Juni Ba Chats About His New Undersea Adventure Book ‘Mobilis: My Life With Captain Nemo’

Hot off the success of Djeliya and Monkey Meat, rising star Juni Ba sat down to discuss his next project Mobilis: My Life With Captain Nemo.

“It has been centuries since the oceans rose and swallowed up all the nations of men. Now only beasts and unseen horrors lurk below the waves, kept in check by one man: Captain Nemo, in his legendary ship the Nautilus. Until one day, young Arona comes onboard his ship, a stowaway from times long past, giving Nemo his first crew member in years.

But as he raises the young orphan in his image, she begins to have questions that ask Nemo to dredge up the past: what has become of the world? Can it be saved? And was it all worth it?”

Tito W. James: What was your first encounter with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and what was your inspiration for Mobilis: My Life With Captain Nemo?

Juni Ba: It was about ten years ago. I read the book out of curiosity. It’s a classic French story so I had to give it a go. And it was quite the experience! The many enumerations of flora and fauna weren’t my thing but the adventurous tone, the mystery around Nemo and the themes stuck with me, and that’s how I designed my version of Nemo after reading it. Then years later I figured out how I’d use it in a story.

James: Your work tends to remix genres like Steampunk into something new. What can readers look forward to in this story?

Ba: Decidedly not Steampunk! A lot of the design work is a mix of current sleek Apple-like designs with art and aesthetics from many places and eras around the world, because that’s how Nemo would probably do it if he was from a more modern time, which is the case here. But other than that, there’s giant sea beasts, and lavish landscapes, to keep the adventurous tone while we also wonder if all this drive to conquer and chart the world was worth it, considering we ended up killing it.

James: I noticed that the character of Arona carries the book of Peter Pan. Is that a story you’d like to adapt someday?

Ba: Answering this would be a spoiler! 

James: Mobilis is presented as a hardcover original graphic novel. What are the advantages to this format?

Ba: The size above all else. In the pitch itself I stated the book needed to be huge, because the reader needed that size to fully appreciate the art and get slapped in the face with how massive some of the things in it are. I know that impacts the space it occupies, and how much it costs, but I promise it’s worth it!

James: Because Mobilis is an adaptation of Captain Nemo what elements do you think are important to keep?

Ba: Nemo has this weird position where a lot of him, in the original book at least, is about mystery. From the book’s description, it’s impossible to tell where he comes from. He’s also very much from that vibe of the hyper competent and charismatic loner who leads a team of fiercely devoted men. He’s impressive and you can easily find him inspiring. He’s also full of contradictions. Caring about the freedom of people in a world that he left. 

From there you have the basis I used for the book, putting him in a space with a child who can look back on everything he did and was, and ask wether that was the right thing to be.

James: Furthermore, what are the creative liberties one should take when revisiting a classic character?

My general position on how to adapt characters is always to put story first. While there is a core to respect and keep, you need to be willing to bend the character to the needs of the story you tell. I guess it’s a balancing act.

I’d like to thank Juni ba for taking the time to do this interview. You can preorder Mobilis: My Life With Captain Nemo right now on the TKO website.