Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: avatar, Comics, david lapham, ferals

Talking To David Lapham About Ferals, His New Avatar Comic

David Lapham and Gabriel Andrade have a new series from Avatar out in January 2012. As you can tell it's about werewoves – except it's not quite. More like in the manner that Crossed is not a zombie book… Keith Davidsen talked to David Lapham about the book for Bleeding Cool.

With the success of CROSSED PSYCHOPATH and CALIGULA, how does FERALS fit into the dark storytelling you've build a legacy upon at Avatar?

Well, it's a horror book.  Plenty of dark twisted tales.  The real trick is to not just make Crossed with fur.  This book has a totally different story feel.  It's ongoing and we're following certain characters that we'll come to know and see evolve through the series.  Don't worry, it's plenty dark and twisted, but instead of tales of the dark side of human nature where the Crossed are more a force of nature than actual characters, this is about a new type of being that exists in our world, The Ferals, and they are real and do have their own culture, their own thoughts, history and plans….

What are two things every comics fan should know about David Lapham?

That I've never killed anybody, and I'm smart enough to deny everything.  A third thing is that I can fly.

FERALS is being called "supernatural crime horror" by reviewers.  Are there any comparisons to your award winning series, STRAY BULLETS?

Well, first off, STRAY BULLETS was the purest form of me, so everything I do has elements of STRAY BULLETS because STRAY BULLETS is what I do.  But yes, there's more of a noir sense in this and a cast of characters that extend from a small town domestic setting.  It starts with small town people with their own little Peyton Place dynamic and a small town cop named Dale Chesnutt, who's a charmer and a womanizer and a screw-up, and he suddenly IS hit by the Stray Bullets and finds himself in a whole new world.

It seems like the story for FERALS is built upon a strong and dynamic character-driven drama.  Will we be following the cast for multiple story arcs as they develop in this new world?

The Dale Chesnutt character is probably the main character, and he'll be central at least for a while.  I reserve the right to kill anybody at anytime—and deny all responsibility.  But right now I'm liking Dale.  Other characters will add in around him and we'll follow their stories as well.  There's nobody that's safe, though.  Plenty of people we'd like to follow will unfortunately meet a bad and bloody end .

The Ferals aren't exactly "werewolves" – what can you tell us about these creatures and how they differ from classic lycanthropes?

Without revealing too much, this isn't a take on the mystical werewolf, full moon and all that.  This is about a different kind of person.  There are different forms to them but they don't change back and forth like the Hulk.  A person who is feral could be your neighbor and you wouldn't know it.  He doesn't change when he's pissed or when the moon is full.   The basic form starts with the idea of Alpha male on crack.  There are several other tricks up a Feral's sleeve, and we'll see that and some other more altered forms of the Feral condition, but we'll save that for the comics.  The classic werewolf is about a monster.  A monster story.  This is a drama and a noir where the Ferals are a very real thing.

Do the Ferals represent the animal nature of man and are you telling a deeper story about the violent tendencies in the human race?

No.  They're who they are.  Their nature is their own and a byproduct of their tradition and condition.  They don't represent regular human beings.  They might, however, be telling a deeper story of what happens when you stick your nose into other people's business.  This is about live and let live…or die horribly.

If you could speak directly to the fans and comic book retailers, what would you tell them about FERALS and why they should join in for the ride?

If you were longing for an HBO series about werewolves, forget that and buy FERALS.  It's everything that TV show would be if it existed — which it doesn't — and more, because we have no rules.  This is a solid series full of true horror and violence, and built on strong characters that has no limits in terms of where we take it.  No limits.  Plus Gabriel Andrade's art, besides beautiful, is immersive.  This guy was built for an ongoing and this series will suck you in.

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