Exclusive: Celebrate Agent Cupcake with a Fantastic Song from Katie Longua

Agent Cupcake—a middle-grade graphic novel full of spies, secrets, and a touch of sparkle—is out now from Oni Press! The graphic novel hails from the Eisner-nominated team known as Triple Dream Comics. The trio, made up of Mel Hilario, Katie Longua, and Lauren Davis, previously collaborated on the computer science–themed graphic novel Debian Perl, Digital Detective.

Twelve-year-old Miguel Mangayayam has always loved one thing: mystical beasts. So he’s thrilled when he’s hired by the Mystical Beasts Bureau (MBB) to be their first ever human spy, where he’ll use his encyclopedic knowledge of hippogriffs, mermaids, dragons, and more to solve the latest cases. Even better? He’s partnered with the supercool unicorn superspy, Agent Cupcake! Together, they’ll go undercover, gather intel, crack codes, and collect clues to solve the MBB’s toughest mysteries. But when they receive reports that unicorns are losing their magical powers, Miguel and Agent Cupcake will have to put their spy skills to the test to figure out why, even if it means going up against a mega-corporation like HOARD. Could someone be trying to steal magic to put unicorns out of business?

Katie: When drawing Agent Cupcake I strove to create a fully formed universe that the reader could envelop themselves in. It’s a magical place with a mystery around every corner. I want the reader to feel like they too could walk down the street and see a gorgon or a jackalope passing by. I grew up watching a lot of anime and the long overarching plots really drew me in, I could spend hours imagining myself in the world of Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z. I wanted Agent Cupcake to feel similar. I’ve never tried writing music before, but that’s what inspired me to give it a go. I wanted to capture the silliness and fun of the universe, but also the longing to fit in.

Mel: Twelve-year-old Miguel Mangayayam loves mystical beasts. Getting recruited as the Mystical Beast Bureau’s first human field agent (through an independent study in school, of course) is his dream! When he and his mentor, unicorn spy Agent Cupcake, stumble upon a mission far bigger than they imagined, the MBB says it’s all hands and hooves on deck—including newbie agent Miguel!  With an experienced team at his back that includes Cupcake, a gadget-tech-wiz griffin, and a mermaid on wheels, Miguel learns the ways of espionage and how being a beginner might not be easy, but it can still be fun.

Lauren: Katie’s art in Agent Cupcake is just astonishing. I want to step inside every environment she created for the book, from the tranquil office-forest hybrid that makes up the Mystical Beasts Bureau headquarters to the cozy autumnal homes of the Unicorn Village. She’s also put her own twists on so many mythical creatures; they’re at once familiar and full of surprises that sometimes made me gasp (Larry!). It’s a huge part of what makes this book so much fun and makes us want to spend more time with these characters.

To celebrate the launch, Katie Longua has put together a fantastic song and you can exclusively listen to it here! You can get the graphic novel now from Bookshop, Amazon, or your local comic shop or bookstore.

Source: Graphic Policy