The following is an interview with writer Jordan Thomas and artist Chris Matthews regarding the upcoming release of Exorcism Island #2 through Comixology Originals. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Thomas and Matthews about their shared creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Exorcism Island #2! What can you tell us about the series’ overall premise?
Chris Matthews: Thanks very much!
It’s a great dive into the world of a handful of priests that have been thrust into a pretty dire situation. Jordan does a great job of slowly building the story while throwing in some quite horrible moments.
Jordan Thomas: The titular island is a place owned by the Vatican in the Caribbean, where they keep the most severe, long-term demonic possession cases. Along with the unholy inhabitants is a small group of priests who all had run-ins with demons prior to being reassigned to the isolated island, where they’re required to perform the exorcism ritual on rotation and generally try and keep everything under control; however, as you’d imagine, keeping all this evil in one place is a pretty bad idea and things escalate from there.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in bringing this terrifying world and characters to life on the page?
JT: Chris and I have been friends since the first year of high school, so over twenty-five years now, which definitely changes the dynamic to working with someone you may have never met face-to-face. We’re constantly in touch, chatting about ideas for the stories we’re working on, sharing stuff. And most importantly, we’re both fueled by a desire to make the absolute best comics possible, which means we can push each other and give feedback and suggestions without falling out. It’s the ideal creative partnership really. Plus, he’s really bloody good.
CM: It‘s great, I love working with my oldest friend. Even if he can be a bit cavalier with the page count at times.
BD: Chris, your artistic style naturally exudes deep ambience, tone, and mood. When tackling a project like Exorcism Island, is there anything that guides or propels your approach to the artwork?
CM: For this book it was about creating imposing blocks of colour where possible. Trying to keep things simple but still give a feeling of dread is quite a challenge over a whole book, so creating imposing shapes with either black or the dark orange hopefully brought a darker element to my otherwise rather minimalist style.
BD: At Fanbase Press, we always like to learn more about creators and what drives and inspires them. Are there any horror creators or projects that greatly influenced your creative process or that gave way to the genesis of this particular story?
JT: I mean, we can’t hide from The Exorcist. I’m a huge fan of both the original book and the film it was based on, and you have to accept that’s going to be a big influence if you make an exorcism story that involves the Catholic church. In general, I’m a big horror fan. Films like Hereditary & It Follows I think had some influence on some of the slow-burn moments in our story, but, in general, I’m a big melting pot of so much horror. Stephen King is a big one for me, it’s all in there.
CM: As far as the initial concept goes, I was really inspired by the work of Saul Bass; I tried to capture that simple, but powerful, look from some of his posters.
BD: What makes Comixology Originals the perfect home for this series?
CM: They allowed us to just crack on and make the book without getting too hands on. You can‘t really ask for anything more as a creator.
JT: They really trust the creators to deliver their vision. Once they say, “Yes, we want to publish that idea,” you really are just left to it. No real deadline pressure, no editorial interference, you get to make the comic in your heart and mind.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
JT: Well, it would have to be Mugshots, the UK-set crime epic that Chris and I made prior to Exorcism Island. If you’re a crime fan, love the work of Brubaker & Phillips, or UK crime stories like Peaky Blinders, Guy Ritchie’s work, or classics like The Long Good Friday, then I think you’d enjoy that book. Plus, it has Chris’ standout art on it, so if the art in Exorcism Island appealed to you, then there’s another 140 pages out there for you to dig into in a similar style.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Exorcism Island and your other work?
CM: Jordan‘s writing is great. You should go read everything he‘s done and leave him some nice messages on social media.
JT: Sign up to my newsletter – Subtlesledgehammer on Substack – that’s the best place to keep up with everything I’m working on. Besides that, just make sure you get over to Amazon to check out Exorcism Island and then seek out the half dozen other comics I’ve written.
