We’ve seen several fictionalized versions of Leonardo da Vinci over the years — heroic, villainous, everything in between. What is it that makes him such a compelling figure in history, even now?

Allor: I think it’s the fact that he was so far ahead of his time — centuries ahead, in some cases — in so many different ways. There are a lot of folks who caught a glimpse of the future in one aspect or another, but the breadth of da Vinci’s work, the depth of his prescience, is so breathtaking that it truly does seem almost supernatural. Aside from (perhaps) certain religious figures, who else in human history is as otherworldly as Leonardo da Vinci?

How have you approached the design of the series? How do you go about creating work which feels like it could have come from the mind of someone like da Vinci?

Evenhuis: Starting out, we were thinking of going for a fully retro Forbidden Planet sci-fi look with Art Deco elements mixed in with the Renaissance design. It was very ambitious. A lot of the look developed on the fly as well: while working on the opening scene, we started talking about ’80s Spielberg directing/editing, so that started creeping in, also in the coloring, I think. In any case, we wanted to make everything look more vibrant and fresh than you’d maybe normally expect from historical fiction.

As for da Vinci’s machines, I studied the designs from his notebooks and mostly stuck pretty close to them; mixed/matched some elements elsewhere, but made sure the main ingredient for his inventions would be wood, including the robot.

How does your version of da Vinci think? What kind of a man is he?

Evenhuis: Who knows?

Allor: [Laughs] There’s some truth to that — we want him to be a bit ambiguous to the reader, at least at first. I will say that he’s probably a bit more sinister than you would expect. Or, you know… a lot more sinister, with a certain ruthlessness to the way the thinks. We also tried to give him a touch of the weird and the otherworldly.

There’s also a bit of a running gag throughout the book, that could best be summed up as: “Leonardo da Vinci… he’s just like every other artist!” So when we first see him, he’s crumpling up a sketch out of frustration. Later he gets excited about a new project, but then immediately acknowledges that he’d probably never get around to it. That sort of thing.

You also mention his apprentice, Isabel. How important is she to the story, and how does her dynamic with Leonardo build as the series starts out?

Allor: Their relationship is very much mentor and student — but Leonardo is a bit of a temperamental and quixotic mentor, preferring to let her figure most things out on her own.

Isabel has her own point of view, her own way of thinking and her own agenda — one that sometimes aligns with da Vinci’s, but often doesn’t. But as a result of this, she’s one of the few people able to see through da Vinci’s manipulations, and call him on them. She challenges him, and he appreciates that.

Another thing that lies at the core of their relationship is da Vinci’s immense trust in Isabel. He often withholds crucial information from her, and sends her into situations that are immensely dangerous, and might seem downright stupid. But he does it because he trusts her to take care of herself; to find her way to safety, and learn a valuable lesson or two in the process.

Whilst talking about dynamic, how have you found the collaborative process so far?

Evenhuis: It’s been an absolute joy. I think Paul is truly one of the best writers in the industry. His work has rock solid structure, strong visual storytelling, is layered with captivating nuances, super respectful to its characters and manages to strike a unique balance between melancholy and funny. But what I respect the most is how he seems to do it all in a deliberate, understated way, never sidestepping for an easy “score;” he’s definitely no show-off. When he introduces a big moment, he makes sure it’s fully earned and it kicks you right in the soul. Plus, working together has been like an ongoing dialogue from the beginning; very inspiring.

Allor: Working with Chris and Sjan has been such a constant pleasure, and it’s good to know that the inspiring nature of it is mutual! From the start there’s been a tremendous amount of back-and-forth, as we build off one another’s ideas to develop this story.

For example, giving Isabel pants was initially a design choice on Chris’ part, but it dovetailed nicely with some things I read about women’s behavior in that time period, and the reasons why some women would eschew dresses, so we incorporated that into the story.

And back when I was still writing issue #1, Sjan first raised the question of whether the machine is meant to represent a male or a female. It made us realize that we had definitely defaulted to thinking of the machine as a male, for all the same reasons that Isabel mentions in issue #1. And that issue, obviously, became a major thread that runs throughout the comic.

The bottom line is, this has been such a true collaboration, just an amazing back-and-forth, and one of the great pleasures of my comics career, every step of the way.

Monstro Mechanica #1 is on sale now.