It’s been an exciting month for Scott Tuft. After a lengthy film career, Scott made his comics debut along with co-writer and close friend Scott Snyder last month with the debut of their new Image Comics horror story SEVERED. Scott was gracious enough to answer a few questions right before the release of Issue #2 last week (or this week, if you happen to live on the East Coast) covering topics such as how the book came to be, what he loves most about horror, comics, and horror comics, and just who would win in a fight against his monstrous SEVERED creation.
Click on down for all the haps!
Joshua Mocle: How did you and Scott get together for this story and how did Attila enter the mix?
Scott Tuft: Scott and I met the first day of high school and have been friends ever since. Never thought about it til now but I guess in some ways SEVERED started in a gymnasium full of kids about Jack’s age… But obviously the actual story of SEVERED… the characters, world, plotting etc didn’t come til a lot later.
Since that day of Freshman orientation though Scott and I have been talking stories… through college and afterwards we helped eachother out with the different things we were working on. And a couple years ago we even wrote some screenplays together. SEVERED was one of many ideas that we used to toss around and it stuck with us — The Salesman who walks the roads of early America selling dreams really resonates and haunts us and so when we got the opportunity to finally do it as a comic, we jumped on it.
And Attila entered the mix just after that. We searched feverishly for someone who could capture the tone of the story and saw some great artists but none who were quite right. Finally Scott asked Jeff Lemire if he had any thoughts and Attila came to mind. The two had met at a convention. We owe Jeff big for putting us all together.
JM: What was the writing process like between you and Scott? Did one of you plot and the other script, or was it a mix and mash type deal?
ST: We both plotted the entire story together and then I took a stab at the first drafts. Then Scott would read and give notes and we’d go back and forth with each step of the process. This is my first comic so at first it was a bit of a learning curve and Scott has been super helpful pointing out Freshman errors. While he’s one of the hard working people I know, he’s also a bit of a natural when it comes to story and comics… comic books are very deep in his DNA and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be doing my first comic with him.
JM: Had you ever worked collaboratively with another writer like this? How is it different than working on your own?
ST: Along with Scott, I have worked with a lot of different writers. Before comics I was doing film so collaboration is not really new to me. Many of the scripts I have written were done with other writers or producers and anything I ever directed — if I didn’t write it myself — I always worked closely with the writer. I personally like writing this way cause while you may butt heads and there are definitely struggles, I think at the end, if you are both on the same page, you always come to a more universal story if it fits two writers’ criteria.
JM:The living, breathing American history contained in the book is, to my taste, one of the greatest parts of it. What kind of research went into the crafting of this series?
ST: Thanks. We both really love this time period and it’s been a blast putting it on the page. We did a lot of book and internet research. Museums and Archives were also helpful but probably the best part of the research was a trip I took with Scott where we folowed the trajectory of the story of SEVERED. We went through some haunted and forgotten places in America and I think a lot of the spirit of the book was captured this way.
Continued belowJM: How important is the historical aspect of the book to you? Why choose to ingrain the story so deeply in 1910s America?
ST: Its pretty important. It provides a style and a tone but it also gives a good backdrop for the story. We think of 1916 as a time when America was coming of age… finding itself… it’s identity. And so we think that in a way Jack’s story is reflected by what was going on in America at this time.
JM:Is there a particular reason why this story MUST be told during this time period as opposed to a more modern setting?
ST: Well… the characters’ journeys ARE supposed to be somewhat universal so you could probably mad-lib it so it existed in another time period… even now. But SEVERED really felt right for this period. I think a lot of the horror and tension comes out of the setting and the time.
JM: What is it about horror stories that really appeal to you?
ST:I think a good horror can tap into deep primal emotions and when you read a good horror comic, it can get to you… deep down… it can capture your imagination and sink its teeth into you.
JM: Similarly, what is it about comics that appeal to you?
ST: With comics, and indie comics especially, you can do whatever you want… and the only people you’re accountable to are the readers. Which is the way it should be. And coming from film, I find this incredibly liberating. If something is right for the story, I can put it in with little worry about budget, censorship, studio sensitivity. It’s really a very pure way to tell a story.
JM: Are comics the ideal format for stories like this?
ST: I think comics can do so much… much more than most people think. Our society really under-estimates comics potential. The comics that I like are always doing something different, pushing the boundaries of the medium. As for horror — and especially psychological horrors – I think comics are the perfect medium. Right off the batt… the act of reading a comic is really intimate. People have told us that they curl up in bed with SEVERED which is the perfect place to be told a horror story… I think if people invite it into their bed, they’re open to whatever it will bring. Also there are so many tools inside the comic that lend themselves to telling this story so effectively… And while Scott and I are really specific about the story-telling, Attila is a natural in bringing this story to life. While his art seems realistic to a lot of people, it can be really expressionistic… he takes liberties that are sometimes subtle but really effective. The way he draws I think plays with people’s perception and really cuts deep into their emotions.
JM: One of the things that really stood out to me about the first issue is that you managed to build a genuine sense of dread. How did the three of you go about mapping that aspect of the book?
ST: Thanks. I think part of the dread is from the pacing and the tone. Our world is so fast and loud that sometimes the scariest thing is when everything just stops and you hear your heartbeat and you feel alone. Less is more and Severed (at least the first half- hint hint) is designed to play with that.
JM: Issue 1 seemed to focus more on creating a sense of external, “monster driven” horror as dictated by the character of Mr. Porter whereas Issue 2 focused more a “the horrors of the real world” scenario. How do you go about balancing these two very different types of horror?
ST: I think we want to explore horror from a lot of different angles… the two you mentioned for sure but also others that will start to creep up in the book. As for how we balance these scares… sometimes the things that we think we are scared of the most are just surface fears and there are other fears that are deeper. We want to explore that with this comic.
Continued belowJM: Was there any intentionality behind very pointedly making the character of Sam a girl in disguise? Was it simply to create gender balance, or is there more significance to her being female?
ST: Sure. In a lot of ways, the book is about identity. It’s a very American thing to be able to create your own identity. You can be born one way and make yourself into something else. Most of the characters in SEVERED do this… some for good reasons and others for evil ones. You’ll see how the Sam thing plays out but when we came up with her, it just felt right to make her a he.
JM: How long will it be until we find out just what the hell Mr. Porter is?
ST: Ha. Soon enough. But that’s part of the fun I think… He’s always defying expectations. In the end he’ll be very clear.
JM: What can fans expect from Severed as it continues to roll along?
ST: We don’t want to give much away but it’s a pretty carefully designed comic. It will continue to be character driven but the all out horror will start to amp up pretty soon.
JM: Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
ST: Absolutely. Aside from some film stuff, I’m about to pitch a couple new comic book series that I’m pretty excited about. One is a psychological horror… a brutal ghost story set at the end of the 19th century in the American West. Another is a near-future sci-fi conspiracy thriller and then there’s SEVERED sequels… its in the air right now but we are seriously considering doing some more SEVERED.
JM: Finally, if you could have Mr. Porter fight a classic horror character, who would it be, why, and would he win?
ST: Ha. Good question. I don’t know if they’re considered classic horror characters but to me they are so I’m gonna go with it — I’d say the kid from Pet Cemetary – Gage — (post-burial of course) and a close second would be the girl from the Exorcist.
