Posted in: Comics | Tagged: dark horse comics, death head, entertainment, Nick Keller, Zach Keller

Pursued By Death Head – Zach And Nick Keller Talk Horror, Emotion, And Mythology, Plus Preview

Published Wed, 29 Jul 2015 16:00:53 -0500

Zack and Nick Keller have written a horror comic for Dark Horse, drawn by Joanna Estep with colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick, which is quite distinctive among scary comics for being a little more edgy than you might expect, keeping your assumptions in check, and pursuing something you see more often in horror films than horror comics: the relentless pursuit of a death-dealing creature following a set of characters.

If that seems like the plot of most slasher films, you're right, though the reason slasher films are so popular is because within that framework, there are often very artful explorations of variations in storytelling. Creating tension in comics has its own rules, developing relatable comic characters has its own needs, and the Kellers have even chosen to incorporate supernatural elements into their story Death Head to create a world to suit the story as well. But deep down, they've preserved that extreme sense of apprehension created when an unknown being pursues a set of protagonists bent on their destruction.

I talk with Zach and Nick today about their conception of Death Head, what some of their goals are, how Joanna Estep and Kelly Fitzpatrick's artwork brings it all to life, and how much of writing horror is personal for them.

Hannah Means-Shannon: There are definite traditions in horror of having an isolated villain/monster living in a remote location who has humanoid appearance and is chanced upon by unlucky people. Going all the way back to Beowulf/Grendel and beyond no doubt. Why do you think those elements make for a compelling horror story still?

Zack Keller: For me, the most unsettling notion is being out in the middle of nowhere and finding something that just shouldn't be there. That's exactly what happened to my brother Nick and I years ago when we were hiking in the Oakland hills. Deep in the redwoods, we stumbled upon a dilapidated clubhouse shrouded in ferns and fog. The building was entirely covered in graffiti and looked ready to collapse on us at any moment. It raised a lot of questions like "what was this place?" and "why was it abandoned?" and "is anyone still here?" As you'll see in Issue #1, Niles and Justine Burton ask the same questions when they should have just turned and run.

Nick Keller: For our characters, the scariest thing for them at the end of issue #1 is the fact that they don't know that the Plague Doctor saw them leave. Now the audience is thinking: "Uh oh…this guy is angry and he's coming after them." That sets the stage for the series because our character might not even know this guy saw them leave his village. That opens up many scary possibilities for how this villain might come after the family.

HMS: How did you all come up with the appearance of the Death Head creature? What are you going for and hoping to convey in the appearance of the mask?

Nick: We used a Plague Doctor, which is an actual figure from the 1600s, because we hadn't seen them as a horror villain before. The mask is creepy on its own and we knew it'd be perfect for a comic book. Historically, Plague Doctors visited towns infected by the Black Death and they believed their masks prevented them from breathing infected air. We wanted to incorporate these historical uses of the mask while making the Plague Doctor a villain. In our story, we're hoping to convey a sense of dread. The Doctor represents Death, which is terrible for our main characters because he's hunting them down.

Zack: These plague doctors were trying to do good, but since no one knew what was causing the bubonic plague, the majority of infected people died and these "doctors" were seen as harbingers of death. We found this duality of the plague doctors so fascinating that we had to take our own stab at fleshing out their lore.

HMS: Several characters are introduced in the first issue. Is that going to be a continuing trait, pursuing different time-lines and experiences?

Zack: Our story follows the Burton family—Niles, Justine, Maggie, and Bee—along four different narratives that are connected to this plague doctor. At first, their stories appear disparate, but issue by issue we start revealing how they're all interwoven.

Nick: People have told us after reading Issue #1 that they have a favorite storyline. We like that different readers can grab onto any of these characters as their favorite but also enjoy the story as a whole. Hopefully the reader can relate to one character in the family that really speaks to them.

HMS: Supernatural things seem to happen in this comic, making it not simply a kind of slasher tale. How do you all strategize to make the supernatural effective and scary in a story?

Nick: From the beginning, it was important to us to make a horror story that blended fantastical elements. Rosie, the ghost who's introduced in Issue #1, is the first hint that the Burton family is encountering more than just a brutal killer wearing a mask. While she might be supernatural, Rosie is very much grounded as a fully fleshed out character. As the issues roll on, you'll see more fantastical elements introduced into this world.

Zack: Death and the afterlife inherently lends itself to supernatural qualities. What happens after we die? Are there ghosts? Is there another realm of existence? Can you commune with the dead? The only way to tell an honest and entertaining story about a family confronted by this mythic killer was to head in a supernatural direction. We are definitely delving into horror tropes, but we thought that fantasy added a whole new dimension to the kind of story we wanted to tell. This allowed us to create a unique mythology for our plague doctors that we think readers are really going to love.

HMS: The art style on the book is both realistic and pulpy to me, like the 70's in a way, but there's a great deal of emotion conveyed in facial expressions. How do you think the art style works to convey the story?

Zack: You said it exactly right. We hired Joanna Estep, our incredibly talented illustrator, because of her realistic expressions, strong poses, and attention to detail. Her pages have amazing staging and dimensionality so you always know what is going on. To us, clarity is king because if you can't tell what a character is feeling or thinking or doing, you can't connect with the story. Thankfully, Joanna, our colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, our cover artist EM Gist, and our editor Jim Gibbons, are all top-tier talent who have brought our words to life better than we ever could have dreamed. We're all horror fans and that love of the genre spills onto every single page.

Nick: Joanna's style, combined with Kelly's colors, bring a youthful emotion to Death Head. Underneath it all, however, it's a horror story. I love that their work often has bright, expressive colors but the tone can be very grim. We wanted a realistic color palette for the story and Kelly uses this textured look that's perfect for the book. And, like you mentioned, emotion is the number #1 factor for me in comics and Joanna draws perfect expressions.

HMS: You all mention in the notes at the end of the first issue that writing stories like these helps to stop you from being scared yourselves, and you even show pictures of scary real-world locations that have influenced the story. How personal are your motivations in writing this comic? How much of your "real world" are we going to see?

Nick: To me, the most interesting aspect of Death Head is not the Plague Doctor, but rather how the Burton family chooses to react when they they encounter his wrath. Most of the fears our characters deal with in this comic aren't directly related to the Plague Doctor. They're all dealing with problems before he even shows up and that's how we kept this story grounded and relatable.

Zack: We've been inspired by places from our childhood that creeped us out back then and keep popping up in our nightmares to this day. Certain locations just feel haunted so we wanted to explore the mystery of why that is. Stories are an amalgamation of our lives to a certain degree. I agree with what F. Scott Fitzgerald said about writing a story: "To write it, it took three months; to conceive it three minutes; to collect the data in it all my life." Hopefully talking about our fears will help us scare them away. Sorry if we give you any of our nightmares.

You can find Death Head Issue #1 "Unmasked" at your local comic book store and check us out at www.deathheadcomic.com. Thanks!