I recently had a chance to talk to Brian Pulido about his upcoming book Lady Death: Chaos! Rules #1. Check it out:

Decapitated Dan: Hey Brian thanks for taking time to talk with me about the Lady Death: Chaos!
Rules #1. First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Brian Pulido: I’m Brian Pulido, a comic book creator for over twenty years. I’m most known for creating of the entire Chaos! Comics universe: Evil Ernie, Purgatori, Chastity, and most famously, Lady Death.

I’ve also written comics for your favorite horror franchises: A Nightmare on Elm St., Friday The 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Chucky.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

BP: I’ve been reading and collecting comics since I was eight. In my twenties I was working as an assistant director on commercials and music videos and needed a creative outlet. My soul was shriveling up from all the managerial stuff I was doing. So at night, I moonlighted writing comic book scripts. My first one, Evil Ernie, took off and now here we are twenty four years later.

DD: So what can you tell me about Lady Death: Chaos! Rules #1. What’s it all about?

BP: In Chaos! Rules #1 , Lady Death is awakened from a 20-year, spell-induced slumber, Lady Death finds herself in the fiery pits of Hell. Two decades of her life, gone. Who among her depraved enemies is responsible? How long until she exacts bloody vengeance? Hint: Not long. Let the hunt begin!

This is the first Lady Death comic I’ve personally published in 12 years. This story –– chock full of sex, violence, and very bad behavior –– is Lady Death, fully-realized.

Helping me bring the undead diva back to life is my hand-selected team of: co-writer Brian Augustyn, illustrator Dheeraj Verma, colorist Sabine Rich, and veteran letterer Marshall Dillon.

DD: Where can we find the book to help back it on Kickstarter?

BP: The Kickstarter goes live on February 4th. In the meantime, we are posting updates on www.LadyDeathUniverse.com

DD: Who are the main characters?

BP: In this story, it is Wulf. In Wulf’s own words: “It was December 6th, ‘69, I was at The Stones show at Altamont with my crew. We were dealing dope. Heroin. We wound up banging heads with another gang, but we were outgunned. I killed the creeps who were beating my old lady, then I took four to the chest. Ended up here.”

Wulf has roamed Hell for forty-Five years before he encounters the legendary Lady Death, who was thought to be dead. How will Wulf affect Lady Death? HINT: Wulf will play a major part in Lady Death’s future. Stay tuned.

We also have Baphomet. In Baphomet’s own words: “Hell was never meant to serve as a prison for this lower filth. Our lands should not be fouled with their unsightly presence. In the beginning, there was Hell -- for our kind only. For the Hellbourne! Then came The Pact, and Satanus surrendered to an edict from above. Now look at what we’ve become: we harbor those so lowly and fools like Golgoth service Heaven’s demand. I say we take back Hell! I say we RID our lands of the Earthbourne and the Free Men!” Baphomet is a rebel upstart.

Finally we have GOLGOTH. Loyal to Satanus, Golgoth is a “prison warden” who houses the Earthborne and the Damned, carrying out The Edict struck between Satanus and Heaven.

Golgoth is the company man, beholden to Satanus.

DD: Lady Death has been around for such a long time, what is it that makes you keep coming back to her?

BP: Lady Death is an anti-hero. It is easy to exercise my frustrations of the day through her. She kicks ass and doesn’t bother taking names.

DD: What can readers expect in terms of Horror?

BP: In no particular order: suspense, terror, violence, gore, torture, reprehensible behavior.

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and why would you say that?

BP: R for reasons answered in the  last question. Oh, and we have a sex scene too.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?

BP: I want readers to be exhilarated.

DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

BP: I was into all Marvel horror. From Where Monsters Dwell to Ghost Rider. I have a bad ass collection of Marvel monster comics.

DD: In regards to the Kickstarter, what can backers expect in terms of rewards?

BP: We’ve lined up lots of cool rewards, many exclusive to Kickstarter.  Many of them very limited. All of them are Authentically Rare. A few examples:
- THE ACTUAL GRAPHIC NOVEL! An all-new, 48-page square bound original graphic novel-

-THE LIMITED JAMIE TYNDALL  & ULA MOS “METALLIC”  EDITION!

- This edition features an ACTUAL METAL COVER (!) by Jamie Tyndall & Ula Mos. LIMITED ON THIS TIER TO ONLY 66 serially numbered copies.

- THE EXTREMELY LIMITED “KILLED BY DEATH” EDITION! Cover illustrated by Dheeraj Verma & colored by Sabine Rich. Get beheaded by Lady Death! LIMITED ON THIS TIER TO ONLY Six copies! Six lucky (6) Lady Death fans who pledge will have their likenesses drawn into Lady Death: Chaos Rules #1 page 8 and be beheaded by the diva of death! You will also receive --  a limited edition variant cover limited to six (6) serially numbered copies featuring the “Killed By Death” image! Comes signed by Lady Death creator Brian Pulido with a custom METAL Certificate of Authenticity!

- LADY DEATH #1: DIAMOND EDITION LIMITED TO ONE COPY! Cover illustrated by Steven Hughes & colored by Sabine Rich. Celebrate Lady Death #1’s 21st anniversary in style! The cover is made of metal and features an actual one (1) carat diamond embedded into the hilt of Lady Death’s sword! Limited to one (1) serially numbered copy. Featuring the classic story by Brian Pulido and Steven Hughes that started it all! This is the rarest Lady Death comic book ever produced! Comes with the Jeweler’s appraisal documents (supplied by Scottsdale Fine Jewelers) and a METAL Custom Certificate of Authenticity.

DD: Can we expect more from you horror comic wise in the future?

BP: Yes. Coming up this summer / fall is ZACK, THE ZOMBIE EXTERMINATOR. Zack is a redneck, metal head with a talent for zombie-splatting who showcase every second of gory mayhem on YouTube. With fame comes a fall from grace. In the end, Zack has one chance to make things right. All he has to do is kill a horde of flesh hungry zombies and a stop the god of Death from destroying the world. He’s humanity’s only hope. We’re screwed.

From the twisted minds of Brian Pulido (Evil Ernie, Lady Death) and Mike MacLean (Sharktopus) comes the rise, fall, and redemption of an American original, Zack the Zombie Exterminator        .

For more info: www.ZackZX.com

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

BP: Lady Death: Chaos Rules #1 info can be found at: www.LadyDeathUniverse.com

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Lady Death: Chaos! Rules #1 and why fans should give it a try.

BP: Simply stated: Lady Death: Chaos Rules is an over-the-top, blood-soaked love letter to Lady Death fans new and old, and I need fans help to make this happen.

I’m Kickstarting this project because it’s an incredible opportunity to connect with the fans. They get it. They share my passion! There is no middle-man, there’s no one telling me what to do, so we can go effin crazy and create a LD story for the ages!

And best of all – the project is done! All we gotta do is print. We’re gonna ship the rewards within six weeks of closing the Kickstarter. But we do need reader’s support. Of that there is no doubt.

