One of the books that spun out of Image Expo ’14 that we are most excited about is “Nailbiter,” from the “Masks and Mobsters” team of Mike Henderson and Joshua Williamson. We had the opportunity to chat with them about the new book, their working relationship, and just what it is about Oregon that makes people want to kill each other. Plus, Mike was kind enough to share with us a bunch of art, from layouts to inks to colors, for 4 pages from the first issue, which we have scattered throughout our chat.
First up, we chat with Josh Williamson about the project.
Talk us through the genesis of this project – what was the first seed of inspiration for the book?
Joshua Williamson: Years ago a women I worked with broke up with her boyfriend because she found out his uncle had been a serial killer. She told me that she “just couldn’t be with someone that was close to that kind of evil.” That surprised me. And inspired me. We talk a lot about the families of the victims but not the families of the killers. They are a kind of victim, too. It’s tragic.
From there I knew I wanted to do a comic about serial killers. From a different POV. Involving more than the killers.
One day while watching Zodiac, the aspect of the town and the sixteen serial killers all raised in the same town came in place. After about two years I developed what we have now.
And it’s still changing and growing with each issue as we introduce more characters and the town. Mike will draw something cool that I’ll think “That’s rad, we need more of that.”
Have serial killers long been of interest to you? What are some of your favorite pieces of serial killer-inspired art?
JW: Uf, that’s tough. I really enjoy Psycho. It’s goes back forth between my 1st and 2nd favorite movie. Silence of the Lambs holds a special place in my heart.
In my office I have the Mondo Psycho poster, and LOVE IT. It’s one of my prized possessions.
Serial killers and I go way back. Since I was young. I’ve always wondered “why, and how?” What happens in a person’s life that turns them into that kind of monster? Is it an event or are they born that way? It’s part of what we’ve explore in the overall Nailbiter story.
You call Oregon home, so clearly this story has a bit of a hometown vibe to it – what is it about the Pacific Northwest that, you think, breeds so many serial killers?
JW: The rain. The weather. The cabin fever. The people. I wish I knew the real answer. Something about this place can just bring out the worst in people.
You and Mike have worked together on “Masks and Mobsters” – how is this project different, from a collaboration perspective?
JW: It isn’t? Mike and I have developed a pretty well oiled machine as far as working together. If anything it’s loosened up a bit. I write a bit less because I know Mike will take what I’m thinking and run with it and make it better.
Your work frequently blends genres and styles together. This book seems to be a blend of horror and crime; when writing a story like this, that blurs the line between different styles, how do you walk that tightrope? Have you found yourself having to step back from certain areas you planned on exploring because it throws the balance of the book off? Or are you happy to let your muse run wild on a story like this?
JW: With each issue I am constantly double checking myself. Asking “Where is the crime? Where is the horror?” It’s part of the challenge. I love to genre mash, but I have to make sure that it doesn’t lean too far to one side. It’s easy to fall into certain tropes, but I just try to use a bit of both.
Continued belowBUT I already did crime and horror with Ghosted and was trying to do a different kind of both for Nailbiter. Nailbiter in a way sort of falls into the Thriller genre in the same ways Twin Peaks, Se7en, and Silence of the Lambs did.
You mention certain films as being big influences on this project – because of that, would you describe this as a more “cinematic” work than your usual comics? Or is film something you often draw inspiration from?
JW: There is definitely a different style that could be described as cinematic, but anyone who knows the work Mike and I did with Mask and Mobsters will see that we like to play with the medium and try new things. A lot of what we did there we learned from and put into the style of the Nailbiter. There is a different type of pacing than Ghosted and other books, and there will be a running theme in Nailbiter that I’m curious what people will think. You’ll see.
And yes, I do draw a lot of inspiration from film. It’s always interesting to me to see how so many creators try to deny that. That “they are two different mediums, blah blah blah.” But I feel like we can grow from both and challenge ourselves to make film horror tricks work in comics.
You mentioned “Ghosted” earlier as an example of melding crime and horror. That is true, but “Nailbiter” seems to be a far creepier book that seems to have less room for the humor that makes “Ghosted” unique. Is it hard to have to tap into such a dark place for the book? Have there been any nights of “ok, I need to put this away,” because it is just too disturbing of a place to visit?
JW: Ah, yeah, for sure. The research I did was pretty eye opening and depressing. One of the first things I did was a read a Serial Killer encyclopedia from A to Z… and it… took me to some pretty dark places. Mike and I do joke about the images we’ve used as reference getting us onto FBI watch lists, which I know is an old joke, but… if you saw the stuff we’ve seen… yikes.
BUT… the humor… I think is still there in places. It isn’t the same type of humor as Ghosted. Nailbiter’s black humor has a lot more of a hard bite to it.
Finally, what can readers expect from the first arc? Why should people put down that Batman comic and buy this instead?
JW: The first arc is all one long story, where we are introduced to our first few characters, the town, the mystery and the horror. I know I talk a lot about Twin Peaks but that is the closest comparison in terms of pacing and tone I can come up with. Mike and I wanted to create a grounded thriller with something sinister lurking on the edges.
Of course you had to pick Batman as the book to put down. I’m a big Batman fan, so what would make ME put it down? Freedom. Knowing that I can read a real horror comic where anything can happen. One that will be a solid story with a real ending that has closure for the characters. There is a beginning, middle and end here. Something you’ll never really get from the Big Two books.
Our hope isn’t to just scare you with this horror book… our hope is to give you nightmares.
Next up, we have Mike Henderson, talking us through the visual side of the story.
I hate to be dull and predictable here, but take me through the genesis of this project. Where did this idea come from, and for how long has it been sitting in Josh’s twisted head?
Mike Henderson: Nailbiter, I suspect, was rattling around in Josh’s head long before it got planted in mine. It was still fairly rough when we decided to start work on it together, and really wended its way in directions we hadn’t predicted once sketches and designs started being kicked back and forth. We both saw a twisting mystery though, rooted under the town of Buckaroo and effecting everyone in it in different (often horrible) ways. And it’s still taking shape!
Continued belowSo Mike, how was the story presented to you? And what was the first design/sketch you came up with for “Nailbiter?”
MH: Josh brought up the idea while I was between some other projects as a mystery wrapped (more like drenched, in this case) in horror. We tackled the main trio of Nailbiter first, in Finch, Crane and Warren. Fortunately we were on the same page pretty much from Day One, and things moved smoothly every since.
How do you visually approach a new project? Is it a lot of sketching to find the tone you’re looking for, or is it more of a “sit and think before picking up a pencil” type approach?
MH: We have brainstorming sessions over most visual ideas. I like to think of myself as a planner, but somehow it always devolves into throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. I’ll usually come up with a 2 or 3 sketches for something to find our base line of agreement, then tweak here and there and, occasionally, ending up starting from scratch.
You’ve worked with Josh before on “Masks and Mobsters” – how does this project differ from that, in terms of your working relationship?
MH: Things aren’t so different from Masks & Mobsters, aside from the fact that we have Rob Levin editing for us and giving us a swift kick every now and then. The major difference is that there are four of us on this creative team, whereas it used to be just the two of us. But at the core of it it’s still Josh and I batting ideas around until we’re both happy with the direction we’re headed.
Josh mentioned to me, when telling me about the book, how Will Eisner as one of your key influences – what were some of the visual inspirations for this project on your end?
MH: I’m not sure Will Eisners visual style impacted Nailbiter (it’s a very un-Eisner like story, I don’t think he’d mind me saying) but his art influenced a lot about the way I pace and tell my stories and probably in a lot of other ways I don’t even realize.
Make sure to pick up “Nailbiter” #1 from Image in May!
