The following is an interview with writer Michael W. Conrad (Wonder Woman, Double Walker) and artist Dave Chisholm (Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound) regarding the upcoming release of their horror comic book series, Plague House, with Oni Press. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Conrad and Chisholm about their shared creative process in bringing the haunted house story and characters to life on the page, the creative forces that influenced their vision for the project, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Plague House! For our readers who may be unfamiliar with the story, how would you describe its premise?
Michael W. Conrad: Plague House is an exploration of the nature of haunted locations, ghosts, and what’s at the core of such horrors. In the process of this examination, we discover something dreadful, and perhaps in this we can better see something that is broken within ourselves… I always prefer to go into things without too much information; I skip trailers and try to avoid reviews prior to seeing a film or reading something. As such, I’m gonna remain a little cryptic here. Plague House is certainly horror, but we hope to cast a wide enough net to grab some folks who just want to read a cool comic, with a philosophy that is rarely seen in this genre.
Dave Chisholm: I’ll follow suit and not say too much. This is a small-batch comic made by two people—and a small editorial team—who are hell-bent on making the very, very best work every time. Whether we’re making a horror book or a cookbook, or a horror cookbook, Michael and I are going to make something excellent that will sit with readers for a long time. It’ll be worth buying, worth reading, and worth telling your friends about it. Yes, it’s a horror comic, but it’s just a really well-made story.
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 Orin’s story may connect with and impact today’s readers?
MWC: Orin is a family annihilator. Everyone indulges in true crime these days, and we all have types that fascinate us most—for me, Orin and those like him are just that. Cases where seemingly normal people snap disturb me far more than those who commit terrible acts as a result of pathology. For me the thought that someone I know can just flip a switch and do heinous stuff is really troubling, maybe because I count myself among those “normal” folks. Orin is exactly the kind of person who would generate a ghost, if we’re to go by the standard understanding of haunted spaces, so that makes him the perfect introduction to a story that will subvert those expectations.
BD: Dave, your artistic style naturally exudes deep ambience and mood. When tackling a project like Plague House, is there anything that guides or propels your approach to the artwork?
DC: First and foremost, I want to make decisions that bring out the qualities of Michael’s script. This cascades through every aspect of the process: It decides how much ink I put on the board, it decides how color will serve the narrative, panel composition, character design, and so on. I will also say that, to prep, I read A TON of Alex Toth. Panel and page composition and design are of the utmost importance. Within comics, a genre like horror, a story like this–leads to an internal debate around that cartoony-vs.-realism debate. I want the gnarly moments to be really visceral, but I also want the characters to be plastic enough to allow for proper cartooning, so it creates a pretty narrow path stylistically.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in not only bringing this haunted house story to life on the page, but in crafting a visual narrative that mines the depths of depravity – for the living and undead?
MWC: I see a lot of beauty in being able to imagine and reflect the things that scare us on the page. Realistically speaking, comics is a really hard medium for that, and working with someone else to capture these frights is a real trust fall. Thankfully, I suspect that Dave and I have similar fears, we respect the shadows, and even more so we respect the readers to fill in the blanks. Dave has an amazing ability to convey unspoken emotion, which allows me as a writer to not have to say too much, which is a real drag when you’re in the moment. I’ve never in a moment of terror spoken my fears aloud; if Dave wasn’t such a talent certain moments would be damaged by the need to explain. I get a real thrill out of writing terrible things for Dave to draw; he’s even texted me on the late night so we could share a laugh at the absurdly violent things he has had to spend time with. I’d hate to have his search history on my computer.
DC: LOL at my search history—honestly, it’s all just from my imagination! Which makes it worse, I think?! Is it inappropriate for me to say…that, given the state of everything right now, some of these, uh…very dark moments…have been…satisfying…to draw? Oh no! Joking aside, the process has been smooth and easy. Sometimes, I ask for more info from Michael and he gives it, otherwise, he drops the supplies off in the kitchen and lets me cook.
BD: What makes Oni Press the perfect home for this series?
MWC: Oni is a great home for dreamers, as their whole brand is less about genre than it is about quality. I love that this follows the rebirth of EC, because now people know that Oni is certainly a home for intelligent horror. That bit aside, I love knowing that this may live on bookshelves beside Scott Pilgrim and Rick and Morty. I’m happy to be the oddball cousin who threatens to screw up the family portrait.
DC: I am beyond hyped to have my work in an Oni book and am so grateful to Michael and Bess for tapping me for this project!
BD: Are there any additional projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MWC: I have a load of creator-owned stuff on the shelves right now, as well as a bunch of comics that exist in the mainstream superhero realm. I hope people check them out. I think I always endeavor to bring something new to everything I touch. I always have something else cooking, so if you wanna keep up, you can follow me on social media: @michaelwconrad on most of ‘em.
DC: The collected edition of Spectrum, published by Mad Cave, written by Rick Quinn and drawn by me, is hitting shops in July! I’m so pumped – it’s a beautiful series.