____________________________________________________

BRIAN PULIDO – BIO

Pulido created the Chaos! Comics universe including Lady Death, Evil Ernie, Purgatori, Chastity & dozens of other characters. He has published / written Lady Death, Evil Ernie, A Nightmare on Elm St., Chucky, Friday The 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and many more. He is on The Hero Initiative’s fundraising board and has received the CBLDF Defender of Liberty Award. He wrote / directed The Graves starring Tony Todd.

Pulido’s latest projects include the upcoming: Lady Death: Chaos Rules #1 – an original graphic novel from Coffin Comics, La Muerta & Zack, The Zombie Exterminator.

Lady Death #1 celebrates its 21st anniversary in 2015!

For more info, visit:
www.LadyDeathUniverse.com

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I recently had a chance to talk to Chris Johnson about his upcoming book SEND IN THE CLOWNS. Check it out:

Decapitated Dan: Hey Chris thanks for taking time to talk with me about the Send in the Clowns.
First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Chris Johnson: Hey, Dan! I’m Chris Johnson and I make comics! I created Anomalous Comics with my inker friend, Fletcher Horton, and since 2012, we’ve been working on small projects here and there, mostly for anthologies and portfolio builders but also for other companies. I write everything Anomalous will be releasing in the foreseeable future (because I’m a narcissist who likes to feel special) and I also letter all of our books. The lettering started out of necessity, but it’s grown into a passion of mine and now I’m kind of a lettering snob, lol. If a book has poor letters, I just won’t read it. Currently, I letter Ghoul Squad, Stargirl, and Skull for the Higher Universe; I letter Armadillo Justice for Rising Sun Comics; and I letter Ximphonic Versus for Markosia. These are just a few of the titles I’m working on, but I’m always looking to help fellow creators tell their stories. I’d like to get hired on as a writer for a Deadpool or Howard the Duck series, but until then I’m having a blast writing, lettering and editing my own books. 

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

CJ: Well, I’ve always been a writer, ever since I was a kid creating intricate plot lines and even subplots for my action figures (X-MEN all day, y’all!). Then in high school, I started more seriously writing short prose stories and I really enjoyed the way I was able to channel whatever I was going through at the time (be it happy, sad, whatever) onto the written page and actually evoke similar emotions in other people. So a few years ago when I found out there were others like me, people who loved comics so much they wanted to make them, I ditched the prose and started posting my five page stories online in an attempt to entice artists to join me in my endeavor. I never once thought I would be the head of a studio of over forty members, but here we are. We are different, unique; we are Anomalous. 

DD: So what can you tell me about Send in the Clowns. What’s it all about?

CJ: To put a complex story in a simple box, Send in the Clowns centers on Mr. SadFace, our spotlight clown character, in his lair as he watches different movies and television shows about clowns on his wall of TVs. The book opens with him welcoming the reader into his inner sanctum and telling them that once they have seen all the eight shows (our eight stories in the antho), he might allow them to leave. Basically, what Mr. SadFace wants is to change the reader’s perception of clowns. He shows the movies while giving different introductions and Public Service Announcements to give a little clarity on what the reader should be looking out for and how they should take certain stories. Each story is different and none of them are your average, run-of-the-mill killer clown story, but with Mr. SadFace hosting, the horror (and the funny) is taken to a whole new level.

DD: Where can readers find out more about backing the project?

CJ: Go to AnomalousComics.com/CLOWNS !!! We have a TON of cool pinups, interior covers, promotional material, and even one of the stories in the book right there on the IndieGogo page, just so people know what they’re getting themselves into. We are even giving away free prints with every book order. If we get this book funded, I’ll be able to get it in stores here in my hometown of Wichita Falls, TX and others have responded positively in Dallas, too. That will be huge for our small company of indie artists. If people buy a book for thirty bucks, they get three prints, a bunch of digital wallpapers, a digital version of the book so they don’t have to wait to read it, and their name in the Thank You section of the book. We’re even giving away posters to lucky backers! 

DD: Who are the Creators that you have working on this book?

CJ: We have a lot of independent artists working on this monster of an anthology. Around eighty indie pencilers, inkers, colorists from all over the world... and me! For a list of all the Anomalies (what we call our artists) just check out AnomalousComics.com/Anomalies because there really are too many to name. But you can see their work for us and other work they’ve done as well as their portfolios and interviews with us on the site.

DD: What kind of stories can we expect to find?

CJ: This is not a one trick pony kind of book, where you see a bunch of killer clowns running around like six foot tall chickens with their heads cut off brandishing knives and balloon animals. no, this book has got tragic stories, uplifting stories, inspirational stories, of course, homicidal maniac clown stories, and so much more. The reviews we’ve received so far have been nothing but positive and I just can’t wait for people to get their hands on it. Shawn at Project-Nerd said, “...Send in the Clowns is going to be a rock solid anthology release.” and highly recommends it! I’m super proud of my friends who worked with us on this book and can’t wait to do more like it.

DD: Where did this idea come from?


CJ: Borderline Press, actually. They were calling for submissions from indie creators for this clown anthology, and after a friend and I had written some stories and even gotten a few of our artist friends on board, they decided to scrap it due to “lack of interest”. I’m not the type to let things go (seriously, I’m still holding grudges from when I was in diapers) and I knew there had to be interest somewhere, so I decided I would just put the book out, myself. The friend I mentioned subsequently parted ways with us due to creative differences, but I’ll always be thankful for him bringing the idea to me and giving me the inspiration to push something of this magnitude. Not to sound cheesy, but out of the ashes of a scrapped book that was never meant to be comes Send in the Clowns, a wild ride featuring some even wilder characters whom you won’t soon forget. 

DD: What can readers expect in terms of Horror?

CJ: The entire book is scary, from the art right down to the psychological nature of the storytelling. There are low speed chases, blood and guts, weapon-wielding maniacs, and a truly horrifying anal probe. That, in and of itself, is worth the cover price, in my opinion. But in all seriousness, the definition of horror is “an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust”. This book will give the reader all these feelings and more as they read from story to story, especially as they as they are met with Mr. SadFace throughout the book to give them hints at what’s to come and help make sense of the shocking things that have come to pass. 

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and why would you say that?

CJ: Due to the amount of violence and cursing but lack of nudity, I would give this book a solid R rating. We really should have included some breasts, but I’m not really into objectifying women all that much... just clowns. I wouldn’t let my young children read it (at least not unsupervised), but I think it’s fine for teenagers and young adults. That’s probably our core audience, although our target market ranges from 16 - mid-30’s, due to the various horror elements involved in the book. 

DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

CJ: I was scared shitless of Freddy Kreuger. Man, I still remember the pizza scene where Freddy was picking the kids off with his claws and I really, truly, think that sort of warped my perception enough to both scare me, but also make me fall in love with the feeling of being scared. At least I did once my mom told me that it was only a movie. As far as comics went, I couldn’t get into horror because I was brainwashed to think anything that wasn’t X-Men was lame, haha. But as I grew older, I realized Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing is pure genius; Tales from the Crypt (which I did watch as a kid) was an actual comic and it was highly entertaining; and those old Hellblazer comics were pretty awesome, too. But my main influence, I have to say, for creating this book is none other than the 80s cult classic sci-fi movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

DD: What was the most horrific thing that happened to you when you were working on this book?

