The following is an interview with Bruce Zick regarding the upcoming release of the 4-issue mini-series, Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time, in collaboration with Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Zick (in advance of the September 15th Final Order Cutoff date for the first issue) about the shared creative process of working with Mignola to bring the story and characters to life on the page, more upcoming projects that he has in the works, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time! What can you share with us about this time-traveling adventure set within the Hellboy Universe?
Bruce Zick: Captain Henry is a Victorian-era soldier of fortune who is first thrust into a parallel world ghostrealm, then further plunged into another dimension where 1,000 years of time travelers have been trapped in an eternal graveyard. And then it gets crazy! We’ve got monsters, more ghosts, demons, and a colossal castle fortress where the King of Time lives. And then it gets crazier and crazier, with twists and turns and a surprise ending. And all of this is sprinkled with characters from the Hellboy Mythos.
BD: Your career has spanned various entertainment mediums – from animation to the sequential art medium – all while creating incredible, new worlds for audiences and readers to enjoy. When tackling a project like Captain Henry, is there anything that guides or propels your approach to crafting a new world (or dimension)?
BZ: The first thing I think about is doing something new that I and the audience haven’t seen before, and that’s a lot of pressure. It can’t be random, it needs to be just right for this story, and somewhere in all of this, I want the book to feel like it belongs to the Mignola-Verse. While it is all very weird and wild, I do want it to feel believable, somehow, so that the reader can be immersed deeply into the story. Not too logical and not too magical, but still solid, full of nuts and bolts and rivets that we can relate to but also shapes and forms that are really way out there.
BD: Likewise, what can you tell us about your shared creative process in working with Mike Mignola to bring life to new in-universe characters while being inclusive of those who have come before?
BZ: At first we just kicked some ideas around, but Mike really had a story he wanted to tell, and once he described it, I was sold immediately. I did a first round of sketches of characters and settings, some successful and some not, but soon it all started to take shape with Mike’s input and he then went forward to outline the plot for all four books. That freed me up to keep sketching and I got into a rhythm eventually. In the beginning I was always thinking about how Mike might do this or that, and I had to build up the confidence to do what I normally do and not worry about it. Once Mike’s plot was completed, I was ready to script all four books. I really like the combination of all new concepts and characters balanced by the familiarity and love for other characters in the Hellboy Universe.
BD: Are there any additional projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
BZ: I appreciate that question. I’m really proud of my last Dark Horse book, Primordial–which sold out, and I am dying to get another Zone Continuum book launched. Of all the books I’ve done, The Zone Continuum was my first and it remains my fave to this day. I was recently Production Designer on I am Frankelda, a stop-motion animated picture from Cinema Fantasma that is winning awards left and right at film festivals. I can’t wait for it to get distributed in our marketplace.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time and your other work?
BZ: There have been numerous announcements about the book in the last few months, and in a few weeks there will be a big round of podcasts and interviews. Then in early October, there will be art previews and media reviews which will be exciting since right now the only art that has been released are the first two book covers. Your question makes me think about the idea of a website somewhere where there could be a deeper dive into the background of the story. Maybe Dark Horse might be interested in that. Everything I’ve ever done is all previewed at my website: www.pigdogproductions.com. Thanks for the opportunity to talk about all of this!!
