrote the book EXIT WOUNDS about how loose American gun laws fuel Mexican cartel violence.
So now in February as part of the tariff negotiations.
Trump is considering for the first time stopping cartels from getting guns.
Which is an initiative that even Ieva posted about not unpositively on social media.
And Cameron McWhirter who I also wrote about in the September update covered as well in the Wall Street Journal.
At the same time, The Brady Campaign struck a cautionary note.
They seem to offer assistance if Trump really does want to crack down on American guns going to Mexico.
But also seem suspicious that he will follow through.
So, yeah, that’s the gun update!
Oh, and BTW, Ieva Jusionyte did a blurb on SHOULD WE BUY A GUN?
So don’t forget to buy it ;0