CJ: Missed deadlines, oddly enough. And bad dreams. I can’t help but focus so much when writing sometimes that my subconscious kicks me in the ass. Reckless Heart (You Know You Got It), which will be in Send in the Clowns Volume II, comes from a dream that found me startled, sweating and wide the hell awake in the middle of the night. So naturally, I wrote it down. Sometimes I think I’m just fucking crazy. 

DD: Can we expect more from you horror comic wise in the future?

CJ: Oh, definitely! Mr. SadFace begrudgingly belongs to a group of Thrill Killers who are comprised of characters representing various tropes and horror movie genres. That will be our next book and we are excited to push that out with Nightmare Cafe next. I am a child and huge fan of eighties horror so I am having fun getting really retro with my scriptwriting. I don’t see myself stopping any time soon, but we also have other genres to release in 2015, also. We are working hard on sci-fi/fantasy book called StarGazers, a futuristic sci-fi thriller/comedy called Savyer City, a comedy series called Elvis the Zombie, and even a children’s book with horror elements in it called Don’t Be Afraid.

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

CJ: AnomalousComics.com/CLOWNS!!! Check us out! 

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Send in the Clowns and why fans should give it a try.

CJ: There is so much to this book that it would be difficult to tell people every reason why they should check it out so I’m just going to say this: whether you enjoy clowns or have a ridiculously stark case of coulrophobia, you should read this book. The stories are very deep, emotional, and most of all human. Clowns are the vehicle we are using to tell these stories, but this is a book about clowns about as much as The Walking Dead is about zombies. This is a book about people; people dealing with tragedy, people working through pain and past hurt, people fighting for their rights, people struggling to survive, people getting their just desserts, people realizing who and what they are... and a guy in clown makeup getting anal probed with a footlong dildo. 

DD: Thanks so much for your time.

CJ: Thank YOU, Decapitated Dan! I really appreciate you interviewing me. All the Anomalies do!

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I recently had a chance to talk to Douglas Paszkiewicz about his upcoming book ARSENIC LULLABY: THE DEVILS ONLY FRIEND. Check it out:

Decapitated Dan: Douglas thanks for taking time to talk with me about ARSENIC LULLABY: THE DEVILS ONLY FRIEND. First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Douglas Paszkiewicz: I am a brilliant lowlife jerk, who just happens to make one of the funniest
you’ll ever run across. I don’t like what I do, I didn’t ask for the talent and skill…but I have it so I might as well make some money with it.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

DP: I started out in stand up comedy…which entails telling the same joke night after night to drunks and people on awkward first dates.  It dawned on me I could just draw the joke ONCE, print it and never have to deal with night clubs.

DD: So what can you tell me about ARSENIC LULLABY: THE DEVILS ONLY FRIEND?

DP: It has some really good storytelling.  I specialize in strange premises and do a lot of single page jokes.  In and out , quick stuff…mostly because I have to draw the damn thing and I get sick of drawing a character after a page or two. This book has some really well written longer stories.  For example, Cthulhu rises up to destroy mankind only to find out we already destroyed ourselves and he missed the whole thing.  Everybody’s dead except for one guy in a cybernetic safety suit.  And the guy is a total creep. Like super lonely, obviously, but you can tell he was a pain in the ass to begin with.  Cthulhu realizes that he can still salvage something because if he kills the guy, then technically HE ended mankind…technically.  Satan shows up to beg him off because he doesn’t want him to go to hell and tries to convert him to Christianity while Cthulhu looks for an abandoned car with a decent stereo.  It’s really well woven together and the character interactions are a scream.

DD: Who are the main characters we will see in this book?

DP: Well aside from Cthulhu , there is Voodoo joe who is a witch doctor who lives in the suburbs and has zombie fetuses aid him in sort of a revenge for hire business. The Great Duranti is a stage magician who travels around with a talking yeti and a midget, he ends up volunteering to exorcise some rich guys kid so he can loot the house.  There’s a lot of stuff that when you explain it just sounds wacky for the sake of being wacky but everything is really rooted in more depth and sinisterness then I can explain without ruining it.

DD: What are you hoping readers take away from this book?

DP: That the New Orleans Saints are a terrible football team.

DD: After all the years of working on ARSENIC LULLABY, why keep coming back to this cast?

DP: Readers like them.  I have about 15 other characters I could be developing but when it comes right down to it, you give the audience what they want.  When you go see…Tom Petty for example, you really don’t give a rats ass about hearing him play a bunch of new shit you never heard before, you want to hear last dance with mary jane and stuff like that.  I insert new characters little by little but when someone orders a copy of Arsenic Lullaby…the want to see Voodoo Joe doing something horrible to someone.

DD: I want to break down your cast a bit, first of all... what is so funny about a zombie fetus?

DP: First off, I don’t think they are funny.  They are disgusting and creepy.  The funny comes from Joe treating them like they aren’t any different than having an intern.  Good writing often times isn’t just “hey isn’t this premise wacky?!” It making the wacky premise and forcing the reader to accept it as a reality.  If the fetus shows up and all the characters react rationally i.e “holy mother of F*CK! What is that?!” There is no legs to the premise.  But if one shows up and hands Joe a lighter and Joe complains that the lighter is empty…then there is really funny creepy element just hanging around that you can get a much bigger laugh out of later.

DD: Along those same lines, why do you choose to make fun of my lord Cthulhu?

DP: Laziness.  I had some stories that required some obscure demon…and if I actually research one…then I have to write and draw several pages explaining who the hell the demon is.  Cthulhu is obscure but well known enough so that people have the basic idea of what he is about right from the start.

DD:  You seem to be a creator who is not afraid to touch touchy subject matter, how come?

DP: Sex, Religion and science fiction if I can help it.  Those are three subject that kinda overshadow whatever joke you are trying to tell. People see the subject introduced and already have a certain mindset…they are thinking politics or thinking with their dick or in the case of science fiction instantly relating it to some other sci fi world from some other movie or book…I have to then fight them out of that mindset in order to properly set them up for a punchline. It’s a pain in the ass.

DD: Is there any subject matter that even you consider off limits?

DP: Well, I told you what I don’t deal with…but in general I’d say no.  Nothing is off limits and it is never “too soon”. Otherwise what is the point?  Everybody has one or two subjects that they don’t want made fun of and are cool with everything else. Well…if you are mass communicating and add together everybodies one or two subjects, you have nothing left to work with. The power of comedy is that it robs power from everything else.  You take some horrible incident and get people to laugh at it …you have robbed it of any horror.

DD: What on earth were you into as a child that would lead to you creating a comic like this?

DP: I had a relatively normal childhood…really nothing that would point to this.

DD: As a Comic Industry Veteran, what knowledge can you part of the young about this business?

DP: Stay out of my way.

DD: Are there any other projects you are currently working on?

DP: There are too many to mention. I’ll be doing more animated work, and should have a short film about X-mas done in a few weeks.

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

DP: www.arseniclullaby.com

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on ARSENIC LULLABY: THE DEVILS ONLY FRIEND and why fans should give it a try.

