Some stories begin with an idea. Others begin with a lifelong passion.

For sister duo studioCARTRIDGE, Ghost Junk Sickness has been a creative journey spanning ten years. What began as ideas and characters from their childhood grew into a seven-volume sci-fi comic series, shaped by years of collaboration, dedication, and a shared love of storytelling.

In this interview, we sit down with studioCARTRIDGE to explore the journey behind Ghost Junk Sickness, from creating its characters and navigating the challenges of indie publishing to the community that helped bring their vision to readers.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
Firstly we’d like to congratulate you on completing the whole series of Ghost Junk Sickness (GJS). It’s a very impressive accomplishment for indie creators considering that most of GJS volumes are over 200 pages and there are seven volumes.

How long did it take to complete GJS, start to finish? Tell us about the journey of this project.

studioCARTRIDGE
Thank you so much, we’re so proud to have seen this project through! GJS took about 10 years to complete, starting in 2014 and finishing production in 2024. There were several different iterations of the characters and story that came from our childhood and it wasn’t until we were halfway through college in 2012 that we dusted the concepts off and seriously started shaping it into what it is now.
From then, we went through trial and error of figuring out our process and many drafts but the core of the series stayed consistent with each new take. We were always on the same page with the storytelling so for the following years we were able to maintain a consistent schedule and work ethic between us. We wanted nothing more than to fully realize this story as an ode to our childhood and everything that made us want to make comics in the first place! We wouldn’t say it was easy but it was absolutely necessary, so completing it was a foregone conclusion.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
As an independent creator, what was the biggest challenge you had to face during the production of GJS? And how did you manage to get through it?

studioCARTRIDGE
The biggest challenge would have been marketing and learning the business side of things on the go. Both the art and writing had its own trials as we developed as artists and storytellers but those were things we already had foundations in, so the learning curve looked much different in comparison.

As an indie creator, you wear a lot of different hats and you don’t realize how much those other tasks can take time away from your biggest hat - making your actual project. We were with online publishers for a majority of GJS’ production that did help with things like website maintenance and connectivity with a broader market but the thing with trying to get people to read your work is that strategy never really stays the same, or it hadn’t for us. Things like pre-press and understanding business logistics had a clearer end goal but the market is always changing and we’ve tried our best to adapt to that within our capacity.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
What do you think is the key to success to complete the entire series?

studioCARTRIDGE
The key would be to start with a project that can keep your attention and finish a couple drafts to see how you feel about it. Our approach was a little different because the characters and ideas had such strong ties to our formative years that gave us the advantage of attachment to see it through but with every new project we take on, we need a clear trajectory to see if it’s worth pursuing. And it helps if you’re a little obsessed with it. Or a lot obsessed - if it’s on your brain a lot then I would say it bodes well for the chance of its completion.

As indie creators we can’t really afford to spend a majority of our time on a half-hearted project, we’re a small team so we have to make the most of it!
It’s really cool that studioCARTRIDGE is two sisters working together. It is a unique working environment in that most partnerships are usually between 2 non-related people.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
What made you two get started on this project together?

studioCARTRIDGE
From a young age we had always been drawing and talking about scenarios with each other. It was our favourite pastime growing up and it just became inevitable that we would collaborate.
There were different periods in our youth where we went and did our own things but it always came back to comics in various different forms.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
What is it like working with a sibling and how does it differ from working with people who you don’t have an entire life history and relationship with?

studioCARTRIDGE
The benefit of working as siblings is that we have all the shortcuts for communication pretty well down pat. We’re still very meticulous with our planning and structure with our collaborative efforts but we’ve always been on the same page for what we want from our stories or if there wasn’t an immediate “yes” then it just would take a little bit more spitballing to figure it out.
A lot of our interests overlap so it’s always been easy to see where each other is coming from.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
GJS has such a distinctive cast of characters. Without giving away any spoilers, what inspired you when creating them? Were there any particular personalities, dynamics, or character traits you especially wanted to explore?

studioCARTRIDGE
The GJS cast is especially unique because so many of the characters actually have existed as concepts for as almost as old as we are. I think with any project that has ties back to formative years will feel special and different because they came to being with what influenced us at the time and continued to be changed as we grew with them.

When we approached the versions that we have today, we stripped them all down to their core and built them up again with new purpose and experience so of course all these characters are completely different from their early iterations. We’ve been inspired by many things as we developed the cast - anime/manga, comics, videogames, books, music, people we knew - it’s hard to boil it all down because so many things have changed the way we think and how we approach our work.

