COVER REVEAL + INTERVIEW: LambCat on CURSED PRINCESS CLUB

On January 3^rd, 2023, the first volume of the print collection of Cursed Princess Club by LambCat will be released through the Unscrolled imprint from Wattpad WEBTOON Studios. Today, The Beat is proud to present your first look at the cover (and if you keep scrolling, a preview of the interior of the collection and an interview with LambCat):

The Beat got the chance to ask LambCat a few questions over email about what it was like to bring Cursed Princess Club to print, which strategies are useful for writing jokes, and which comics have had an influence on the series!

AVERY KAPLAN: Can you tell us about the journey Cursed Princess Club has undergone from its initial origins to its upcoming release through the Unscrolled imprint?

LambCat: I didn’t know anything about converting my webtoon to print format (though it’s always been a distant goal to tackle after my series was completed), so the opportunity to work with WEBTOON Unscrolled’s executive editor Bobbie Chase and layout designer Niko Dalcin was a dream come true. They’ve both been so generous and kind to let me observe, learn from, and collaborate with them, and it’s been such a wonderful, invaluable experience I’ll always be grateful for.

The biggest realization I’ve had in this process is how much I took the limitless space I have as a webcomic creator for granted – but specifically the empty space between panels. Like many webtoons, Cursed Princess Club was created for a mobile-focused audience where readers scroll vertically through the story. For each panel, I could have several multi-tiered text bubbles hanging out in the gutter and never worry about it overtaking the art or the page. The pacing of the story could be expanded and contracted by the amount of space I put between panels.

But in printed format, everything’s gotta fit on the page…! Observing how Bobbie can intuitively map out the best places for page breaks and panel counts to let jokes land and keep the excitement moving, and how Niko can take their book map and swiftly adapt, constrain, and rearrange my existing artwork into a readable experience on page is really incredible. I’ve learned so much in these last few months watching how they work.

The other big transformation for this book is that a lot of the artwork has been spruced up from the webtoon version. I wanted to preserve as much of the original designs and expressions of the characters as possible, but brighten and elevate everything else with the help of my brilliant team of art assistants. And I’m so happy we were given the chance to do it!

KAPLAN: Do you have a personal favorite Cursed Princess?

LambCat: Hmm, that’s tough because I feel like they all have a little something I relate to.

I’ll have to go with Jolie, the princess with the eye holes. A cute/creepy dichotomy is something I always love. And her easy-going acceptance of her appearance – even to the point of subtly trolling people with it alongside a tiny smile – delights me to no end.