The following is an interview with writer George Northy (Yuletide, EC’s Shiver SuspenStories) and Eisner Award–nominated artist Caitlin Yarsky (Dead Teenagers, Black Hammer) regarding the upcoming release of their new murder mystery series, Prometheus Graft: The Slayings at Death’s End, with Oni Press. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Northy and Yarsky about their shared creative process of bringing the story and characters to life on the page, the themes that may resonate with readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Prometheus Graft: The Slayings at Death’s End! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this project, and how would you describe the series’ overall premise?
George Northy: This book is both a classic whodunnit-style mystery and a classic monster story mashed-up into one thrilling adventure. When I first pitched the idea of Frankenstein’s Creature from the Mary Shelley novel remaking himself into an occult detective and solving a mystery at a castle filled with vampyrs, witches, werewolves and ghouls, Oni publisher and president Hunter Gorinson replied: “So…it’s a Monster Mash Murder Mystery?” That summed it up better than I ever could have! The idea came from my love of whodunnits, genre storytelling, and classic monsters. I wanted to see if I could combine these worlds, while also following all the rules established in these genres. Then I realized, The Creature (a.k.a. Prometheus) was the perfect detective for a world like this: In the original book he’s brilliant, tortured, and a living puzzle. Of course, he left that Arctic tundra at the end of the novel and decided to dedicate his life to solving mysteries (both those he happens upon and his own personal mystery of who he really is).
BD: George, how would you describe your creative process in crafting this story? It’s always thrilling to follow a murder mystery as the reader, but I would imagine that crafting the narrative and staying 3 steps ahead of your reader is quite the challenge!
GN: There was a lot of outlining, re-outlining, and ‘beat sheeting’ to work out the mystery, suspect, and clues and then reverse engineer all the clues so that they can all work together seamlessly. In my outline, I had an idea of the mystery’s basic shape and the killer’s identity, but there was a lot of refining and adjusting as I wrote out the actual scripts. I had to go back into Issue 1 and 2 many times to set up things I realized I needed to be revealed later in Issues 3 and 4.
BD: Caitlin, when tackling a project like this one, is there anything that guides or propels your approach to the artwork, and what can you share with us about your process in researching and designing the styles of the world and characters?
Caitlin Yarsky: Oh, absolutely! My taste and sources of inspiration change all the time, and when I get ready to tackle a project I like to create moodboards containing all the artists that are really exciting to me and have a cohesive style with each other. I also put together historical or thematic photos that speak to the story, color palettes that I think would be appropriate, etc. It really helps shape the look and feel as I get into character and world designs.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums – no matter the genre. How do you feel that the story might connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
CY: I love that this is a genre not utilized a lot in comics. It’s also a story that feels more interactive, allowing the reader to puzzle through and guess the outcome as they go. On top of that, there are deeper themes of identity, loss, and existentialism that people can explore with Graft, who is still trying to figure himself out after all these years.
GN: I hope the escapism and interactivity of the murder mystery provides a lot of enjoyment and a reprieve from the dark times we’re living in, while at the same time, Graft’s personal struggle of not knowing who he truly is and why he’s here is a universal question that should resonate with readers of all kinds on many levels.
BD: You have both published with Oni Press in the past. What continues to make the publisher such a vital partner in the creative process?
CY: Oni is a very open-minded and adventurous publisher. I really appreciate the versatility in the stories getting made every year, and their enthusiasm for original stories. They also work hard to share and promote their books, which helps creators a lot.
GN: Oni has been an incredible place to both launch and develop my comics career. Having worked mostly on TV and film projects, it’s been a breath of fresh air to work with a team that sees your vision, trusts you, and gets out of the way while you create it and then presents a united front in getting your book into the best shape it can be and in front of as many eyeballs as possible! Working with Oni publisher Hunter Gorinson, editor-in-chef Sierra Hahn, and our editor on this book Matt Dryer has been a dream and I’ll continue working with them for as long as they’ll have me!
BD: Are there any additional projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
CY: I’ll always plug my debut mini-series as both writer and author from Dark Horse called LIVING HELL. It’s about a demon named Jerome who has escaped Hell and lives in hiding among humans with his family, until Hell’s bounty hunters finally apprehend him. There’s also a spectacularly dumb dog named Pants.
GN: My last book with Oni and artist Rachele Aragno is YULETIDE and the collected trade is out now, just in time to be the perfect stocking stuffer! It’s a dark fantasy that I’ve always described as ‘HOCUS POCUS meets NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.’ In it, a bunch of kids unleash a group of legendary Yuletide monsters (all based on real legends) upon their town and have 24 hours to stop them before Christmas is lost to darkness forever. If that sounds up your alley (but you prefer your Christmas horror more adult and twisted), I also recommend you check out Oni & EC Comics’ SHIVER SUSPENSTORIES 1 and 2. I have a story in both analogies and the first is illustrated by Caitlin, which is how we met and started collaborating.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Prometheus Graft: The Slayings at Death’s End and your other work?
CY: Preorder by 11/02/26 for your copy, out in December! And if you like my art feel free to follow me on BlueSky and IG under my full name (and I sometimes post Prometheus Graft process stuff).
GN: I second Caitlin’s preorder call to action! While you’re at it, why not just throw all four issues onto your pulllist? You’ll want to see how it all shakes out, trust me. You can find me on pretty much all the socials, just by searching my name.
