Casey and Fox Throw Down the Gauntlet in “Haunt” [Interview]

This week sees the release of “Haunt” #23 from the current creative team of Joe Casey and Nate Fox, and we have to tell you — it’s one of the best issues yet. Since taking over the title with issue #19, Casey and Fox have continuously upped the ante of the book with bigger sets, crazier stunts and a whole lot of awesome action. It’s a gorgeous and insanely rich book, both from Fox’s ever expanding and infinitely impressive artwork and Casey’s “go for broke” attitude in the storytelling, and we honestly couldn’t recommend “Haunt” in its current capacity any higher than we already do.

To that end, we sat down with both Casey and Fox to chat about “Haunt”, where it was when they came in, what they plan to do and where they plan to go.

Check after the cut for our interview with Casey and Fox, as well as Fox’s original character studies and a four exclusive process pieces from “Haunt” #23, which will be on stands tomorrow.

“Haunt” character studies

Together you have a history of bringing new dimensions to previously established characters and concepts in Dark Reign: Zodaic. In terms of bringing new angles to Haunt’s world, what is it for both of you that draws you to the title? What appeals to you about his story?

Joe Casey: Nathan and I together make a certain kind of comicbook. The fucked up kind, quite honestly. And this was an opportunity to put the band back together and do it all again. Zodiac was like our trial run, working together. Now we’re like a well-oiled motherfucker of a machine and we’re exploding our brains all over this series.

Nate Fox: HA. Yeah, I would say we’re planning on pushing HAUNT as far as we can take it. Further if possible. There are grand plans in the works according to Joe and I am to keep pace and hopefully break a few rules along the way. I was always drawn to the series and the character but in all honesty, after Zodiac, once I knew Joe was down for it and the plans he had for issue 19 and beyond — I was in. What appealed from the get go was jumping in face first with Joe on script and knowing that there would be little to no holding back on the horror of it all. If all goes to plan, LOL! As well as the unplanned… this WILL be a motherfucker of a machine. The few issues should shed some serious light on that machine.

In a previous interview, Joe, you talked about how some of your recent efforts have been focused on generating the story from a really collaborative place with your artist. It’s not just you writing a script and handing it off, but rather the both of you figuring out what the best answer for everything storytelling wise is before you jump into creating the book. Is that how the two of you are approaching Haunt? Walk us through what you go through when developing an issue or even an arc of this book.

JC: There’s an overall plan involved. We know generally where we’re taking this thing. But, at the same time, we’re leaving ourselves a lot of wiggle room to improvise and expand things, as more ideas come to us. In a way, we’re taking Mister Toad’s Wild Ride just like everyone else who’s reading the book. That’s where the energy comes from. I see each issue is a new opportunity to blow not only the readers’ minds, but our own minds, too.

More “Haunt” studies

It seems to us that you’re working on generating a significant mythology behind, what with the flash forward in issue #19 that shows Haunt perched on Christ the Redeemer surveying the damage he’s done. For the two of you as creators, what are you looking to accomplish as you take Daniel and Kurt down the rabbit hole of this whole other world they don’t seem to understand?

JC: Well, obviously, the Haunt that opened our run is not the Haunt that everyone is used to. That was like a glimpse into the future of our run. I think our goals are as aesthetic as they are anything else. Like I said before, we’re trying to make a certain kind of comicbook, something that has a particular look and mood and feel to it. At the same time, we want readers to be exhausted, left breathless and sweaty and needing a cigarette after each and every issue. At its heart, HAUNT is a full-on, exploitation book. There’s tons of sex and violence and fucked up shit to sink your teeth into.

One of my favorite things about your run so far is that as things get weirder and weirder, Daniel seems to turtle up and get more freaked out by what’s going on as he loses his sense of normalcy. Meanwhile, Kurt seems to grow more and more detached from Daniel with each passing moment, more than likely because he is in fact dead. For the two of you, when taking their crazy situation to the next level, how do you see it impacting each of the brothers and their psyches?

JC: Well, that’s the whole series in a nutshell… how does this situation impact on this unique pair of brothers? I feel like that’s what we’ve been exploring since our first issue. Two brothers. One alive, one dead. And to function in the dangerous world they inhabit, they really need each other. It’s a fucking fantastic set-up.

NF: Visually it gives us a chance to crack open that nutshell and push the characters a bit further. Push and pull them emotionally and play with the readers experience of what is happening from panel to panel. The reader has about as much of a clue to why Kurt is turtling up as Daniel does. Daniel has little time or opportunity to understand what is going on or why. It’s an adventure of survival and a horror of an existence all compressed into one — HAHAH! One tiny little nutshell. Nothing like a pressure cooker to really get things going!…

Anyway, Shit is going down and Daniel has to run with it. The reader has to run with it. It becomes as much of a journey for the reader as it is for Daniel and Kurt to survive. When we came on in #19 the playing field was set for a cool and engaging train ride — we’re just taking that express train to diesel, planting it onto open high speed rail track, setting it on fire and riding it out. It’ll be as much of an experience and journey for the series as it is for the viewers. So get some clean britches and save your pennies and prayers.

