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Your upcoming graphic novel The Darkest Shade - in a few
words, what is it about? The Darkest Shade is about
a mother and father who lose their nine-year-old daughter to a mysterious
respiratory illness but, as they slide further into their grief and
further apart from each other, it becomes apparent that something ominous
and supernatural may in fact have been the cause of death. What were your sources of
inspiration when writing The Darkest Shade, and is any of it based
on personal experiences? In some ways, The Darkest Shade
is about as close to an autobiography as I’ve ever written. The
protagonists, Sam and Jade, are very heavily based on my perception on my
parents having lost one of my siblings in a tragic accident. Although she
(my sister) was much younger when she passed away. And the event tore my
family apart while I was too young to really understand what was going on.
It’s been a lifelong trauma for me, despite being able to wake up in the
morning and go on with my life. The supernatural aspects of the story,
however, are influenced by many outside sources (such as monster movies
and ghost stories, survival horror videos, classic film noir, Jungian and
Freudian psychoanalytic theories, and creepypasta). But these are all
things that have, in one way or another, impacted greatly on my life at
some point. They’ve possibly even been a coping mechanism at certain
stages. What can you tell us about your
co-writer Lucas Keim, and what was your collaboration like? I
consider Lucas Keim to be family, a brother of sorts. We don’t always
see eye-to-eye on everything and, as a result, we debate the validity of
ideas or the approach I want to take with The Darkest Shade. But it’s
not all arguments. Mostly, we agree on things. It’s just the odd
argument we’ve had and it’s always based on a mutual respect. Never is
it ever heated. And he makes some excellent points. Sometimes I don’t
take them on board because I’m much closer to the material than he is.
But having him challenge me forces me to aim for the best and - I hope - achieve a better result.
The
Darkest Shade is actually based on a past screenplay you wrote with
Kim Sheil - so how close are the screenplay and the graphic novel related,
and what made you decide to switch media? Cost was
definitely a huge contributing factor. Kim Sheil and I originally set out
to make a feature film but, as we got through each draft, it became very
clear to us how expensive this endeavor would be. I mean, visual FX aren’t cheap. But I’ve tried to stay as close to the original
screenplay as possible, given that some things don’t translate properly
from one medium to the other. And I’ve sent the updates to Kim as often
as possible so that he’s still kept in the loop. I have nothing but
respect and brotherly love for Kim as a person and as a creative. The main
difference I would say that the graphic novel has over the screenplay is
that it’s allowed me to further develop the characters and their
personal dynamics. But, essentially, the story arc itself is very close. What can you
tell us about The Darkest Shade approach to horror? Because
it grapples with the very real vulnerabilities of everyday parents, I
chose to tackle The Darkest Shade in a Lovecraftian horror way. Where the
people are but a small blip in an infinite cosmos that is both wondrous
and terrifying. But it keeps close to the protagonists and their
underlying grief, making it vastly more human, instead of featuring
tentacled otherworldly monsters. There are creatures in The Darkest
Shade,
of course. But they belong to the ecosystem of another dimension - The
Shadow Realm - that Sam (the father) and Jade (the mother) venture into
while trying to cope with their downward spiral. Do
talk about the team of artists behind The Darkest Shade, and why
exactly these people? And do talk about your collaboration with them for a
bit!
I work with a skeleton crew, which is very different
to how I normally would work on one of my films. The Darkest Shade is
drawn and inked by the phenomenally talented artist, Riccardo Faccini. He
seems to intrinsically understand what I want, at least most of the time.
But he’s also very open to changing things on my behalf. I’m a bit
pedantic about how I want everything to look so I’m always sending
reference pictures and little notes. All of which he takes into
consideration and always delivers a better result than I’ve provided him
with in the end.
Then there’s my absolutely amazing colorist, Kimberly
Brum, who takes Riccardo’s work to a whole new level of genius. Every
time I get a new colored page back is like Christmas. And I peruse them
like a happy child who has just opened the present I’ve been asking
Santa for all year.
The lettering is done by M. Scott Russell who, again, takes
on board all of my notes and delivers a better result than I could’ve
hoped for. Sometimes changes need to be made but The Darkest Shade is
always better for them.
Then, rounding out the team, is our guest cover
artist Erwin J. Arroza and… I mean, just look at the incredible cover
artwork he’s provided us with. I’m graced with being the little guy in
such an awesome team. And the best part of it all is nobody has an ego.
We’re all family trying to make something we’re all proud of. So how does overseeing the creation of a graphic
novel compare to directing a movie, and how did your experience of doing
one transfer to the other? And which do you prefer, actually? To
be completely honest, there really isn’t that much of a difference
between being a comic creator and directing a film. They’re both so
collaborative and you have to choose the team according to who will be the
best fit. With Free Fall Comics (of which Lucas Keim is the co-founder),
we’ve found the right people and their work complements each other’s
artistic skills. But developing a graphic novel allows for greater control
over creation for a much smaller budget. If I was to do The Darkest Shade
as a live action feature film, it’d cost millions to make and maybe not
look as good with the end product. Whereas, with comics, I can come up
with the wildest and strangest things imaginable and a page will only ever
cost what I’ve agreed to pay the artists. Neither art form is
particularly cheap. But you can do more with limited funds when developing
a comic.
The
$64-question of course, when and where will The Darkest Shade be
released?
Well, we’re generating buzz for it at the
moment with a Kickstarter campaign for the cost of printing. But the first
of five graphic novels will be available for purchase mid next year. And
the good team at Free Fall Comics will keep everyone updated as to exactly
when. But, for those who are interested, you can visit this link and
submit your name for information as it gets closer - for free (we’re
not asking for any money just yet - only when The Darkest Shade is released):
www.kickstarter.com/projects/freefallcomics/the-darkest-shade-book-1
Any future projects beyond the completion of The
Darkest Shade you'd like to share? I’m actually
treating The Darkest Shade as somewhat of a franchise. The graphic novel
is only the beginning. I’ve begun negotiations in regards to a possible
toyline (hand-crafted and painted miniatures, plushies, even
fully-poseable action figures) sort of like how Todd MacFarlane
collaborated with Clive Barker for the Tortured Souls line. And a couple
animated shorts that tie-in to the overall world I’ve created with The
Darkest Shade. Besides that, I’m also working on a couple small live
action short films next year with an upcoming actress that stole my heart
when we first met. One of the projects is a dark comedy short about two
teens who go to the drive-in to watch a zombie movie only to wind up in
one. And the other is very hush hush at the moment because it’s being
developed with a dear friend who is also a Producers Guild of America
(PGA) member. More news on that as it unfolds.
Thanks for the interview!
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