Netflix’s wildly popular Fate: The Winx Saga is based on the equally popular children’s cartoon Winx Club, following teen fairies attempting to master their magical powers at Alfea, a school for students with a knack for the mystical. Last year, the publisher Maverick launched a young adult graphic novel, Fate: The Winx Saga Volume 1: Dark Destiny, continuing the universe built on the streaming platform. Following Aisha, Kat, Terra, and their friends’ struggle to cope with the loss of one their own, the story by writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs and artist Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau weaves threads of drama, teen angst, and dark forces that threaten all the students hold dear.
We spoke with Olivia Cuartero-Briggs about Fate: The Winx Saga Volume 1: Dark Destiny, where we find the characters in the graphic novel, working with the creative team, and the fun she had penning this story. We love Olivia Cuartero-Briggs’ writing—we adore Jill and the Killers—and her work on this comic has that polished, ebullient touch that she shows in all of her writing.
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted earlier this year. Due to technical issues, we had trouble getting the interview to post. Now that has been resolved, we are publishing the interview in full.
FreakSugar: For folks who might not be familiar with the Netflix series or the book, what can you tell us about Fate: The Winx Saga?
Olivia Cuartero-Briggs: Fate: The Winx Saga was a fun, dark, soapy fantasy show that ran for two years. The characters and basic premise was taken from an extremely beloved, long-running comic book and animated series called Winx Club, about a group of awesome, kickass fairies. So, you could think of Fate: The Winx Saga as a “Riverdaling” of Winx Club. The characters are teenagers, they’re at a magical boarding school in a mysterious land called The OtherWorld, which is constantly under threat from a range of sinister forces that would seek to destroy them. But, lucky for them, the OtherWorld – specifically Alfea, the boarding school that trains Fairies and a team of non-magical warriors called Specialists – has seen the return of Bloom Peters, a very special fairy who was raised by humans in the First World (Our world), and holds the most powerful magic in the fairy kingdom: The Dragon Flame. Problem is, growing up a powerful fire fairy in California, not knowing she was a powerful fire fairy, caused a lot of problems for Bloom, and now she is withdrawn, scarred, and frightened of her dariny. But, with the help of her new friends/members of Alfea’s illustrious Winx Suite, Bloom begins the journey of forgiving and finding herself, and accepting her role as a leader in The OtherWorld.
FS: What can you tell us about this continuation of the Netflix series? Where do we find our cast of characters?
OCB: What is so cool and fun about the graphic novel is that it picks up directly where the Netflix Series leaves off. BUT, if you’re not familiar with Fate: The Winx Saga, my editors and I also made sure to include enough back story so that any reader can jump right in and get what’s going on. That was important to me, as I was new to Winx Club and Fate: The Winx Saga when I embarked on this project.
So, at the top of the book, Bloom is gone. After a series of incidents that made her question her powers and prowess, Bloom has sequestered herself in the Realm of Darkness – basically the land of the dead – where she has convinced herself she belongs. Meanwhile, however, the rest of our cast: Aisha, Terra, Flora, Musa, Sky, Riven, as well as the remaining Alfea instructors and administration, are grappling with the fact that Alfea has been left with no leadership whatsoever. Not only that, but a malevolent force that would seek to destroy Alfea and the OtherWorld has a nose for weakness. Whatever it is, it knows the school is in disarray, and that Bloom Peters, the holder of the infamous Dragon Flame, is missing – and so, it comes, out for blood and destruction. But the series of attacks Alfea’s fairies and Specialists find themselves under is unlike any they’ve ever seen before. Somehow, they need to get Bloom back from the Realm of Darkness before it claims her as one of their dead, or risk complete annihilation.
FS: The series has a robust cast. Is there any one character you feel a particular affinity for? Or is it like choosing a favorite child?
OCB: It’s so funny that you ask that, because when I watched the series, I totally fell in love with Terra. I adored the actress, and the honesty, levity, and nuance she brought to a character who was completely new to the Winx cast. So, the tough part in breaking the story for Dark Destiny, was to ignore my affinity for her so I wouldn’t favor her too much in books. I love Bloom, don’t get me wrong, but she’s much more subtle and brooding – a lot more going on under the surface for her – which is great as a character, but for a creator, she takes a lot more work. And that’s a great brain exercise for me that I embrace, but Terra’s dialogue just flows.
