The Life and Times of Juniper Lee ran for three seasons on Cartoon Network and will begin reruns on Boomerang in Fall, 2021. I interviewed its creator, Judd Winick, for the comic book Cartoon Network Action Pack, published by DC Comics.

CB: What is your job on the Juniper Lee cartoon?

JW: I'm the Creator and Executive Producer. I do a bit of everything. I write the shows, with others, I design the characters, with others, direct the dialogue recordings, etc. A hundred-some people work on the show, and their job is to turn all the nutty ideas I come up with into a show. And I sit next to them while they do it.

CB: You create both cartoons and comics. How did you start out?

JW: I did comic strips for newspapers before anything else.

CB: Is doing cartoons anything like you imagined?

JW: No. This is the first time in my life that I've ever work in anything resembling an office setting, and with groups of people. Before this, it was always me at my drawing table and my computer. This is a lot more fun.

CB: Do you know any of the kids who watch your cartoons?

JW: I meet them all the time, and it's the best part of the doing the show. They seem to love the stuff I love ("Ray Ray rocks!" " Monroe is the best!") but they surprise me sometimes. Like they all wanted to know how Ray Ray could see monsters when no one else could. We did an episode about that, and explained it.

CB: Will you write any of the Juniper Lee stories in Cartoon Network Action Pack?

JW: At the moment, I will be writing ALL of them.

CB: Where does the name “Juniper Lee” come from?

JW: My wife and I came up with Juniper Lee, the character and the name. We wanted something pretty, and unique. Juniper fit.

CB: What are her powers?

JW: June's REALLY strong, and is also an amazing acrobat. She can leap from roof top to roof top, and toss a half ton monster. She kicks butt.

CB: Is the idea of a “Te Xuan Ze” an old myth or did you make it up?

JW: “Te Xuan Ze,” is a very American way of saying the Chinese expression, "TUR-SCWHA-ZEH," with translates into "Chosen one." And we made it up. The idea that magic can only be seen by a chosen few is an old idea. Many stories and myths are built around the idea that a hidden world exists along our own, and only certain people with special abilities or willingness can see them.

CB: Is there a Te Xuan Ze in any other country or is June the Protector for the whole world?

JW: Juniper is the protector of the world. MOST of the world of magic exists in and around Orchid Bay. It's like a portal to other realms of magic.

CB: Do you know any dogs like Monroe?

JW: My sister-in-law got a pug many years ago and I fell in love with him. After that, I always thought we'd make a character who's a pug. But do I know any pugs who are Scottish, angry, and can talk? No.

CB: In the new cartoons like Juniper Lee and Ben 10, grandparents give the help and advice. Are grandparents special?

JW: Grandparents are the voices of the past and a living extension of who we are and where we came from. For Juniper, the best she can ever be is to turn out exactly like her grandmother.

CB: Is this the first American cartoon with a Chinese American hero?

JW: I have no idea. Juniper is based on my wife, Pam, who is Chinese American. She has often spoken about how, when she was growing up, there were no roles models, or even characters on TV and in movies who were Asian. We wanted to do one.

CB: What sort of reaction are you getting?

JW: Amazing. People really seem to love it. Which is good, since we have many, many more stories to tell.

Judd Winick has written comics for DC Comics, including Batman and Green Arrow. His autobiographical graphic novel, Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned, earned many awards, including GLAAD Media Award and the 2001 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Award (should I mention that Mr. Sibert was my uncle?). His current work is a series about a mysterious boy named Hilo which he describes as "part E.T., part Doctor Who, part Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes.” His web site is http://www.JWspillowfort.com

Judd Winick interview on Juniper Lee