Still Harvey Tubman!

Still Harvey Tubman is the man. That’s a fact. The guy is a joy to read, and it becomes clear in issue #22 that while he did save the brothers, there’s a pretty decent shot that he’s not there to make their lives any easier. When you were developing the ideas behind your run, what place did this character come from? What do you feel like he adds to the book that it was previously missing, besides the obvious need for any comic to have a zen’d out ghostbuster who warms up for killing by doing the hustle?

JC: I would never say that anything was particularly missing from the series before we got here, it’s simply that it’s entered into a new phase… and that means new threats, new relationships, new supporting characters, etc. With the Agency out of the picture, we wanted to bring in a new character that could serve in a “mentor” function but not be the typical grizzled spy or political bureaucrat that the Kilgore brothers have had to deal with thus far. Anyone whose read issue #22 now has a sense that Still Harvey Tubman has a specific agenda, far beyond anything he’s revealed to the Kilgore brothers. So characters like that open up whole new story possibilities. So does a monster like Purgatory, who will be returning very soon. And you haven’t even seen the Fire Golem, the Insect King, El Predicador and the Dream Police. There’s lots of cool shit coming…

The Second Church and The Conductors both have theological ties in some ways, as the former is a batshit crazy fanatical cult religion and the latter is a group of people set to free those spirits trapped between life and afterlife. It seems only natural that religious beats would be hit on in a title like this, but where did the ideas for these two groups stem from? How do you feel their differing ideologies impact the brothers’ situation?

JC: When you’re dealing with the concepts of life and death, it makes a certain kind of sense to bring religion into the mix. But, in this case, we’re filtering religion and the Church through a certain lens of hyper-reality. Obviously, the Second Church is not like any church that exists. But that’s part of the fun… there’s something about them that seems oddly familiar, but there’s also a side of them that evokes good ol’ super-villain organizations. There’s a bit of Frank Miller mysticism mixed in with Brother Blood and Moench/Gulacy Master of Kung Fu shit. A real brew of disparate influences, all thrown together. Somehow, it makes sense. But not complete sense. But I can tell you, what we saw of the Second Church in issues #19-22 is just the tip of a fucking big iceberg.

“Haunt” #23 Page 1 process, original pencils to final inks

From a visual standpoint, the book seems completely reinvented. Gone are the days of Capullo’s clean-line style, now replaced with a more energy-fueled atmosphere with a distinct flair of it’s own. For something like the opening sequence of issue #21, with the “Hounds” squaring off against Tubman and Team Kilgore, how do you develop the look and feel of it? Is it just Nate diving in, or do you work pretty collaboratively on even the look of the book?

JC: We talk about new characters and new locales beforehand, but that only goes so far since I really want to see what Nathan comes up with when he’s let loose. But it’s a great collaboration… and we seem to have that ability to inspire each other right when one of us needs it. Whether it’s a germ of an idea for a cover that we jam on until it turns into a classic image… or it’s a story concept that one of us has been thinking about and, when we bounce it off the other, it twists and morphs into something we’re both psyched to put in the book.

On that same thread, the book features both FCO and Ivan Plascencia on colors, providing a much more vibrant and flashy landscape than the previously more muted and gritty environment. What do you feel that they bring to the table for taking the art to the next level? How has it been working with them so far?

JC: Coloring Nathan’s artwork is not for the faint of heart. It takes a monster to color a monster. Each issue is an adventure into madness and both Nathan and I are pretty harsh taskmasters when it comes to the colors. It’s such a big part of the storytelling, I feel like we have to be. I should also mention that guest colorist, Brad Simpson, did a bang-up job on issue #22.

NF: It has been great to work with them both. I must admit to the taskmastering as well but only because there is a true purpose and continuity that requires it. I know we’ve been talking broadly about plans for the series, the future of characters, our hopes for it’s “awesomeness” and so forth — but to get to specifics of pulling any and all of that off, it’s the color, mood, lighting, and sheer breath of life that the colorist brings to the book as a whole. Ivan, Brad and FCO are bringing this monster of a book to life.

“Haunt” #23 Page 14 process, original pencils to final inks

In issue #22, John Lucas provided the art for the backstory of Tubman. How often are the two of you planning on using guest artists, and are they going to be used for storytelling reasons like in that issue as a tool to stay on or even ahead of schedule?

JC: It’s all of the above. We’ve been able to plan this stuff out carefully, so the occasional fill-in artists are used in very specific ways. Not only do we avoid breaking the flow of the macro-story that Nathan and I are telling, we can actually enhance it by bringing in these great talents to add certain flavors, to help illuminate certain aspects of the story (or the backstory, in the case of John’s work in #22). There’s great stuff coming, when it comes to other artists. We’ve been very picky when it comes to getting guys that can match up to what Nathan’s been doing.

