The following is an interview with Danny Baram regarding the recent re-launch of the sequel series, Halloween Team: Shadows. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Baram about the shared creative process of bringing the story and characters to life on the page, the themes that may resonate with readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent re-launch for Halloween Team: Shadows! For those who may be new to the series, how would you describe its overall premise, and where will returning readers find themselves in this new installation?
Danny Baram: Thank you! There have been a lot of ups and downs with this project, but it’s been really exciting to finally have things back on track. In particular, releasing Halloween Team: Shadows #2 this week, just prior to Halloween, felt like a big win. Getting the first two issues out by the end of October was a big goal of mine, so I’m happy and relieved that we were able to make it happen.
For those that don’t know, this project first began a few years ago with the release of the original, four-issue Halloween Team comic book series. But part of the hope was to have a second, follow-up series – Halloween Team: Shadows – to continue the story and answer a lot of the burning questions posed by that first story-arc. I thought we’d found a path to get there with a new publishing partner, but, unfortunately, as can happen, things didn’t quite work out. And so shortly after the release of Shadows #1 last year – as we were well into production on Issue #2 – I had to sort of start over, pick up the pieces, and figure out how to go forward. So, we’re now back to self-publishing, which has, at times, been challenging, but in many ways exciting and freeing.
And the good news is that we’re now on track to finally complete Halloween Team: Shadows. Back in September, we re-launched Shadows #1 with new lettering and updated design-work. And we’ve now released Shadows #2, just in time for Halloween.
Anyways, sorry, I know that was a tangent. But getting back to what the series is, Halloween Team is a fun, spooky adventure in the vein of things like Stranger Things or Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It blends a lot of genres together – action, adventure, humor, romance, coming-of-age, and, of course … horror. It’s about a group of friends who, as kids, banded together to solve mysteries and hunt monsters in their small town of Greenwood. Now, it’s twenty years later, and the team has reunited to solve one more mystery.
In the first Halloween Team series, we see the team re-assemble again after many years apart – and they work together to defeat an evil cult that’s trying to bring about hell on Earth. But in doing so, a big secret about the team’s past comes to light, and we end on this crazy cliffhanger ending, where the team members are all shocked to learn that a long-lost friend is in serious danger, because of a tragic incident that happened back when they were kids. And now … they need to do whatever it takes to save her.
Then, in Halloween Team: Shadows, we pick up directly after that big revelation. And the team is at a bit of a fork in the road – because they’re all on the same wavelength that they need to find their friend, but there’s now a lot of tension and division because of the way this secret had been kept from them for all these years. So there’s a lot of turmoil among the members of Halloween Team – but they’re going to need to find a way to put all of that aside, because there are some major new threats in this series that will put the team in serious danger. Shadows is still very character-centric, but it also has a lot of world-building, and the scope and scale of the story gets a whole lot bigger. It really escalates! So, Shadows really evolves into a big, blockbuster sort of story as it goes – which was a lot of fun for me to write, and will hopefully be a really fun ride for readers, as well.
BD: What can you tell us about your shared creative process in bringing this story and characters to life on the page, and what is your experience in returning to the world of the Halloween Team once again?
DB: This latest push to complete Halloween Team: Shadows has been extremely rewarding for me, and it’s been some of the best creative collaboration I’ve had working in comics to date.
When things sort of dissolved with our previous publisher, our primary artist on Shadows, Bugra Berah, also left the project. Bugra had completed interior art for the first two issues of Shadows, but those issues needed lettering and other design work to be done, and Issue #2 needed a cover. Then, we needed art for the third and fourth issues, as well. This was all a very daunting prospect, because that meant finding a brand new artist for an already-in-progress series.
I ultimately got very lucky in finding new team member Danny Roberts. Danny, luckily, was willing to take on all aspects of the job – adding the lettering for Issues 1 and 2, creating cover art for Issue 2, and then taking over full art duties for Issues 3 and 4.
Working with Danny Roberts has been a lot of fun. He’s incredibly enthusiastic and has been a great creative partner. With the just-released second issue of Shadows, readers can get a first glimpse at Danny’s original art – via the striking cover that he drew. And I’m now seeing his original interior art come in, and it’s looking fantastic. Danny was able to keep to the general style and vibe we saw previously from Bugra – but he also brings a unique energy and dynamism, that I think is going to be perfectly suited to the big, action-y stuff that we have coming up.
