In 2019, Dark Horse Comics published “Manor Black,” a miniseries about an ageing patriarch of a magical family who takes a fledgling student from another magical house under his wing. It is a gothic soap opera, drawing inspiration from touchstones like Dark Shadows and the Hammer horror films. This Wednesday “Manor Black” returns with a new four-issue miniseries, ‘Fire in the Blood,’ so we here at Multiversity Comics took the opportunity to chat with the series’ creators, Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, and Tyler Crook.
Cullen Bunn: In “Manor Black,” we’re following the story of Roman Black and his family, who represent the House of Blood–the most powerful faction of magicians in the world. Roman is fast approaching the Descent, the time when the leader of the house must step down and become one with the Blood Totem that represents the family’s power. However, Roman has not chosen a successor and he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to do so. All of this is complicated when Ari, a young flame magician, shows up on Roman’s doorsteps. Ari is being pursued by a mysterious enemy called The Stranger. Roman has taken Ari under his wing and is guiding her in the ways of sorcery… which is of great concern to his wife and children.
The reasons for the concern become all the more clear in this series.
One of the big questions left at the end of the first miniseries was which of Roman Black’s children were working with The Stranger? Was it Reginald, Basil, or Lorelei? A combination of these? Or perhaps some other relative we haven’t met yet? I assume this is a thread ‘Fire in the Blood’ will be picking up on.
CB: I wouldn’t necessarily make that assumption! We’re playing a long game with “Manor Black,” and we’re going to take our time with the mysteries that will be unfolding. This series is much more focused on Roman and the dangers that come with avoiding the Descent for too long.
CB: I think it was always the plan to shake up the art and writing. The next series, Tyler and Brian are writing and I’m drawing!
Just kidding.
No reader can handle the awesomeness of my Art.
Art with a capital “R”.
Tyler Crook: It mostly came about because everyone’s schedules have been so erratic over the last two years. With all the COVID related slowdowns, it’s been impossible to work on just one thing at a time. But it also seemed like a great opportunity to try some new stuff! I have never colored another artist’s pages before. And it’s been really fun and interesting! That being said, I CANNOT WAIT for everyone to see Cullen’s artwork on the next arc.
It’s an incredibly smooth transition. You’ve been working together for a while—Tyler Crook did a guest issue for “The Sixth Gun” as one of his first comic gigs—and I think there are shared sensibilities in your approaches to the story. As a reader, the approach to color was one of the things I enjoyed about the first arc of “Manor Black,” especially the way saturated color is strongly associated with magic, so to see that continue here in the second arc, is really satisfying. If anything, it becomes more prominent, especially in the flashback sequences. Tyler, Brian, how do you plan your pages together? Or is it more of like a relay, where you trust each other to know what the page needs?
Continued belowTC: Definitely more like a relay. I’ve talked about this before but when I collaborate I like to take the same approach as a lot of improv acts—you always say “Yes, and…” And by that I mean, I like to see what my collaborator does and then try to identify what is cool about it and then build on that as much as I can.
BH: I love collaborating with other artists because the resulting work always takes on a life of its own—it feels like something apart from either individual. With any good collaboration there has to be a trust between the collaborators because there is absolutely a level of letting go that can be unnerving for artists. Personally, I embrace it! It was super easy, and super exciting, to turn over pages to Tyler. I’ve known him for years and been a fan even longer. It would be an understatement to say that he did not disappoint!
Coming back to “Manor Black” a few years after the first arc, there’s a certain amount of reintroducing that you need to do for readers. I found this was particularly well handled in “Manor Black: Fire in the Blood” #1, by focusing on Roman Black’s past. It means we’re always learning something new. Was this something you had planned for early on when it was decided to approach “Manor Black” as a series of miniseries?
CB: Writing a big, sprawling story as a series of miniseries can be tough. There are elements that must carry over, but the book needs to be accessible to new readers, too. What we have going for us, though, is we have a cast of characters we can really dig into. With this arc, it’s Roman. I knew we could use the different characters, presenting something new for each one, as sort of an easy jumping on point for new readers. While we focus on those characters, we’ll be advancing the overarching story, too.
CB: I think so. I believe Brian and I talked a bit about the arc. It’s been a minute, so Brian might have a different recollection. I think, though, our discussions went only so far as, “Let’s do something about Roman as a younger man.” And then I wrote this story with Roman and his sisters and his father. And I threw in these weird manifestations and awful murders. I believe most of that was a surprise. That said, I was prepared to change all the elements if Brian and Tyler hated them. Luckily, that wasn’t the case!
BH: There were a couple things we discussed in the early stages of developing this arc—none of which I want to spoil—but, for the most part, I intentionally kept myself out of the loop as far as the intricacies of the plot were concerned so I could stay as fresh and engaged with the story as possible. When I read a script for the first time, I want to be drawn in—immersed—in the story. Coming in as a reader first, artist second, allows my imagination to be active in the moment. If I know too much before the script I may have already locked myself into certain preconceptions or approaches to the material and I’m less open to being carried away and inspired by the script.
Before we go, is there anything you’d like to tease our readers with?
CB: This is a very different story than what we saw in the first arc, more of a horror tale for sure, and we’ll be revealing some intense family history. We’re going to be seeing exactly why Roman is hesitant to choose a successor and exactly why his potential successors are so eager for him to make a choice! We’re introducing a few new characters, too, and they’ll all be playing a big role in the overall story to come!
