The following is an interview with Tara Madison Avery and Michael Varrati regarding the upcoming Kickstarter campaign launch for the comic book anthology, Four Seasons of Fear, through Stacked Deck Press. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Avery and Varrati about the thematic approach to the all-queer horror comics anthology, what readers can anticipate in terms of backer rewards, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on your upcoming comic book anthology, Four Seasons of Fear! What can you share with us about the premise of this comics collection, as well as the genesis behind it?
Tara Madison Avery: Four Seasons of Fear will be a full-color, all-queer horror comics anthology. There are other all-queer horror anthologies, but ours focuses on stories that revolve around annual events such as holidays, seasonal activities, or even the weather. Michael approached me about this concept at San Diego Comic-Con one year, and we’ve finally found the time in our schedules to make it happen.
Michael Varrati: As a filmmaker, writer, and audience member, I’ve always been attracted to stories that speak to a specific time of year or add a little flavor to certain festivities. Most firmly entrenched horror fans have their favorite seasonal watches: John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN in October, Bob Clark’s BLACK CHRISTMAS in December, MY BLOODY VALENTINE in February, etc. The goal of Four Seasons of Fear was to tap into that, but from the queer perspective. Basically, we wanted to give queer creators and readers alike a year of stories just for them. The goal was to create an anthology that you could devour in one sitting or, if you so choose, savor a little bit monthly…going through the calendar and having a scary tale to match the time of year, whether it be a relevant holiday or just a seasonal vibe.
BD: As editors for the collection, how would you describe the process for bringing the various creative teams together, as well as the thematic approach to crafting a complementary collection of horror stories?
TMA: I’ve published or worked on quite a few LGBTQ+ comics anthologies now, and my work with Prism Comics gives me the opportunity to get to know some great queer creators. So, we know plenty of talented people that we can invite to contribute. We tapped some of our closest colleagues whom we felt had the style and perspective to make some great horror stories.
MV: In addition to much of my film work already existing at the intersection of queer identity and the horror genre, I’ve had the distinct honor and pleasure of being the ongoing host of San Diego Comic-Con’s annual Queer Horror panel (sponsored by Prism Comics) and through that have been able to directly interact with so many of the comics industry’s most talented genre creators. For years I kept a mental list of folks I’d love to work with if the right moment arose…and it just so happens we now have a calendar year of possibilities.
BD: The anthology will be crowdfunded on Kickstarter this Spring. Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators and publishers?
TMA: Crowdfunding allows you to find your audience before the book is even published. Costs such as printing and contributor payments are not pocket change, and to pay those out of pocket with no idea whether readers will respond to your comic is a risk no one wants to take. Crowdfunding campaigns are also great marketing campaigns. They garner media coverage and word of mouth support that can contribute to the success of a project long after the funding period is over.
MV: I 100% echo everything Tara said. Crowdfunding is a direct line to your audience. It allows us to see in real time the folks most eager and excited to get this book in hand…and allows us the opportunity to directly engage. It’s a medium of creative transparency.
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 this collection may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
TMA: It shouldn’t surprise anyone that most popular genres draw devoted LGBTQ+ audiences, and horror is no different. What we’ve seen in pop culture in the past decade or two is the shift of queer themes being buried in subtext to being unmistakably front and center. This has given queer creators the opportunity to reimagine the sorts of popular media that excited them growing up.
MV: Horror, by its very definition, is a genre of otherness and subversion…and queer folks know a great deal about being othered or treated as subversive. For many years, queer creatives who found empowerment in the horror genre were still often forced to hide things in subtext…but these are stories where queerness IS the text. These are artists giving truth to power and expressing authentically queer stories in a genre that has, in many ways, always been theirs.
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards that you would like to highlight for our readers?
TMA: We’ll have many of the usual sorts of backer rewards such as stickers and pins. Personalized sketches are also on offer. Michael, however, has some particularly interesting rewards thanks to his film industry connections.
MV: It’s true! Some folks may be aware that I wrote and directed a queer meta-horror feature called THERE’S A ZOMBIE OUTSIDE – which was nominated for Best Streaming Premiere by the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. As part of the campaign, I have two blu-rays of THERE’S A ZOMBIE OUTSIDE that have been signed by almost the entire cast and crew. What we’re going to do is make it an incentive: Any folks who donate above a certain price threshold will be put into a raffle…and at the end of the campaign, if successful, we’ll pull two names…and those folks will also get these very rare signed blu-rays.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
TMA: Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, Stacked Deck Press’s most recent publication, has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, and we’re very excited about that. Another upcoming project is the third entry in the Death Saves series of anthologies about RPG characters who meet unlikely, gruesome, or humorous deaths. Josh Trujillo, the editor of the previous two outings, is joining me for what we’re calling Death Saves, 3rd Edition.
MV: Keeping it in the literary space, I contributed a queer horror story about a drag night gone wrong to the recent anthology book, PUNK GOES HORROR II: HARDCORDE FOR THE ENCORE. It’d be a good appetizer to read in advance of Four Seasons of Fear.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Four Seasons of Fear and your other work?
TMA: You can find all of our books at stackeddeckpress.com! SDP has been publishing comics, coloring books, and art books of LGBTQ+ interest for ten years now, and we’re looking forward to the next ten.
