Joshua Luna has accused his brother and former business partner, Jonathan Luna, of emotional and mental abuse, as well as theft. In a tweet thread posted to Luna’s account on Friday, he makes a series of claims regarding his relationship with Jonathan and their work together, as well as their personal relationship.
Luna alleges that Jonathan punched and pushed him around at home and at conventions, in addition to setting up their share of comic profits to be 70-30 in Jonathan’s favor. He also accuses Jonathan of leveraging their professional lives as punishment in arguments, denying Luna access to the mortgage contracts for their shared condo when he wanted to move out, and obfuscating credits on shared work to make it seem as if Jonathan did more and Luna did less, among other abuses.
The full thread is available here:
Thread: I thought about continuing to stay silent, but that doesn't help anyone but him so I'll say it now. Jonathan Luna is a thief & an emotional & physical abuser (has been for decades) & that's why he's not only my ex-business partner but why I consider him an ex-brother too.
— Joshua Luna (@Joshua_Luna) December 6, 2019
Following Luna’s claims, Jonathan released his own statement on Twitter on Saturday.
I am not a perfect person. But sadly, my brother Joshua has made some very offensive comments about me, twisting our history to serve himself. That said, I love my brother very much. I’ve tried many times to work things out with him. I really hope one day we’ll be friends again.
— Jonathan Luna (@JonathanLunaCom) December 7, 2019
Monday afternoon, Luna responded to his brother’s statement, as well as a statement made by Jonathan’s 20XX co-creator Lauren Keely. Accompanied by a screenshot of Jonathan’s statement, Luna describes what amounts to gaslighting, a form of abuse in which the perpetrator sows seeds of doubt in a victim’s mind, making them question their memory, perception, and sanity.
Even though I didn't mention her in regards to theft, the co-creator of Jon's current book, Lauren Keely, posted this on my professional FB page. I understand the desire to protect a book you've worked hard on but she 'liked' Jon's statement, making her stance on his abuse clear. pic.twitter.com/w9lG2mPcDa
— Joshua Luna (@Joshua_Luna) December 9, 2019
Additionally, Luna spoke to why he waited to come forward — for fear of industry professionals and peers taking his brother’s side — and thanked supporters who reached out over the weekend. In his initial thread, Luna also stated that he was too ashamed to speak up.
I don't know if I'll see justice, but I just want to thank everyone who's reached out to me in support, sorry if I can't respond to all of you. The past few days have been overwhelming. All I want is to create comics and not have to look over my shoulder in worry & fear anymore.
— Joshua Luna (@Joshua_Luna) December 9, 2019
Luna’s accusations follow on the heels of Image Comics allegedly refusing to publish his graphic novel AMERICANIZASIAN, which he references in his initial thread as well. Luna notes that seeing Jonathan get so much praise for a series published with the very same company makes him feel “sick, sad, beaten.”
At least one person has corroborated Luna’s claims in a public tweet posted Saturday.