NF: I’m beyond excited that we’re collaborating with guest artists like John and the rest. Robbi Rodriguez steps up as the next guest artist in issue #25 and he’ll be followed up a few issues later by Kyle Strahm. The rest you’ll just have to wait for! Story wise, it serves a greater purpose in terms of world and mythology building by exploring the characters and events in HAUNT through other artists eyes. Issue #22 is solid proof of that.

How do you feel the response has been to your work so far? The previous run had a pretty passionate fan base. Do you feel like they’ve been receptive to what you’ve brought to the table so far?

JC: The response seems to be pretty good. In a way, we’re starting from Square One, since what Nathan and I do is so radically different than how Todd, Kirkman and Capullo did things. In a lot of ways, it is an all-new book. So we have to win over our audience, try to bring any lapsed readers while simultaneously cultivate new ones. It’s a helluva challenge. And something that occurred to me while I was at the Image Expo a month back… we’re a real anomaly at Image Comics. This is a WFH gig being published at a company known for total creator-ownership. I think that confuses a certain segment of the readership out there. What I’d want to stress to the confused masses is that Nathan and I put as much blood, sweat and tears into this fucking book as we would a creator-owned project. And it’s certainly just as twisted as anything else I do, like GØDLAND or BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER or OFFICER DOWNE. We’re not holding back at all on this gig.

NF: Agreed. Once I found out Todd wanted a new approach and was handing over the reigns to Joe and I, it was no longer a WFH gig in my mind. I’ve been treating it as I would a creator owned project ever since. Tubman is a solid example of where our heads an approach is at. We’re hear to create the kind of story and book that WE would want to read as well. There’s no hesitation or holding back in my mind either.

“Haunt” #23 Page 19 process, original pencils to final inks

It seems that Todd still is very much invested in the character and the book. Does he give any creative feedback, or his role more of a Godfather, benevolent overlord type?

JC: Godfather? I dunno. He’s more like the Toddfather, I think. The cool thing about Todd is that he commits to his comicbooks. Look at SPAWN… over 200 issues and still going strong. No matter what the state of the market might be, Todd seems to be in it for the long haul and I respect the hell out of that. It makes me want to push the envelope even more, to do work that really stands out from everything else that’s out there. So far, so good, I think. There’s no mainstream comicbook out there like this one.

NF: What he said. Brass balls all the way. Todd’s passion and support for the book and our work on it is beyond expectation. As the series evolves I’m hoping the book stands out among the rest as well.

When looking to the future of Haunt, how do you see the more psychological horror side of your run to-date reconciling with the previous tread ground and the characters that were featured in the first eighteen issues? Are you looking at your run as a portion of an ultimately much larger story, or are you just looking at this as your own adventure and the rest be damned?

JC: Again, look at SPAWN. It’s had a few different writers over the years. But it’s all one, long novelistic story and it’s still building on itself. Same thing here. Hopefully, we’re putting our stamp on a character that’s going to be around for a long time. My opinion of the basic HAUNT concept is that it was built to last. How else would it survive the insane shit that Nathan and I are going to put it through…?!

NF: Longevity. I’m in it for the solid distance run as well, however long that run lasts. (HA HAH!!! Heaven help the crew that follows…) An opportunity to run with a character like this with the freedom we’ve been given is not an opportunity to take lightly or let slip by. So it was all in, face first and the hell to the rest.

“Haunt” #23 Page 20, process, original pencils to final inks

Four issues in to your run, it feels like the proverbial gauntlet has been thrown down and you guys have carte blanche to do whatever the hell you want, especially after reading Todd’s afterward in issue #19. Where are you looking to take this book in the future, and what are you looking to bring to it that we haven’t seen from it in the past with Todd, Robert and the rest?

JC: Personally, I feel like we’re just warming up. Issue #22, for example, is quite the motherfucker of a comicbook. It really kicks things up to another level, I think. Overall, this is a rare opportunity to do the kind of long form storytelling that a Big Two book doesn’t have either the balls or the capability of doing anymore. It’s too controlled of an atmosphere for a new creative team to get in there and Fuck Shit Up, which is what needs to happen every once in awhile. If you’re not willing to Fuck Shit Up, you don’t get Frank Miller’s DAREDEVIL, Walt Simonson’s THOR, Jim Starlin’s WARLOCK, the Giffen/DeMatteis JUSTICE LEAGUE, or Alan Moore’s SWAMP THING. Not to mention, the Big Two’s ideas of “epic storytelling” are pretty piss poor, in my opinion. And sorry… but editorially driven events simply don’t count as pure, epic storytelling. Not to me, anyway. Todd’s philosophy is our philosophy, too… do the best goddamn book you can, the kind of book you’d want to read yourself, and everything and everyone else can just fuck right off.

Finally, if you had to pick an artist or composer to create a soundtrack for Haunt, who do you feel it should be?

JC: I’ll have to pick two… Kzysztof Penderecki and Curtis Mayfield. Think about it.

NF: Oh, man. Curtis, yes. If I could put a collab. together I would put The Budos Band or Gogol Bordello up with Mike Patton.