DP: No…I already told you enough.  Go order it.

DD: Thanks so much for your time Douglas.

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I recently had a chance to talk to Rick Spears and Chuck BB about the upcoming Black Metal Omnibvs. Check it out: 

Decapitated Dan: Hey guys thanks for taking time to talk with me about the Black Metal Omnibus. First of all lets talk about you. How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

Rick Spears: I went to film school and wrote a screenplay called Teenagers From Mars. It was all about comics and eventually I reworked it into a comic book series and graphic novel with artist Rob G. Teenagers From Mars opened a bunch of door for me and I’ve been doing comics ever since.

Chuck BB: During college I started playing with the comics medium, making little mini comics,
going to APE, etc.  Steve Niles found my stuff on his forum and offered me the gig of drawing Secret Skull.  And basically I became a professional comics artist over night!  Of course the professional aspect is up for debate, but that’s how I got in... And it’s been downhill ever since!

DD: So what can you tell me about Black Metal. What’s it all about?

RS: Black Metal is the massive brutal tale or two metal kids Shawn and Sam Stronghand who get this black metal recored, play it backwards, open a gateway to grab a legendary sword, and then they go to Hell to take over.

CBB: Rick really laid it out here for ya, but I think it is also a real love letter to Metal in general.  So its chocked full of references, and oozes metal from its pores.  We wanted to have fun with the genre, but also somehow show it visually and pay homage to the bloody roots!

DD: Who are the main characters?

RS: The main characters are two twin boys Shawn and Sam Stronghand. They are into metal and live with their foster mom. They don’t really fit in with normal kids and their only solace is in the heavy dark sounds of black metal. I don’t want to give to much away but they have a very mysterious lineage and a dark date with destiny.

CBB: Indeed!

DD: Where did this idea come from?

RS: I met Chuck BB at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco. Becky Cloonan introduced us. I was looking through Chuck’s portfolio and he had a drawing of like proto Shawn and Sam. I don’t think there was any story with the drawing but I really responded to it and we started talking and the story grew out from there. We both wanted to do something big and epic.

CBB: Yeah there wasn’t much of a story there, I just really wanted to do a comic about Metal, and specifically Metal Heads.  Something to really show what metal was all about and what the fans devotion to music felt like.  I couldn’t write for a hill of beans, so Rick was eager to get ahold of it and bring it to life.  And he totally got what I was shooting for, and rocketed beyond!

DD: What can readers expect in terms of Horror? How about Metal?

RS: It’s not really a horror book as in it’s not really scary or anything like that. it’s more HIGH ADVENTURE and lots of demons getting chopped with swords. Brutal but not scary. And it’s very Metal! We reference a lot of bands and repurpose some lyrics. There are tons of Metal easter eggs for the observant. We also meet Frost Axe a black metal band and see there music play out visually.

CBB: Yeah, while it isn’t really horror, its full of violence, monsters with a Dungeons and Dragons meets Satanic biblical demonic bent.  So I think Monsters can get classified as horror, so that works, right?  And as far as Metal, it is 100% metal.  It was a challenge trying to convey a music with visuals, but we set out with that goal and luckily Metal is a music that is full of imagery and thrives
on it.  So yeah, its Metal as hell!

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and why would you say that?

RS: I guess I would say PG-13 even though I kinda hate PG-13. There really isn’t any profanity or nudity but lots of violence.

CBB: Well we do let a F-word fly at the end, but I think PG-13 allows for one of those, right?  Though for the violence, limb and head severing I think we would be skirting close to that R rating - however the cartooned style of my art probably lets us slide under some radars.

DD: So is this all now said and done since it’s collected, or will we see a return of Shawn and Sam someday?

RS: For now it is done. This was a huge project, the biggest I’ve ever done and I feel like we really went all the way with it. I never say never but I’m pretty sure this it it.

CBB: What is dead may rise again!  But only if the stars and planets align in some paganish kinda way and a lot of money is involved.  My tongue is currently fused to my cheek.

DD: Are you both Metalheads? Born and Raised or determined once you knew what music was?

RS: I’ve been into music my whole life and you can see it in my work. TFM is an obvious Misfits reference and so on. I love metal but coming up I was more into punk and hardcore. These days I’m really into horror soundtrack stuff like Goblin and Fabio Frizzi.

CBB: I’m a Metal man, but I was initially into punk and hardcore in my high school days until I unlocked the metal gene.  I’m sure it was just laying there dormant until I switched it on.  When I was a kid though, I loved Maiden and what not, I would just stare at the album art in the record stores for days.  I still love them today by the way, just trying to get nostalgic on ya.

DD: Who’s your favorite band, and who is a band people need to know about?

RS: Right now I am really into John Carpenter’s score for Halloween 3. That’s the weird Halloween sequel without Michael Myers in it but it has the best score. It’s not metal at all but has these great driving synths and drums with no lyrics. It’s the best thing ever to write too.

CBB: Carpenter and Zombi and all that stuff is fantastic for sure, and I’m sure some of that stuff was playing while I was drawing.  But if we’re talking Meat and Potatoes Here, I think the band I love the most is Ulver.  From their early necro Black Metal stuff to their progressive genre shifts, I think they’re a band that could really blow peoples minds given the chance.  I’ve been jamming to the new Pallbearer lately, its doomy sludgy metal with a bunch of melodic elements.  I think they also have the potential to convert people to metal.

DD: What else are you guys working on these days?

RS: I’m doing The Auteur, a new ongoing series about a berserk Hollywood producer’s auto-bio voyage to the crossroads of art and exploitation. And I’m doing more movie stuff. I just shot a short film over labor day and I just had a feature screenplay in the Sundance Producing Lab.

CBB: Speaking of metal, I do a monthly comic strip in Americas only metal mag, DECIBEL called Stone Cold Lazy which is even more inside baseball than Black Metal even.  I’m also working on a project with Ivan Brandon called Deathface, which is basically an homage of 80s over the top action.  Arnold on steroids, if you can believe that.

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

RS: The internet! I don’t know. You can order it from you local comic shop of book sellers. And I’m
on Twitter @rickspears and Face Book

CBB: For sure the internet, and comic stores.  Why I am also on twitter too, fancy that @Chuckbb. 

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on the Black Metal Omnibus and why fans should give it a try.

RS: The Black Metal Omnibvs collects the whole HUGE story all three volumes in a new oversized format. It’s a missive story and it’s a steal for the price. It’s cheaper than if you bought all three books. We are also doing a limited black-on-black hard cover edition that we will have at conventions and direct from Oni Press.

CBB: It’s also got a bunch of sketches and art I’ve done for Black Metal that has never been published before, so if you like the bonus content - it has it.  The Black on Black edition is BRUTAL, its like the anti-bible.  Check ‘er out!

DD: Thanks so much for your time guys!

RS: Thank you! Thanks for helping us get the word out.

CBB: No, thank you citizen!

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I recently had a chance to talk to Justin Jordan about his upcoming series Dark Gods. Check it out: 

Decapitated Dan: Hey Justin, thanks for taking the time to talk to me about Dark Gods. Let’s talk about you first, how did you find yourself getting into making comics?

