We are so excited to welcome “Wannabe” to GoComics!

This new digital comic strip from creator Luca Debus follows McKenzie, Andy, and Margot. The daily feature follows the roommate trio through all the mayhem and mishaps that come with being a twenty-something, like crafting the perfect social media post, exploring new hobbies, procrastinating on household chores, and fantasizing about dream jobs.

We spoke with Debus as “Wannabe” makes its grand debut. Get to know more about the creator, the new feature, and the characters that will quickly become your friends!

Tell me a little bit about the leading characters of “Wannabe” and their personalities.

“Wannabe” focuses on the lives of three main characters: McKenzie, Andy, and Margot. All three are trying to find their place in the world, and they take different approaches. If there was a graph where one axis is “what I want to be” and the other is “how I reach that”, each character would position themselves in a different spot. McKenzie has no idea what she wants to be, but she knows exactly how to reach it: through the magical powers of social media. Andy wants to be a playwright, but has no idea how to become one. And Margot is completely lost, she doesn’t know what she wants to be, nor how to get there.

Their personalities are also very different. McKenzie is the clown of the cast. She’s self-confident, and the discrepancy between her sense of self and who she actually is creates a lot of amusing situations. Andy is quite the opposite. Although he can be insecure, he’s a dreamer. His dreams and fantasies often take shape in the panels, creating fun visuals that collide with reality. Margot is an enigma as much to others as she is to herself. She is incredibly talented and tends to jump from one bizarre job to the next. Although she excels with every one, she never feels like it’s right for herself.

There’s another semi-character in the strip, as well. They’re a narrator of sorts—a sassy voice that comments on the roommates’ lives. It appears as a simple caption in panels, but the other characters can clearly hear it and interact with it.

How did “Wannabe” come to fruition?

“Wannabe” is a project I’ve been sitting on for a while. My ultimate dream is to have a syndicated comic strip, and I started working on this feature around seven years ago with the hope that it would open the doors to syndication. I was also aware that I needed to grow artistically to make it work. So I gained experience by working on other projects and publishing books. In the summer of 2023, I dusted off my seven-year-old project, reworked it, adjusted characters, made a lot of changes, and submitted “Wannabe” to Andrews McMeel. The comic stems from my own feelings and thoughts about living in the modern world, so it only makes sense that it evolved with me over the years.

When and how did you discover you had a love of cartooning?

Growing up, I’d always been an anxious child. I’d resort to my comic books to immerse myself in worlds where my anxiety couldn’t reach me. I’d especially enjoy comics that taught me to laugh at myself and my insecurities. Since comics meant so much to me, I quickly developed the ambition of creating something myself that could help other people, in the same way that comics helped me.

How would you describe your cartooning style?

I’d describe it as joyful. The comic deals with some existential themes, but they’re always encased in silliness. The characters laugh at themselves and at the world that surrounds them. The misadventures of the characters are lined with joy and the willingness to find happiness and laughter. This is also reflected by my drawing style, which is clean and goofy to embrace the joyful, silly tone of the comic.

What’s your routine for coming up with a strip, gag, or idea?

I walk in circles. Some people jot down sketches, some people sit down and force themselves to write. I just walk in circles inside my home. You know those old cartoons of characters thinking and walking in circles so much that the floor wears down, and they end up finding themselves in a circular pit? That’s me! I walk and walk until an idea or a punchline appears in my head. I write it down, or I quickly sketch it out, and keep walking. When I’m satisfied with the ideas I’ve collected, I sit down and flesh them out in scripts.

Who are the GoComics readers you hope most connect with “Wannabe”?

I hope people who read my comic will be able to relate to the strips. I hope “Wannabe” will readers laugh and that it’ll brighten their day, in the same way that comics did for me as a child, and continue to do so today.

What inspires you as a cartoonist?

It might sound cliche, but everything around me inspires me. The challenges, the happy moments.Life in general is the greatest muse for any piece of entertainment. Of course, other cartoonists have inspired me for a long time. Above all, there’s Charles Schulz, who I got the incredible chance to honor last August by co-authoring and illustrating a biography told in comic strip format and published by Top Shelf: Funny Things, A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz. Some Italian cartoonists also inspire me, such as Silvia Ziche and Leo Ortolani, and present-day U.S. cartoonists, like Will Henry of “Wallace the Brave.”

Be sure to follow “Wannabe” on GoComics, where it will update every day!