Elena Casagrande Talks G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider - Skybound/Image Comics

Elena Casagrande is an Italian comic artist with a wide array of credits across several publishers, including working on Star Trek, Ultimate Spider-Man, Black Widow, Doctor Who, and Catwoman! This week, Casagrande’s newest book, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero / Tomb Raider from Skybound and Image Comics, releases, and we caught up with the artist about the book and her personal history with each franchise, and more!

KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE. RAIDING IS THE OTHER HALF!

G.I. JOE and LARA CROFT meet for THE FIRST TIME EVER in an all-new limited series from superstars KYLE HIGGINS (RADIANT BLACK) and ELENA CASAGRANDE (Black Widow) that reveals the classified connection between these pop culture icons. Lara Croft has explored some of the most dangerous locations on Earth, but nothing as treacherous as Cobra Island. For this adventure, she’ll need the help of her old acquaintance, Shipwreck, and several squads of Joes to mount a dangerous expedition into the heart of the island to recover a treasure that’s been hidden there for decades. One that Destro and Baroness will do anything to get their hands on first...

What was it like to work with Kyle [Higgins], Alex [Guimarães], and Pat [Brosseau] on this project? How did this opportunity come to be?

As with most of my projects, I've been lucky to be involved, even this collaboration is a blessing to work with wonderful people and on a character that is such an important part of my childhood (Lara Croft). I think the opportunity first came to me thanks to CCXP, where Kyle came to my table and expressed the desire to work with me, which I was honored to hear... and at the same time [Skybound/Image Comics editor] Alex Antone came to show his work and meet me, and seeing all the amazing stuff he’s working on at Skybound inspired me to finally work with him. I like to think that it was a beautiful moment of serendipity

Did it feel daunting to tackle two iconic franchises at once? Especially with this book spinning out of comic legend Larry Hama's run on Joe? What was the biggest challenge in combining these two worlds, and what felt the most natural?

Well, I had experience with several franchises during my career, but all of them were from TV shows. This was the first time I had to work on this kind of licensing, so the kind of supervision was totally new for me. It's similar, but more, more, more specific. I don't feel pressure about the franchise itself, since I always try to put all my best into every project I work on, so it's a moment to learn something new and find a way to have good results, respecting all the rules of the game and what was before.

I found it very nice how the characters (and I think it's thanks to Kyle writing) act naturally, showing their interactions are very fluid, easy, and funny. What is most complicated is remembering ALL the details of each costume! It can be quite a nightmare, especially with my bad memory!

Do you have a personal history with the Tomb Raider and G.I. Joe franchises?

In Italy, G.I. Joe isn’t so famous; I never saw it during my childhood. I didn’t have the toys or any friends who played with them. The first contact with the franchise came late in my 20s, when I was starting to move as a comics creator and a friend of mine who was already a pro, Stefano Caselli, was working on their comics and showed me some books.

Lara Croft, on the other hand, was a huge and fundamental part of my adolescence: Tomb Raider was the first full video game I played when I was 16 (I never had a console, so I played on my first PC I had just received), and I totally fell in love with it and her character; I lost count of how many times I played the first chapter! After that, it became a constant, so every new game that came out was a must-buy... until I grew up, I changed my computer into another machine, I started to work, and I had no more time to play... so I left day by day playing video games (it was the time of Angel of Darkness, the worst chapter in my opinion, where I even lost interest in finishing it). But Lara stayed in my heart and in my mind as one of the best female characters ever, so strong, smart, and ready to adventure! I even made a cosplay of her!

What makes Lara such a beloved character, and how did you put your own stamp on the character when drawing her? Were there visual elements that you knew you had to pull in from any specific storylines or adaptations?

As I said before, I love Lara because she's strong and smart, but above all she’s independent and because I studied her so much and have a lot of passion for the character... I wanted to be her in some way, you know? Sure, she was alone and rich, so in a kind of “Batman” situation, I didn't think about the difficulties or the privilege... I just admired her for what she was able to do and for her reasons. One of the elements I always loved is that she's not a femme fatale; she's conscious about her nature, but it's totally a side aspect of her personality.

Since I stopped playing Tomb Raider years ago, I'd like to start again with the chapters of the new era, where she had a re-styling: I'm curious to find out if I'll still love her or I love a memory of her...

Are there any other franchises you'd love to see Lara cross over with? 

Indiana Jones, Resident Evil, Uncharted, 007, Hellboy, Doctor Who, Ninja Turtles... to name a few!

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero / Tomb Raider #1 is available in comic book shops on October 7th, 2026! Let your comic shop know you’re looking for a copy.