JOSHUA VIOLA ISSUE 1 STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES YOU DEVELOPED IN REAL-TIME? SGJ: Developed in real-time, just figuring it out as the story opened up page by page. It’s always a mystery and a discovery, for me. But, we did know that, this time out, the story had to move ahead differently than the first, while still staying true to the slasher conventions. That was tricky, for sure, but “tricky” is where the fun is. JV: It was pretty spontaneous, especially with Stephen’s writing style. He’s the kind of writer who thrives on the unexpected. It’s really the exhilarating part of the process, leading to surprising and fun outcomes. While we had a rough plan for the second issue, the actual creation was very organic and fluid. THE NEW ISSUE IS NO DOUBT COHESIVE WITH THE FIRST BUT THERE’S CLEARLY SOME NEW DESIGN ELEMENTS PRESENT. DESCRIBE THE ARTISTIC PROCESS THIS GO-AROUND WITH ARTIST BEN MATSUYA AND LETTERER JEREMIAH LAMBERT AND HOW YOU ALL EXECUTED YOUR VISION TOGETHER. SGJ: Scripting for Ben is different than I’ve scripted for other artists. With Ben, I don’t panel-by-panel the story, but page-by-page it. It’s really opened my eyes to how to get a comic done as best it can get done. And, Jeremiah’s endlessly patient with all the little adjustments and fixes. But, each balloon floats where and how it should, so the reader can flow through them. JV: Issue 1 introduced some experimental elements. For instance, in the latter half of the issue, we explore two simultaneous stories: one unfolding in real-time, while the other takes place within the character’s mind as he tries to recreate his favorite movie, leading to disastrous outcomes. With this latest issue, we experimented with different storytelling techniques. It begins at a specific moment and then backtracks to the events leading up to the opening scenes. We also ensured that the cameo appearances played more integral roles in the story, requiring close collaboration to maintain coherence throughout. Thanks to our fantastic team effort, I believe we’ve achieved just that. ISSUE 1 CENTERS AROUND KILLR™ FANATICS AND SELF-DUBBED “TRUE BELIEVERS” KIT AND RIP. WHAT WAS YOUR INSPO FOR ISSUE 2’S NEW CAST — TROUBLED LONER TEEN KK, CONVENTION CRASHERS DANE AND TRESS, AND CONNIVING COLLEGE QUARTET GRACE, THOMAS, MEL AND E? SGJ: Those four, Grace and Thomas and Mel and E, just showed up completely randomly. Dane and Tress were more obvious necessities — gotta have the young couple getting it, to start things off. As for KK, she kept surprising me. JV: As Stephen sort of touched on, we aimed to incorporate certain tropes typical of a slasher narrative by assigning specific roles, but true to our style, we infused our own unique style into the characters and storyline. Hopefully there are some unexpected surprises for readers.
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