Justin Jordan: I did terrible, terrible things in my last life.

Hah, no, doing comics is pretty much the best job in the world. I was always into both writing and comics, but it wasn’t until I was in college that it occurred to me this was a thing I could do. Fourteen short years later, here I am.

DD: So what can you tell me about Dark Gods. What’s it all about?

JJ: Basically, all the gods of myth are real, but they’re not what we think they are. They’re creatures of the primordial chaos that use our belief in gods to get back into this universe. And they want back in, badly. This is very bad for humanity.

So the book is about humanity fighting against them, trying to stop them from reentering our world. And we’re losing.

DD:  Where did this idea come from?

JJ: Man, that’s a hard question. I think the basic idea was what if gods were real, and what if there was a human organization that was dedicated to killing them? This was originally a concept called the Godkillers, and eventually it morphed into Dark Gods

DD: What can readers expect in terms of Horror?

JJ: Everything. I’ve been trying to integrate the various forms of horror. The first issue, for instance, has monsters, the second issue has more body horror, and the third issue is, after a fashion, a haunted house story.

But it’s also examining different kinds of thematic horror, for lack of a better term. So there’s cosmic horror there, cult horror, ghost horror, the horror of knowing a truth everyone else denies, and everything else I can think of.

The nature of the story allows me to do pretty much any kind of horror I want, so I’m taking good advantage of it.

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and why would you say that?

JJ: Oh, probably X. Do they still rate things X? It’s pretty extreme. I mean, it’s an Avatar book, which means that all the brakes are off. So expect to see some deeply horrifying things in it.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?

JJ: I hope they’re entertained. That’s always goal number one when I write anything and everything beyond that is a bonus. Beyond that, it’d be good for them to be scared. I think the real horror of the book is how little humanity knows and is capable of knowing, and I think it’s good to have some grasp of that, so that would be a nice takeaway.

DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

JJ: A lot of John Carpenter movies. In particular, the ones that form his Apocalypse trilogy, which is The Thing, Prince of Darkness and In The Mouth Of Madness. In particular, the last two, which do a good job of  showing a world where the rules of reality itself are beginning to unravel.

DD: Can we expect more from you horror comic wise in the future?

JJ: Well, I’m also doing the post apocalyptic horror ongoing Spread right now over at Image, as well as more Crossed for Avatar. But I’d say all of the creator owned I’m doing in the immediate future is, at the very least, horror tinged.

DD: In summary give me a quick recap on Dark Gods and why fans should give it a try.

JJ: Dark Gods is about the creatures that existed before the universe trying to get back in after a long time largely locked out of it. Chaos makes them strongers, so pain, suffering and horror are what they want. We’re trying to fight them, but we are losing.

Basically, if you want some good, pure Lovecraftian horror with every kind of scary I can think of, this is the book for you.

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I recently had a chance to talk to Mark Kidwell and Jay Fotos about their upcoming mini-series '68: Homefront. Check it out:

Decapitated Dan: Hey Mark, Kyle and Jay thanks for taking time to talk with me about the ‘68: Homefront. First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Mark Kidwell: I write all this grisly business, plus I edit each issue (along with Jay) and produce the “Incoming” articles at the back of each book.

Jay Fotos: Thanks for having us Dan. Kyle couldn’t make it as he’s out of town, but he’s here in spirit for sure! I’m Jay Fotos, and I wear many-many hats in producing ’68. Along with color work, design/graphics, lettering, pre-press, I act as “den father” to the crew, making sure we stay on point with art direction, scheduling, editing, promotion, website, facebooking etc. All thankless jobs, but I love it.

MK: He’s our martyr.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

MK: I’d been a comics fan and reader since I was like four and I’d been drawing since around that time as well. I went to school and got a degree in design and illustration, started working in advertising and still kept up with my comics addiction. Finally, after working freelance for a couple of years doing fantasy illustration for the gaming industry, I went to Wizard World Chicago with a portfolio full of artwork and showed my stuff around. Came back with a penciling gig (that turned into a writing gig too) and an inking gig. Rest is history.

JF: I’m a late bloomer to comics. As a child(in the 70’s) I wasn’t into them at all other than my Dad’s Heavy Metal Magazines. There were pretty painted pictures there that I really liked. In the late 70’s, Richard Corben’s Den was a regular in that book and he sure knew how to paint the hell out of them naked boobies! Google it, you’ll see what I mean. Right about that time I was introduced to Frank Frazetta’s work and everything changed. Skip to the late 90’s where I had an opportunity to work with Todd Mcfarlane on pretty much every Spawn title he released. I think even Spawn: The Undead was ranked #1 best seller at some point. Working for Todd really gave me my “comic sea-legs” and taught me how to produce comics from the ground up. From there, I worked with other publishers like Chaos Comics and started my long time partnership with IDW Publishing. I also produced the full line of Frazetta Comics at Image.  When Ellie and Frank Frazettas passed in 2010, we ended production. We started ’68 back in 2006 and fired it up again in 2010, so I’ve been concentrating heavily on that.

DD: Before we dive into it, how can I get my hands on ‘68: Homefront?

MK: All our books are available through Diamond and are for sale in comic shops all over the country (and abroad). Just ask your friendly local comics retailer to order copies and he can get ‘em where he gets Batman.

JF: Pretty much anywhere. Amazon, Comixology, etc. can hook you up with digital copies of the books too. You can find all that info on our website www.68zombie.com

DD: So what can you tell me about ‘68: Homefront. What’s it all about?

MK: Homefront is a return to America for the ’68 franchise. We step back, take a break from the regular ongoing Vietnam/Cambodia storyline and its cast of characters to give readers a glimpse of what’s going on back in “the world” as the dead rise. We crank the calendar backwards, returning again to February 13th, 1968 and plop you down in the small town of Harbinger, Pennsylvania for the first two-issue story arc entitled: Peece and Love. This first arc brings our special brand of mayhem to small town America, centering on Homecoming Queen Jenny Peece and her secret relationship with town bad boy, Johnny Love. Incidentally,  Johnny is the brother of the sniper presented in the very first issue of ’68, so the story has a direct connection with firebase Aries and the original series story arc. Next up, the final two issues of the series present a separate tale called: Dodgers. This one tells the story of twin brothers running away to Canada to escape the draft and dodge the bullet that was Vietnam. Still set in America, just not the US…and obviously much colder. Lotsa blood in the snow, if ya know what I mean.

DD: What can readers expect in terms of Horror?

MK: Longtime readers will not be disappointed. Homefront is chock full of the special ’68 brand of splatterpunk horror. There’s plenty of gore and some clever zombie setups and kills. There’s a bus crash in “Peece and Love” that turns an entire visiting basketball team, cheerleaders, coach and all, into a ravenous undead horde and a mortician battles a mob of cannibal monsters that boil upstairs from his basement mortuary. In “Dodgers”, we establish an eerie atmosphere as a huge blizzard blankets the province of Alberta and our main characters are forced to take refuge in a small, snowbound cabin as resurrected Mounties come to call. Very spooky, action-packed and of course…bloody as hell.