I also want to shout-out our original Halloween Team artist Matt Shults. Matt draws flashback sequences in all four issues of Shadows, and they’re so great and really add a lot to the story. His art has a sort of dreamy, nostalgic feel to it – so it’s perfect for these sequences. In the first issue of Shadows, Matt draws our introduction to The Boney Boys – a rival gang of kids in Greenwood – and it’s one of my favorite panels so far in all of Halloween Team. I’m extremely thankful that we have Matt back in some capacity here, because his art and character designs really helped to shape and define Halloween Team, and how I think about this world, holistically, as a writer.
It’s been interesting, because what I’m starting to realize is that I’ve really been working as not just the writer on these books, but also as the editor – and that in and of itself has been a real learning process. With Danny Roberts, even on just the lettering, I’m spending a lot of time proof-reading, giving feedback on things like word-balloon placement and just the overall flow of how dialogue reads on the page. It’s really taught me a lot about the things you have to be mindful of in lettering and page layout and design. Luckily, I think I’ve internalized at least some best practices from my many years of reading comics. But yeah, being your book’s editor, and learning how to do that well, is an important but under-talked-about part of doing self-published comics.
In terms of returning to the world of Halloween Team in general, it’s been a surprisingly intense and immersive experience. A lot of my previous writing work has been in screenwriting, where you write a lot of specs that you send out but ultimately go into, basically, the void. So, this is really the rare chance I’ve had as a writer to actually revisit characters after the initial story, and go much deeper and explore things I didn’t get the chance to – or maybe only hinted at – the first time around.
For example, with the character of Casey, I sort of knew her backstory and was really itching to tell it more fully than I could in the first volume. I think having the flashbacks that we do in Shadows … those really help us to understand her and her dynamic with the team a bit more. And they are so important to the overall story. I feel happy and relieved that we got to include them in Shadows, because the story ultimately would have felt incomplete without them.
Getting to keep adding layers to these characters, to this world … it’s what I love about serialized storytelling. But so often, you sort of have to reluctantly put your characters and their world to the side, and put them back into the proverbial drawer, because there just isn’t the opportunity to keep the story going. So, I feel very, very lucky to have that opportunity with Shadows. And in an ideal world, there’s even more to come after this – as there is so much more to tell when it comes to Halloween Team. That said, I was also careful to make Shadows feel like a complete story. If this were to somehow be the end of Halloween Team, I think Shadows delivers something that feels complete and whole and satisfying.
BD: What, if any, conversations do you hope that Halloween Team: Shadows may invite with its readers?
DB: With almost anything I write, I really focus on having main characters that feel relatable and grounded – even when everything going on around them is really heightened and crazy. So, with Halloween Team and Halloween Team: Shadows, I hope that readers find things that they can relate to in each of our main team members – and maybe find things that inspire them, as well.
It’s sort of paradoxical, because on one hand I wanted to have a diverse cast of heroes who have different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and personalities. But on the other hand, you end up putting something of yourself into all of these characters. So, there’s at least some small aspect of me – for better or worse – in every member of the team. I think that’s important, because it helps the characters to feel real and alive. They come from some sort of real-world place, and they each represent different ideas that I’m interested in exploring and talking about. They aren’t just there to serve the plot.
I was recently reading back through Shadows #2, and I was thinking about the character of Laura. Laura has really lived a pretty cursed life, when you think about it – and for a long time, she’s been trapped in a prison that she can’t seem to find a way out of. I didn’t write any of this in a conscious way, per se – but reading it back, I can see that I poured a lot of stuff I was going through into her story and I see it right there in her inner monologues. And I think there is some real emotional weight to her scenes in Issue #2, because in a way I was perhaps trying to write her, at least in part, to inspire myself during tough times. Laura is an extremely resilient and fairly badass character. And writing someone who is stuck in this impossible situation – and yet can’t and won’t stop fighting and looking for a way out … there was definitely some therapeutic quality for me in writing that. And, hopefully, readers feel that, too, and, hopefully, certain sequences in the series prove in some way helpful or motivational.
And by the way, I also totally get that there’s an inherent conflict, potentially, between writing horror and writing stories that are ultimately hopeful. But I’ve always been drawn to horror that offers some kind of hope, and that gives you a hero or heroes who fight back against the darkness. I wouldn’t want all horror to be like that, and I also love stuff, as a reader and viewer, that’s just dark and nihilistic. But Halloween Team isn’t really that – and in a weird way, that kind of fits with the name of the book and the whole idea of Halloween. I love the idea that there’s this one day of the year where we take the things that scare us the most, and sort of re-shape them into a day of fun and celebration. As cheesy as it may sound, I think there’s something powerful in that concept – and that’s a that theme runs through all of Halloween Team.
BD: Why did you choose to go the self-publishing route, after having previously worked with an indie publisher?
