The following is an interview with Blake McCarthy regarding the release of the comic book series, Territory. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with McCarthy about the creative process of bringing the world and characters to life, the currently running Kickstarter campaign for Issue #2, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent release of Territory! For those who may be unfamiliar, how would you describe the series’ premise, and what inspired you to tell this story?:
Blake McCarthy: In a far distant Pacific Northwest, long after the world was ravaged by nuclear war, humans are no longer the dominant species. Giant beasts called Behemoths roam the Earth and the remaining humans survive in tribes, worshiping the Behemoths as gods. Alkia and her tribe worship the Greathorn, a massive bear-like creature with great antlers that rules the forests around them. Her devotion is tested by both the people and world around her, as she learns the world is full of monsters, both giant and otherwise.
I was inspired to tell this story because I have always loved kaiju media, starting with Godzilla at a young age. That being said, I wanted to try to make a different kind of kaiju story, and the “God” part of Godzilla always intrigued me because his presence always inspired not just fear but awe. Having these living gods on earth, and how people would react to them, how religions would form around them and what that would mean seemed like an interesting idea. It also allowed me to look at how people can use and manipulate faith for their own purposes. The story is really about Alkia’s journey from being a devout follower whose whole life is based around the only belief she grew up with and was taught, to how she learns and grows as new experiences and changes challenge that belief.
BD: What can you tell us about your shared creative process in bringing this story to life?
BM: This is my first ever comic, so it has been an incredible learning experience. I have had the basic idea for Territory in my head for years but was never sure how to actually tell it. A few years ago I started practicing writing short comic book scripts to try to get an idea how it worked, and when I got comfortable with that I decided to jump into Territory. Mapping out such a large project was difficult, but I have mapped out and written the initial draft at least for all six issues. Each issue I mapped out beforehand with a brief description of each page to get a big picture feel of flow and pacing. Bringing the script to life was a whole other new experience and I feel very lucky to have found my creative team of Chris Sassman for art, Ichsan Ansori for colors, Marco Della Verde for letters and, joining us starting with issue 2, Nicole D’Andira as an editor. Working with a team of other creatives has taught me the value of seeing an idea through multiple sets of eyes, as they have shown me new ways of approaching a panel or story point multiple times that I feel has really helped the book feel like a comprehensive whole.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Alkia’s story will connect with and impact readers, and why do you feel that this story was important for you to bring to life?
BM: I feel like Alkia’s story will really connect with anyone who was raised to more or less believe in only one thing and not to question it. I don’t mean this book to be an attack on any one religion or even religion as a whole, but the thought suppression that can go along with always “trusting god” or other similar answers is very scary to me. I feel like it is important to encourage others to question things around them and think critically about them and come to their own conclusions. It was a very rewarding experience seeing Alkia grow and her view on things change as I wrote her, and I think people who have had similar experiences in their own lives will feel rewarded as well.
BD: How many issues do you have planned for this first story arc?
BM: Territory will be a six-issue mini series, which I’ve already written all 6 drafts for. The story ends conclusively, so I don’t expect it to go beyond that.
BD: In light of your success in Kickstarting the first issue, will you be returning to the crowdfunding platform for Issue #2?
BM: Yes! Issue 2 is currently on Kickstarter until November 24! Kickstarter is an amazing platform, and we’ve tried to grow the campaign based on feedback we got from the first issue so we’ve expanded our reward tiers quite a bit!
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
BM: Right now my goal is to get all 6 issues of Territory made and hopefully put them all out in a trade at the end. I have an idea for my next series but am holding off until I feel everything is ready with Territory.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
BM: I am active on both Instagram (@bmccomics) and Twitter (@bmccomics) and am planning on self-publishing all issues of Territory through Kickstarter.