JF: Like Mark Said, we love our four-color gore! We deliver that by the buckets!

DD: Why bring the story to the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave?

MK: Centering the main story of ’68 in Vietnam and continuing with just that has a tendency to alienate modern audiences who don’t have a good handle on the history of the time period. Homefront brings readers back to a little more familiarity with setting and gives us the opportunity to show that the undead apocalypse is everywhere. We touched on this concept originally in the third issue of the first arc, showing a zombie riot on the campus of UC Berkely. Readers cite that issue as one of their favorites, so it’s time to give ‘em more down-home horror and move the “camera” back to the states and Canada.

DD: Will we see any characters from Hardship or Hallowed Ground in this?

MK: No, those books are pretty much self-contained. As mentioned above, we do establish links with our main story in “Peece and Love” and as for “Dodgers”, you can imagine that had our main characters been drafted, they would have definitely shown up alongside Kuen Yam and Nero at firebase Aries.

DD: So the big question for me is, are you done telling stories that take place in Vietnam?

MK: Nope! The next story arc in the ’68 series will deal with Yam, Jungle Jim and everyone else as they defend an ancient Buddhist temple called “Heaven” from a lunatic in a shredded human skin mask that calls himself “War-Face”. The guy’s got a makeshift army of “trained” zombies with stars painted on their faces (his “star” pupils) and he’s moving them around like a psychotic general. That story’s gonna get nuts.

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and why would you say that?

MK: In today’s world, I’d give it a hard “R”. There’s a lot of profanity and hardcore, on-screen
violence. As always, we shy away from nudity or overt sexual situations, so no NC 17, but it’s violent as hell. Back in the eighties and nineties, we’d get an X or have to consider it unrated.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?
MK: As with all the ’68 stuff, we strive to spice each story with actual facts surrounding the time period. I hope readers enjoy the mayhem, but get a dose of historic flavor, black humor, solid character construction and a bit of empathy for our main characters. In short, I hope they can identify with some of these people before we eviscerate them.

DD: Can you share any info on what will come next for the ‘68 universe?

MK: The “War-Face” situation as detailed above, another Jungle Jim one-shot (Jungle Jim: Guts and Glory – Coming Soon!), a closer look at the notorious ‘60s serial killer, THE ZODIAC and shhhh… a peek forward.

JF: Starting in September, there will be a new ’68 book on the shelf every month until July 2015!

DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

MK: It’d be easier to list the horror titles I wasn’t into…but as always, much of what I do is still informed by the classic EC comics and the black and white Warren stuff like Creepy and Eerie. I also read tons of “head” comics, underground stuff like SLOW DEATH and SKULL that really got down in the muck by way of presenting “non-comics code” gore and violence. I pored over stuff by Rich Corben, Greg Irons, Wrightson, Graham Ingles, etc. While everybody else was reading Superman and Wonder Woman, I was reading Fantagor and Rowlf. Mis-spent youth…

DD: What was the most horrific thing that happened to you when you were working on this book?

MK: I stopped smoking and started “vaping”. Then I started smoking again, just far less. Now I vape and smoke. All good.

JF: I quit smoking(cold turkey), gained like 25 pounds, lost it, gained some more back…now slimming down again. Unlike Mark, I stayed off the smokes.

DD: Other then ‘68 are there anythings you want to plug that you are working on?

MK: I’m  working hard to bring my BUMP comic series to trade paperback. It’s coming in ’15, with some new story pages and some “behind-the-scenes” stuff. Also, Jay and I are diving into some new projects for the near future. Everything’s kinda preliminary right now, but we’re both slammin’ ideas and working on some concept stuff. Some of it is familiar, but some of it is all new, direction wise. Also, very close to seeing production of a film version of my novella, “Maxie’s Miracle”. All signs point to this thing seeing a camera soon.

JF: As Mark mentioned, we’ve got other properties we’re brewing. For now, I’m still dug in deep with IDW, working on the ongoing series V-Wars and a few other projects coming down the pike with them soon.

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

MK: 68zombie.com, our Facebook page, Diamond’s PREVIEWS catalog and tons of online sites that post page previews of upcoming Image titles.

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on ‘68: Homefront and why fans should give it a try.

MK: It’s a great place to start with ’68 if you haven’t read anything else in the series up to this point. You don’t have to be familiar with the ongoing story threads to enjoy this series. Plus, it’s a return to civilization for our special brand of undead horror. Not everyone has an M-16 and grenades in smalltown America or the snowbound hills of Canada. It’s gonna be tough going. And check out the stunning artwork by up and comer Kyle Charles! He’s knocking this series outta the park!

DD: Thanks so much for your time.

MK: Thank you, Dan! As always, you’re one of the best and always at the plate, swingin’ for ’68!

JF: Thanks Dan, all the best! And thanks to everyone/anyone that picks up our books… being a independent comic we so appreciate all the support! A million thanks!

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I recently had a chance to talk to Phil McClorey and Brian Evinou about their new anthology Monstrosity II. Check it out: 


Decapitated Dan: Hey Phil and Brian thanks for taking time to talk  with me about the Monstrosity 2. First of all let’s talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Phil McClorey: Thanks for having us, Dan! My name is Phil McClorey and I’m the co-editor and contributing writer and letterer of the graphic novel anthology, MONSTROSITY. Besides that I was the editor, contributing writer and letterer of Horror in the West.

Brian Evinou: Hey Dan, cheers. My name is Brian Evinou, I am the other editor of Monstrosity. I have been making comics now for about 7 years. I generally write and draw my own works including Don River, Sassy Mavericks and Tuff Stuff.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

PM: Like a lot of people my age I dropped out of comics in the mid-nineties. Probably a decade later
I was hanging out at a buddy’s house and he had a bunch of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman trades and I essentially discovered DC’s vertigo line.  I was hooked again and just devoured stuff like Preacher, The Invisibles, Hellblazer, and Transmetropolitan. I haven’t looked back since.

I’ve always been interested in writing and telling stories. After attending a couple of local Toronto cons and sitting in on the writer panels I just got inspired to start producing my own comic scripts and I’ve been doing that ever since ’07 I think.

BE: I was always that kid that drew comics in class. I figured out about half way through high school though that I could not draw like Jim Lee so I figured I probably wasn’t going to make it in comics. I ended up getting into animation, I still read comics but never really considered making my own.

One day a friend showed me Scott Pilgrim and I realized you didn’t have to draw like Jim Lee to make comics. So since then I started making my own little comics until finally I started producing finished works and hitting some shows.

DD: So what can you tell me about Monstrosity 2. What’s it all about?

PM: MONSTROSITY II is the follow up anthology to the first volume which we published last year through Alterna Press. Basically, we’ve collected over 20 stand alone short stories from over 40 of some of comics best indie talents. We kept the monster theme that fans loved from the first volume but with this edition the twist is that all the stories have a distinct sci-fi theme to them.

BE: Yeah, volume one was kind of figuring out how to do a big anthology, this one is all about refining that formula and making a stronger book. I am confident we accomplished that.