DB: In theory, there are a lot of advantages to working with an established publisher. But in practice, a newer writer may not see a lot of those advantages play out – and self-publishing may, in certain circumstances, actually be the way to go. The reality is that the current indie comics environment is challenged in a lot of ways. So, a lot of the things that you might assume a publisher can do for you? Those things, realistically, may not be possible.
For example, ideally the publisher is able to pay the artist their page rate, so you as the writer don’t have to. But increasingly, that might be challenging to get a publisher to agree to. A lot of smaller publishers, and even some bigger ones, are also relying more and more heavily on Kickstarter or other crowdfunding platforms. And while I understand why that is, especially in this more challenged environment, crowdfunding can be a lengthy and time-consuming process that may or may not get you to where you need to be financially. I know some people that are very efficient with it. But I’ve also talked to a lot of others whose campaigns have under-performed. And as someone who had a real sense of urgency around this project, that made me nervous.
The other thing is distribution. A publisher that can get you first-class digital distribution, and also get physical copies of your books in comic shops or book shops, is the pipe dream. But especially now, and especially given the issues that occurred with Diamond and the void that left, my perception is that there are only a select few publishers that can really guarantee full, wide-ranging distribution.
And then, there’s promotion and marketing. When I see an indie comics publisher that has less followers on social media than I do personally, it’s definitely a red flag. Because ideally, a big advantage of going through a publisher is that they will help to elevate the level of marketing you get for your book. But again, it’s been a learning experience, and what I’ve observed is that some of the best ways to generate awareness simply involve putting in the time and effort to throw a ton of darts and see what sticks. For me, my hope that my professional experience in Digital Distribution at least gives me a bit of a leg up when it comes to figuring all of this stuff out. But certainly, as difficult as it can be, you’ve got to be your own best self-promoter.
I think that, long-term, the only real way for me, and probably for most people, to have a consistent, financially-sustainable comics output is to partner with a publisher. And there are, of course, some really amazing smaller-press publishers out there (e.g., Fanbase Press!) that are really doing amazing stuff and that set a high standard for others to live up to.
Still, if you’re an indie creator who really just wants to get your first few comics out there as a calling card and as a way to establish yourself… I’d say it might be worth considering self-publishing. At the least, don’t wait on the perfect publisher to come along. Make a budget, focus on digital distribution, and get your work out there.
In many ways, it’s far from ideal. And I wish there was a better system in place that gave more of a pathway for creators to get their books in comic shops. And I hope that the newer digital storefronts like Neon Ichiban and Sweet Shop also open the door a little wider for high-quality indie comics. But at the least, self-publishing gives you some control of your own destiny and allows you the freedom to do what you need to do to make your book available.
With Halloween Team, it’s just been incredibly fulfilling to get the series out there – without having to worry about too many things outside my control. But of course, longer-term, I do still want to find new publishing partners, so that I can sustainably continue to write more comics. So, I really hope that Halloween Team is just the beginning. And I’m hugely thankful to those who have supported the book so far and who have taken a chance on this series.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to share with our readers?
DB: I’m still primarily focused on Halloween Team at the moment, especially given that it’s October and Halloween season is in full swing. I hope that readers looking for a new favorite spooky adventure will give Halloween Team: Shadows a shot, and take the opportunity to catch up on the original Halloween Team series, as well.
Since it’s Spooky Season, I’ll also mention a really great anthology book from last year that I was a part of, called It’s a Horror Show: The Found Footage Anthology – from Apollo City Comics. You can get it via Apollo City’s website. I wrote a fun vampire-romance story for it, in collaboration with a very talented artist, Lorry Jamison. As a bonus, the story even has a bit of a connection to Halloween Team. In my head, it’s part of the Halloween Team universe! So, if you’re a true completist, definitely check it out.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to support Halloween Team: Shadows and your other work?
DB: The first two issues of Halloween Team: Shadows are available now on digital comics retailers – including Amazon, GlobalComix, Comix.One, and DriveThruComics – with Issue #2 having just released on October 20th! The original Halloween Team series is also available on those same platforms, for those interested in fully catching up.
Issues 3 and 4 of Halloween Team: Shadows are coming soon – and like I said, I’m incredibly excited that we’ve got this renewed, positive momentum. I can’t wait for everyone to see how this story concludes. You can also follow me on Threads or BlueSky for updates on upcoming release dates.
Of course, with an indie book like this, every purchase makes a difference! So, please give us a look, help to spread the word, and leave us a good review if you’re so inclined.
Finally, I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! If nothing else, I hope this series helps to get you in the Halloween spirit.