For dynamics though, a central theme of GJS is accountability and so many of the characters interact with that theme in different contrasting ways. We wanted to explore how far these characters would go to avoid it or if it was possible for them to begin with.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
Vahn and Trigger have very different personalities, and their interactions are one of the things that immediately stand out in GJS. What inspired you to create that dynamic between them?

studioCARTRIDGE
The main thing we wanted to explore with Vahn and Trigger was codependency. Both of them rely on each other to keep avoiding the things they’re running from - Vahn’s strange and unexplainable condition and Trigger’s turbulent past - stuck in this isolated bubble where they didn’t have to ask questions until it became imperative that they do.
And once that bubble was breached, everything completely fell apart. We think there's a lot of that sort of thing in real life where the ties that bind people together can be such a fragile and ephemeral thing that once the reason is gone, so is the relationship. When we first started drafting their dynamic we didn’t have quite those words to put a name to it but it just came together naturally with their personalities.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
Over the course of creating GJS, did any of the characters surprise you by developing a personality or voice that was different from what you originally imagined?

studioCARTRIDGE
A few characters surprised us the more we figured them out. Aiden, the cyclops from chapter 7, is the first example - When we first drafted him he was going to be a lot more crass and aggressive but we opted for a cooler temperament to contrast better with how he changes later on.

Alexander was our next surprise, the head of the Interstellar science department. In earlier drafts he was a lot more cruel and ruthless but over time we softened him a little so that chapter 19 didn’t feel like an onslaught of misery. Both instances required balancing and we believe they’re better for it.

One of the things that makes indie comics so special is the freedom to explore ideas and perspectives that aren’t always seen in mainstream works.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
GJS portrays LGBTQ characters and relationships in a way that feels very natural and authentic. Do you think being an indie creator gave you more freedom to approach these themes?

studioCARTRIDGE
Absolutely. We didn’t have to look over our shoulders for executive oversight or fear of advertisers threatening to drop us so we held nothing back! We’re so grateful that we could be as authentic as possible with GJS.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
Your crowdfunding campaigns have been incredibly successful. Looking back, what do you think contributed most to that success? Was it your strategy, your community, or something else?

studioCARTRIDGE
A large part of it was community, learning from each other and being able to give that boost when needed was crucial to how we approached crowdfunding. Being indie you need that backing of your peers along with your readers since your reach can only go so far in this current internet climate. That with the end of GJS being on the forefront of the campaign really helped push us well over our goal and deliver the end we felt the comic deserved!

KOMODO Manga & Comics
How important was crowdfunding in helping you bring Ghost Junk Sickness to completion?
Looking beyond your own experience, what opportunities do you think crowdfunding creates for independent creators?

studioCARTRIDGE
While the comic would have been completed regardless of whether or not we did the crowdfunding, it was important for us to make it happen for readers old and new as a proper send off for the series and a perfect opportunity to get books in people’s hands and go all out
with rewards and extras.

Keeping stock of books and distribution as a small creator is pretty challenging, so we wanted to give everyone that chance with a campaign. It’s also great for spreading the word for your project, reaching new audiences and learning new skills so all in all it was a pretty positive experience for us!

KOMODO Manga & Comics
What made you decide to bring Ghost Junk Sickness to KOMODO Manga &; Comics, and what are you most looking forward to through the platform?

studioCARTRIDGE
We were very interested in applying as soon as we heard about it from peers and we thought it was a unique system of bringing translations to different audiences.
Reception can vary drastically depending on what country it’s available to so it felt like a natural next step for GJS, you never know where it can take off!

KOMODO Manga & Comics
KOMODO Manga & Comics includes community translation features to help indie comics reach readers around the world. As a creator, how do you feel about readers helping bring your stories to people who speak different languages?

studioCARTRIDGE
As advocates for community and active members of our own, we think it’s amazing to share that with readers who would like to try translating the comics they love. Getting translations facilitated is not simple, just like any other publishing endeavor but this feels more accessible and attainable and we hope that our work can reach the audience that needs it.

KOMODO Manga & Comics
Lastly, would you like to share a message with our manga fans?

studioCARTRIDGE
Thank you so much to readers old and new, we hope you can enjoy our space opera about messy bounty hunters!!


Ten years, seven volumes, and one shared creative vision.

For studioCARTRIDGE, Ghost Junk Sickness has been a journey shaped by imagination, dedication, and a love of storytelling.

Now it's time to explore the world they've created. Read Ghost Junk Sickness on KOMODO Manga & Comics today!