DD: Where did this idea come from?

PM: The first large scale anthology I put together was Horror in the West back in 2012. It did really well. Brian really chipped in extensively with that book. So we got to talking about doing a follow up together. One of the things we wanted to do was open up the scope of stories in the book so we just decided that every story would need to have a monster in it. The rest we left up to the creators.

BE: Yeah, I think another thing is we both love horror and monsters in comics. The medium lends itself to those topics really well. We wanted to create a book that would allow us to see some of our favorite creators doing work in those fields. MONSTROSITY is how we are making that happen.

DD: What can readers  expect in terms of Horror?

PM: There are some really creepy stories in the book. Toma Feizo-Gas’ comes to mind, he’s created a really dark atmosphere in his short. The book has some really cool ghost stories with a sci-fi spin, psychotic robot killers, alien diseases, it’s a lot of fun!

BE: Yeah, we have a lot of really great stories and artists, so you can really expect a great synthesis on these stories. It is not all over whelming darkness though, there is a little comedy sprinkled in with all the decapitations and immolations.

DD: So why come back and do a second book?

PM: The response after MONSTROSITY came out was really exciting. It debuted at Fan Expo and a lot of fans and fellow creators asked if we’d be doing a follow up. I don’t think at that point doing another book was something that Brian and I had consciously thought of. I think the sheer number of people who asked if they could pitch and be included in the follow up was really humbling. So Brian and I took all of about sixty seconds to decide that we had to do another volume!

BE: Yeah, seeing all the interest we knew we would be in a position to add guys like James Stokoe, Nimit Malavia and Jordyn Bochon. Once we saw the possibilities we knew this book would be bigger and better. That was all we needed to hear.

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG,  PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and why would you say  that?

PM: I think the book would probably receive an R-rating. There’s one scene in the book with sexual content in it. Otherwise it would probably be PG-13. That would be my guess. Some of the violence is pretty intense but I don’t know that it would warrant an R rating.

BE: Censorship blows. Fight it at all avenues.

We don`t want to stop anyone from doing anything in their stories that they think will make them better.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?

PM: I think there’s something for everyone in the book. That’s the beauty of anthologies. They can have such a great mix of storytelling in them. But for fans of monster flicks and comics I think they’ll find the book to be really specially. It was a lot of fun, reading the pitches and scripts and seeing the pages come in. Hopefully that translates into the reading experience, that fans find the book to be a lot of fun.

BE: I hope they look at our murderers` row of talent assembled and see a book they have to own.
Stokoe, Copland, Walsh, Bochon, Kim, Bone, McClachlan, Gorham, Ferrier, McCreary, Del Col, Tauzon, Turner. I could go on and on. There are forty to fifty of the best creators on this book murdering it. You’ve got to check it out.

DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

PM: Nothing comic related, I don’t really remember there being any horror comics at my LCS. I devoured most of Stephen King’s books growing up and anything monster related on film. It wasn’t until I got older that I discovered horror comics, with DC’s vertigo line and the Walking Dead. Nowadays there are a lot of really great horror comics available which is awesome to see. I have high hopes for Outcast. For me, to this day, Exorcism is still probably the scariest movie I’ve ever seen so if that book can capture even a fraction of that it’ll be scary as hell.

BE: Horror was mainly novels and film for me. There were scary ass runs in comics I liked though. I was into the Alien comics which could be pretty suspenseful. I was definitely aware of the EC horror aesthetic and loved seeing that reflected in old metal album covers. I see myself drawing from that more and more now a days.

Film for me, I was all over the board. Godzilla, Friday the 13th, Shining, Amnityville, Evil Dead etc.

DD: What was the most horrific thing that happened to you when you were working on this book?

BE: I am going to give the floor to Phil on this one.

PM: Have you ever seen a placenta up close? Its structure reminds me of something from a Lovecraft short story. It’s just the nastiest, goriest thing to look at. I got to see one again up close while we were putting the book together. That would have to be it for me.

DD: Can we expect a possible Vol. 3 or 4 from you in the future?

PM: I’m not sure if we’re going to be doing a follow up to volume 2 anytime soon. I’ve been putting these books together for the last three years. From start to finish each takes a little over a year to do. I think Brian and I are probably going to be taking a break for a little bit to focus on some personal projects and pitches. Saying that if MONSTROSITY II is a massive success I could probably be convinced to start on another volume right away!

BE: This is always the time in the process where you are just exhausted on the process. So right now, it’s pessimistic. Once the book is out though, and in our hands? Who knows, we got pretty excited this time last year and here we are today. The big thing is we would have to know we could do a better book. Looking at this one, that is hard to imagine.

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

PM: Readers can find more info on MONSTROSITY II on our kickstarter page here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/408859396/monstrosity-ii

BE: Phil and I are tireless promoters, so a twitter follow will fill your ears with this stuff.  @Brian_Evinou     @PhilMcclorey

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Monstrosity  2 and why fans  should give it a try.

PM: MONSTROSITY II is a monster lover’s dream come true. Genetic abominations, robot gladiators, alien experimentation, intergalactic STD’s and a whole lot more can be found in MONSTROSITY!

BE: Of course the horror is there, what should sell you is the talent in this book that will be scaring the shit out of you. I won’t list ‘em all here, but check out the kickstarter page. It is the best Horror Anthology of this year or any year. They are going to have to give us all of the Ghastly’s this year and every year for this thing.

DD: Thanks so much for your time.

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I recently had a chance to talk to Kurt Amacker about his new comic Dead Souls. Check it out: 

Decapitated Dan: Hey Kurt thanks for taking time to talk with me about the Dead Souls. First of all lets talk about you. Who are you and what do you do?

Kurt Amacker: I’m a comic book writer born, living, and working in New Orleans.  While I was in college, I got dumped by a girl and ended up in a pretty dark place for months after.  As a sort of “eff-you” to everyone, I decided to join the Marines.  I took a semester off and joined the Reserves.  After I graduated, my unit was slated to go Iraq.  But, I was injured in training and ended up stuck at Camp Pendleton.  While I was laid up, I decided to write a comic book script. That first script became Dead Souls. I was lucky enough to gain the public endorsements of both Alan Moore and Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth right off the bat. After writing comics for a few years, The 69 Eyes from Finland asked me to write their comic, which I did through my old publisher, Seraphemera (co-written with the publisher Marc Moorash). That book led to a job with Cradle of Filth writing their graphic novel The Curse of Venus Aversa. So, I’m a former Marine who used to be a Goth DJ, and who writes artsy black and white comic books for rock bands.

DD: How did you find yourself getting into making comics?

KA: Prior to graduating, a friend introduced me to Cradle of Filth.  I was so moved by their reverence for the darker side of history and myth, that I started reading voraciously again.  I’ve always read comics, since I was about seven and an uncle introduced me to them.  After binging on Cradle’s music for months, I had an idea of a comic about Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory as vampire vigilantes (I was young), and it wouldn’t leave my mind.  I thought that was a good cue to develop the idea further.

DD: So what can you tell me about Dead Souls. What’s it all about?

