Colin Lorimer is a well known creator/artist who co-created “Curse”, “Burning Fields” and more. His work is often cemented in horror and he can bring to life some of our most deeply rooted fears. On July 13th, Lorimer will launch his own creator owned series that he’s writing and drawing with Joana Lafuente on colors and Jim Campbell lettering. “The Hunt” debuts July 13th but before it comes out, we had the chance to talk with Colin Lorimer about the book and some of his influences.
What is “The Hunt”?
Colin Lorimer: “The Hunt” is a story based loosely on the European folklore of The Wild Hunt, which is about a horde of ghostly huntsmen who come from the skies to ravage the land and steal away humans to the faerie underworld. They are also known to pull out the souls from other helpless victims to join them in their quest. “The Hunt” is the Irish version of this and deals with soul-stealers known as The Sluagh (meaning “Host ” in Irish); a band of spirits so evil and depraved that they were kicked out of the underworld. It is said that these giant birdlike creatures would lurk around the house of a dying person waiting to steal away their soul and that once taken it was doomed to travel along with them for all eternity. To most they are invisible but our main protagonist, Orla Roche is one of the few who can actually see them. Orla witnesses the soul of her dying father literally being ripped from his body and thus begins her quest to try and save her father’s soul from an endless torment. This is all set in contemporary Ireland so I get to play with some age-old myths and give them a bit of a modern twist.
How did this project come together? Was this a story you wanted to tell for a while?
CL: It’s been floating around for quite a while. It was originally called “Rubber Souls” and was a little more sci-fi in its approach. It was always to be set in Ireland and the main cast has remained somewhat similar to the original idea, but once I started reading into Irish folklore it became more and more apparent that this was the edge and direction that it needed. It’s a very personal story in many ways, dealing with a lot of my own fears that I had as a child. I suffered from night-terrors and had an almost psychotic fear of the dark- my later experience with sleep-paralysis only added to those childhood traumas. I still shiver at those memories. All of those experiences have found their way into the comic; I suppose you could say this comic is my attempt at some form of a belated catharsis.
A lot of your work has seemingly been influenced by the horror genre. What about this genre appeals to you as an artist?
CL: Horror strips us bare and can impact us in a way that other genres simply cannot. It bypasses the intellect and engages a much more emotional and direct response, in effect,it can tap into an audiences most primal fears. The idea of taking someone on a journey and showing them things that are somewhat taboo, making an individual question his own sense of reality, or just the fact of seeing their eyes grow wider and wider in anticipation of what’s coming is truly a wonderful thing. It’s the “Haunted house” effect. It’s a real thrill to be scared out of your wits. I remember as a very young child finding some of my mother’s old pulp horror novels and the covers were just absolutely terrifying, but I always remember being strangely attracted to them for the rush those images gave me and the need for that “rush” has never really left me. It’s all her fault!
Could you talk a bit about how to craft a true horror comic page? How do you build tension?
CL: “The Hunt” is more of a psychological horror, in saying that… you do get your monsters and your scary visuals interspersed throughout but it’s focused mainly on character and not so reliant on shock or gore. I’m trying to tell a story about real people dealing with a very unreal situation.
Continued belowDecompressed storytelling is probably key in helping to build tension as it gives us a little more time to set the scene and play around with the readers perception, the choice of camera angles and staging, the acting, and of course lighting all come into play and are equally very important elements. And it just can’t be overstated enough how important Joana Lafuente’s colours are to the book as they play a huge part in setting the tone of each scene. Jim Campbell’s lettering style and choice of font for the faeries is also unsettling and even that should help play a part in unnerving the reader.
What have been some influences on “The Hunt”?
CL: Too numerous to mention…but I’ll throw out a few. The work of M.R. James including the BBC TV adaptations of his work are a huge influence; “Whistle and I’ll come to you” being a prime example -truly horrifying. Children of the Stones, an old 70’s kid’s show. The movies Session 9, The Innocents and Night of the Demon.
The art of Zdzislaw Beksinki, Charles Keeping, Francisco Goya, Francis Bacon, Clive Barker, Kathe Kollwitz, and Louis Le Brocquy’s illustrations for The Tain were always close at hand for inspiration.
What can fans expect from this series as it goes on?
CL: Believable characters. Real horror.
Once “The Hunt” begins there’s no stopping it!
Below is a trailer for the book. Once again you can buy “The Hunt” #1 on July 13th!
