Talking With Cassio Ribeiro

Brazilian writer and illustrator Cassio Ribeiro is part of a growing wave of international creators blending manga-influenced storytelling with Western graphic-novel traditions. Known for atmospheric narratives shaped by horror cinema, surreal television, and classic manga, Ribeiro brings a strong visual sensibility to both his writing and art. His newest graphic novel, Last Call to Leave Earth, published by Nakama Press, reflects years of development and a fascination with the strange, the mysterious, and the emotional bonds formed in youth — all without relying on traditional genre expectations.

Interviewee: Cassio Ribeiro

Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr

Q1 Cassio Ribeiro is the writer/Illustrator/ Creator of the newly published book, Last Call to Leave Earth. The first thing I’d like to ask is, what led you into the world of comic books and storytelling? How did your influences, such as Twin Peaks, Ringu, and Juon, impact your journey as the storyteller that you are currently? 

CR: Since I was a child, I’ve always enjoyed drawing, but what really made me want to create stories was when my brother and I were at a library near our house, and he showed me a Dragon Ball manga. I knew about anime, but I had never flipped through a manga before. I spent entire days reading Dragon Ball, but it took a good few years until I was able to create my first short story.

Twin Peaks and Japanese horror films, on the other hand, are much more recent influences. I discovered Twin Peaks a few years ago, and I can say it completely blew my mind and changed the way I understood how a story could be told. The atmosphere of strangeness, the characters who were more interesting than the mystery itself, that was exactly the kind of mood I wanted for my story. As for Ringu, when I decided I wanted to create a story in four acts, I started studying films that followed that structure, and Ringu was one of my references for that.

Q2. Last Call to Leave Earth is a science fiction graphic novel about three childhood friends who were affected by events they witnessed in their youth, only to be reunited years later under circumstances that lead to conspiracies regarding UFOs, cults, and hidden truths about the very hometown that they grew up in. What was the development cycle for this series like? How long did it take to put this story together from start to finish? 

C.R: I started this story in 2020, right after finishing work on a webcomic called Sara Animals. I wanted to do something different from what I had been working on, and I’ve always been interested in the themes of ufology and the supernatural. I don’t usually write a full script; instead, I go straight to the storyboard phase, which means I often have to go back and redo many things along the way. I finished drawing the 180 pages by the end of 2022.

Q3 Were there any ideas in the early stages of the book that made it into the final published version? How did you sort out what to keep intact that didn’t derail the overall vision of the story you intended to tell? 

C.R: The story has changed a lot since its first version. In the beginning, it was more of an adventure in the style of Stranger Things or IT, with the characters being children investigating the mystery. Rita and Lucas have been there from the start, with Lucas feeling like an outsider and Rita being a bit skeptical.

Q4 As an illustrator and writer, what are the challenges with creating and pacing in a visual medium such as comics? 

C.R: For me, the hardest part is keeping track of the comic’s rhythm. How many pages or panels should I spend on a scene, whether it feels too slow or too fast, or whether it conveys the feeling I want the audience to experience while reading it?

Q5 Given your Brazilian background, what were the kinds of cases that inspired the setting of this book? How did your experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 shape the world that Rita, Carlos, and Lucas traverse as they try to uncover the mysterious alien conspiracies that connect all of the events that transpire in this book?

C.R.: The story is set in a fictional town, but it’s entirely based on small towns in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil. The alien mystery was inspired by a UFO case from the 90s called the Varginha incident, where a group of girls claimed to have seen an alien, which caused panic in the town and led to months of sensationalist news coverage and TV programs.

Even though the comic was made during the pandemic, I don’t see a direct influence on the story, at least not consciously.

Q6 Life is much stranger than fiction, especially these days in the 2020’s. Were there any conspiracies that interested you that made their way into the book, and what are some stories that have caught your interest to this day? 

C.R.: There are many interesting UFO stories in Brazil that aren’t very well known to the rest of the world, such as Operation Saucer, the official UFO night, and the Varginha ET case, which was the main inspiration for the alien and the town in the comic. Although I’m a bit skeptical about these subjects, it’s a theme I really like, and I used to read and listen to many podcasts about it.

Q7 What was it like working with Namaka Press as a publisher? What was it about the publication that felt right as the home for Last Call to Leave Earth? 

C.R.: When I saw that Nakama Press was focused on publishing manga from around the world, I realized that Last Call to Leave Earth would be the perfect project to present to them. Besides, I had just finished working on the graphic novel Navigating with You for Maverick, so they were already familiar with my work.

Coincidentally, the original cover of Last Call to Leave Earth had a design very similar to the covers used by Nakama Press, which made it fit well with their collection without needing many changes.

Q8 Are there other projects that you have lined up? Where can readers discover more of your work and find updates on what you’ll release next? 

C.R.: I’m currently working on a new original story, this time in the horror genre, but since it’s something I do only in my free time, it will take a while before I can announce anything. You can follow me on Instagram (@_Cassi0_), where I post updates and illustrations. Thank you!