KA: The opening hook was, again, the idea of these two historical murderers alive and killing criminals in modern New Orleans. But, after discarding a few ideas I boiled it down to the idea that historical serial killers, dictators, and other unsavory types were coming back to life all around the world.  Vlad and Elizabeth are just two of them, but there are others.  They are immortal, and as far as they know, nothing can kill them.  The seed of the idea remained, though.  Vlad and Elizabeth decide to kill criminals--him, to sate his misanthropy and search for meaning; and her, to fulfill her bloodlust--but, the plan goes disastrously off the rails.  They attract the attention of the police (obviously), someone who hunts their kind, and a conspiracy of other immortals that have formed a paramilitary cult in Antarctica.

DD: Who are the main characters?

KA: Vlad and Elizabeth are the main characters, of course.  But, there are two detectives from the New Orleans Police Department--John Brite and Mark Walpole.  When our immortal killers hit the streets, they obviously attract the attention of the police, but, Michael Hartford and his men, who claim to be from the FBI also shows up to “take over the case” (you’ve seen crime shows).  However, we learn quickly that they may be from another organization entirely.  There is a cult in New Orleans seeking their help in importing child sex slaves from Vietnam, and they may tie into the paramilitary cult mentioned before.

DD: Where did this idea come from?

KA: As I said, I was listening to a lot of Cradle of Filth and reading as many legitimate history books (and not History Channel shite) about famous killers--Vlad Dracula, Elizabeth Bathory, Jack the Ripper, Gilles des Rais, H.H. Holmes, and others.  A lot of serial killer and horror culture traffics in hyperbole and legend about these figures, so I looked for solid historical texts--including the Bathory trial transcripts and contemporary writings about Dracula (which I should point out were, very often, also trumped up).

DD: What can readers expect in terms of Horror?

KA: Obviously, Dead Souls was very violent in its first incarnation. This new graphic novel, subtitled Resurrection, is even more bloody and visceral. Both Dracula and Bathory were incredibly violent and sadistic individuals. To pretend otherwise or to emphasize their better qualities--he was a Romanian patriot, and she was a willful female noble that could run with the men--ignores how terrible both of them were, even by the standards of their own time. But, Dead Souls also deals with a more philosophical horror--how man negotiates meaninglessness. For all of us, we can wonder about why we are here, whether there is a god, and the other big questions until death removes our ability to even ask. The immortals in Dead Souls don’t even have that luxury. The idea is that an endless life without answers might be even worse than one that simply ends.

DD: If you were to give this book a movie style rating (G, PG, PG-13, R,  X) what would it get, and
why would you say that?

KA: It’s so R-rated that it’s not even funny. My comics aren’t for kids. Although, I might like the challenge of writing a meaningful, interesting all-ages comic--so that’s not completely out of the question for me. But, Dead Souls is littered with violence, profanity, adult themes (vigilantism, human trafficking), and even a bit of nudity that I wouldn’t give it to a kid. Then again, everyone allows their children to play Grand Theft Auto these days. My youthful efforts to sneak The Crow graphic novel and Marilyn Manson CDs almost seem quaint by comparison.

DD: What are you hoping readers can take away from this story?

KA: I hope they leave with a deeper appreciation of historical studies. There is so much misinformation about Vlad, Elizabeth, and other historical killers. If people are interested in figures like that, I would hope they would find solid texts by historians and not just rely on the History (Histrionic?) Channel. Vlad and Elizabeth are written as close to their historical counterparts as I could, while understanding that there has to be a little room for artistic license. But, I would like readers to take away what any good story offers--insight into their own life and experiences, and a new perspective they may not have had. Dead Souls is not a hopeful book. Vlad doesn’t find faith or salvation by the end. Rather, it is about the search for meaning in the apparent absence of it. Spiritually and philosophically, how do you create something out of nothing?

DD: Were you into any horror titles growing up that lead you to want to create a book like this?

KA: As far as comics, I really loved Marvel’s horror characters. I loved reading Tomb of Dracula reprints when I was a kid and there was a really good Morbius the Living Vampire solo series that came out in the early 1990s. James O’Barr’s The Crow was also an enormous influence. And while it’s not horror, I’ve always liked the bleak, misanthropic, and cynical quality of The Punisher when it’s written well--the idea that Frank Castle is just an empty shell of a man who only has a single-minded, violent pursuit to define him. He has nothing left after surviving Vietnam and losing his family. If he didn’t kill criminals, he’d have to just kill himself. So what I’m saying is that I’m really cheerful and loads of fun at parties.

DD: What was the most horrific thing that happened to you when you were working on this book?

KA: God, besides blowing out my left knee in the Marines? I remember that I almost got into a fight with a guy at my first signing because he wouldn’t leave me alone about the Nikolai Gogol novel entitled Dead Souls. He asked me if I’d read it, I said that I hadn’t, and then he badgered me for a while before I told him to back off. I named the comic after the Joy Division song, but a few hipsters have tried to one-up me by asking me about the novel (why is it always Russian literature with people like that?). I haven’t read it, though I would like to.

DD: Can we expect more from you horror comic wise in the future?


KA: Of course. Horror is where my heart is. Oftentimes, though, I find that comics are better suited for less tangible forms of horror. It’s hard to jump out at someone on a page, or even gross them out. But, you can traffic in disturbing ideas. While a lot of my work probably won’t scare you or make you keep the lights on, it might make you ask difficult or uncomfortable questions--or see the world around you as a bleaker or more disturbing place. And visually, you have to be really creative. Everyone’s seen everything now. When we were kids in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, seeing R-rated movies or a Playboy was like finding gold. Now, you can see people being executed by firing squads or having their heads cut off by terrorists online. And obviously, porn is everywhere. You have to get really creative to disturb people now. I look to directors like David Cronenberg who invented new kinds of gore for inspiration. Or for comics, in the Swamp Thing issue Alan Moore wrote where the guy eats one of the orange tubers that he takes from ST. You can’t just show people losing limbs anymore. It’s boring, and it’s not scary.

DD: So where can readers find out more about this book?

KA: Right now, they should go to www.deadsoulskickstarter.com. We’re trying to raise the funds to move forward on this project. We were able to raise almost $43,000 for Cradle of Filth for The Curse of Venus Aversa. I’m hoping we can leverage the fans we gained from that project to support this one. Everyone can also check out my personal website www.kurtamacker.com and my publishing company’s site at www.darknotespress.com.

DD: So in summary give me a quick recap on Dead Souls and why fans should give it a try.

KA: Dead Souls is a visceral, thoughtful, historically accurate look at two figures who are usually misrepresented by the myths that have surrounded them. For traditional comics, it has criminals getting shot in the face. For independent comic fans, there are compelling character moments, philosophical exploration, and a moody noir atmosphere. For music fans, there are nods to metal and rock culture throughout the book--so much so that Dani Filth and Jyrki 69 of the 69 Eyes are both involved with the book--with Jyrki singing on an exclusive soundtrack CD by New Orleans industrial rockers Shrapnihil. It is, in many ways, a culmination of my youthful influences and experiences. And now, Douglas Freeman will be giving it the love and care that it deserves. I hope everyone checks it out.

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