The other character I just loved writing was Aisha. She’s so self-assured – even when she’s wrong. I wish I had that. She’s also the perfect mix of driven and funny – always cracking jokes in tense moments that reveal the humanity of the situation. I really wanted to find a way in these books to make her dreams come true. It’s tough, because I had to put all of these characters in some seriously dire straits, but I think I made Aisha happy in the end of this two-book arc. I hope I did.
FS: Besides the Netflix series, did you do any research into fairy lore?
OCB: The fairies we see in Fate: The Winx Saga are very unique – even from the ones they are based off of in Winx Club. They look like humans, they talk like humans – vaguely British ones to be specific – and they don’t have wings. They also all have very different powers that even manifest themselves in different ways. I really wanted to do justice to the world that Brian Young created in the Netflix show, while drawing in more of the lore and backstory developed over years and years of books and shows by Winx Club creator Iginio Straffi. But I also wanted to add a bit of my own flavor, and some brand-new magical elements, which is probably where some of the deep dives I’ve taken into Pagan mythology and beliefs came in pretty handy!
FS : Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau’s art is wonderful and feels perfect for this project. What has the collaboration process been like?
OCB: I just met Christianne for the first time at Emerald City Comic Con 2024, and I just fell in love with her. The passion, creativity, and attention to detail she brings to her work is really inspiring. Most of the artists I’ve worked with have a very realistic style. Christianne’s is more whimsical and soft, so I was very curious to see what she would bring to this very dark, brooding YA series I was creating… and honestly, the juxtaposition is truly brilliant. I have to hand it to Christina Harrington and Lauren Hitzhusen – my incredible editors at Maverick – for pairing us up. Rather than over-emphasizing the danger and moodiness already inherent in the storytelling, Christianne’s work is so expressive, and brings out the emotional journeys of the characters in ways I never expected, and am just so impressed by. I can’t wait for you all to see what she’s done with some of these romantic scenes – or how immersed you’ll get in the expressions and body language of these characters when they’re hurt, furious, or entrenched in battle. Christianne’s work doesn’t just allow you to see them, it forces you to FEEL them, and that is her superpower as an artist.
FS: What comics are you reading right now?
OCB: I just finished Hide by Kiersten White, Scott Peterson, Veronica and Andy Fish, and I freakin’ LOVED it. Really well told, beautifully illustrated, and seriously spooky. And right now I’m reading Chronophage by Tim Seeley and Ilias Kryiazis. It’s really hard to write a book so compelling and mysterious that even a fellow creator has no idea what’s going to happen, but they’ve done it. I’m half-way through right now, and – to be honest – I’m looking forward to finishing this interview so I can get back to it and find out what the heck is going to happen!
FS: If you had a final pitch for the book, what would it be?
OCB: Fate: The Winx Saga Volume 1: Dark Destiny is a perilous, extremely high stakes adventure story where no one, not even the most famous Winx characters are safe. It is fun, compelling, driven, and will definitely have readers on the edge of their seats. I was on the edge of my seat writing it! But, at its core, it’s a story of identity – of finding and accepting yourself for exactly who and what you are, no matter what you’ve done, or what the world thinks of you. It’s a journey I keep finding myself on, and one I feel might just be the most important one there is. Because, in our own ways, we are all magic, we just need to accept that, and believe in ourselves.
Fate: The Winx Saga Volume 1: Dark Destiny Is on sale now from Maverick. Fate: The Winx Saga Volume 2: The Shadow War is also on sale.
From the official graphic novel description:
In a continuation of the hit Netflix series, Fate: The Winx Saga Vol. 1: Dark Destiny, follows a group of fairies enrolled at the magical school of Alfea in the wake of losing their close friend, Bloom. In this new school year, Aisha, Kat, Terra and the rest of our heroes must face a mysterious new enemy that threatens to destroy everything they love.
A short time has passed since Bloom entered the Realm of Darkness to find her mother, and she is still missing. Despite this, her friends at the magical school of Alfea are gearing up for a new year of classes, new students….and new challenges. Still reeling from the loss of Bloom, Aisha, Kat, Terra, Stella, Musta, Riven and Sky are struggling to get used to their new normal.
When the school is attacked by fairy powers few have seen before, our heroes are faced with a mystery and an enemy that could spell doom for them all. During their darkest hour, can they rely on the wielder of the Dragon Flame to return to them? Or has Bloom been lost forever? Find out in this exciting continuation of the hit Netflix series!