The following is an interview with Joshua Gamon regarding the upcoming release of the fantasy graphic novel, Evermore: Sleepy Hollow, through Markosia Enterprises. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Gamon about his shared creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page, what he hopes that readers may take away from the story, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Evermore: Sleepy Hollow! For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you tell us about the premise of this story?
Joshua Gamon: Thank you! I’m incredibly excited to share my story with your readers. A father, Fredrick Fellowes, ventures within the cursed book of Evermore to rescue his daughter, Abigail. More Heart of Darkness than The NeverEnding Story, this 172-page fantasy is a homage to the black-and-white Warren horror magazines of the 1960s and 1970s and features an expansive cast of literary characters and monsters that fans of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Bill Willingham’s Fables would enjoy.
In the first volume, I took readers on a fantastical journey through a different kind of Wonderland. In volume two, Doctor Fredrick Fellowes, his daughter Abigail, and their samurai companion Kiku believe they have finally found a safe refuge in the human city of Sleepy Hollow, ruled by the seemingly benevolent Ichabod Crane. But when a peaceful summit between the governor’s son, Jack, and the sun giants of the Cloud Kingdom ends in bloodshed, the companions are swept into their nightmarish conflict with no end in sight. As shadows of the past resurface, the enigmatic thief Arsène Lupin sets his deadly plan in motion, plunging the fractured city further into chaos. In this harrowing tale of revenge, the boundaries blur between friend and foe, lives hang by a thread, and the horrors of the Cloud Kingdom come crashing down. No one is safe—no one will escape.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in bringing this story and its characters to life on the page alongside artist Aleksandar Bozic?
JG: Aleksander did a wonderful job with the first two volumes of Evermore. In mainstream comics like DC and Marvel, where meeting tight deadlines is part of the business, some writers may often leave many panel details up to the artist. It could be as anemic as: “Batman stands on a rooftop at night.” Yet, the artist might surprise you with a sprawling cityscape of the entirety of Gotham with zeppelins patrolling the skyline.
Since my team works without deadlines, my panel descriptions are extremely thorough. I subscribe to the philosophy that if it’s not in the script, you don’t see it on the page. I insist that everything written needs to make it onto the page– not to be difficult, but because each element serves the story in some way. A detail may not be immediate on page ten, but it will connect to something later in the final act.
Alexsandar not only met my approach but went beyond, still finding ways to include little details I hadn’t considered that enriched those scenes. His real talent comes in humanizing the characters through expression and body language. After discovering that in volume one, I wrote Sleepy Hollow as something much more dramatic, visually.
But the actual creative process was straightforward: Aleksandar would send over sketches of the page layouts for approval. I’d occasionally request a few minor adjustments, and then he’d finalize the art. When creating comics, the final product will never be a 1:1 translation from your mind’s eye to the page. But the majority of Evermore has been rather close.
BD: This marks the second volume of the Evermore series. Do you foresee expanding the story into subsequent story arcs, if given the opportunity?
JG: Absolutely. It is a finite series, originally planned as a three-volume saga. The neat thing is, for me, at least, is that the genre changed with each one. Volume one was a fantasy. Sleepy Hollow is a horror story. Volume three will either be a war story or a Western. Regarding the final arc, I can’t say too much, simply because I have yet to write it. The ending is locked, but the cast has yet to be finalized. There’s the Hood Army in the Black Forest, run by Red Riding Hood’s grandmother and Robin Hood, who have been ready to take the stage as far back as volume one. They’ll play a large part, but it all comes down to the Fellowes’ quest to return home to London. But I might next write a one-shot bridging the events between volumes two and three.
BD: What makes Markosia the perfect home for the series of graphic novels?
JG: I have always had a lifelong love for Great Britain. I visit often. I was educated at the University of Edinburgh. So, when it came to being published, I only wanted a British-based publisher. Based in London, Markosia Enterprises was an optimal choice. They don’t deal with the Direct Market. Their distributor places my books in nearly every major online retailer, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Walmart, etc. They provide a wonderful opportunity. And there was never a deadline hovering over our heads while making Evermore. There wasn’t an editor asking us to compromise for greater market appeal. Evermore was made by just three people. I think that’s pretty cool.
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 Fredrick’s story may impact readers, and are there any conversations that you hope that it might inspire?
JG: Fredrick is a doctor during the height of the Spanish Flu in London. He is a man crippled by grief after the loss of his wife. Abigail is the only thing left in his life, and when we first meet him, he is consumed by protecting his daughter by any means, locking her away from the world. He must keep her from the sickness he has. His heart is in the right place, but he has grown overbearing and overprotective. A rift forms between them. Abigail grows angry when he chooses his patients over her. She’s too young to understand the hell awaiting outside her house. Work is the only thing distracting him from the grief. When Fredrick tries to appease his daughter with a gift on Christmas, the cursed book of Evermore snatches her away. This is the crux of the story: a father and a daughter working to set things right in a world where everything is wrong.
These characters are imprisoned. Some of it is literal: being trapped in a book or a room. Some of it is the hell we make for ourselves. Others, it’s the hell others force us into. What will good people sacrifice for freedom?
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
JG: Sure! Evermore: Volume One is now available for purchase at major online retailers. And Evermore: Sleepy Hollow comes out on May 23, 2025. Pre-orders for the print edition and digital version are now live at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with more to come.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Evermore: Sleepy Hollow?
JG: My website, https://www.joshuagamon.com, is the best place to learn all about the series. Plus, there is a 10-page preview from Evermore: Sleepy Hollow for your consideration.
