“The Walking Dead” might be one of the most successful comics out there, but all the imitators that it spawned have pretty much killed the zombie genre of comics unless they do something really different. A bunch of kids fighting a zombie invasion in a story that’s more Scooby Doo than “The Walking Dead” is exactly the right kind of different. That’s exactly the kind of comic that Steve Bryant and Mark Stegbaurer have created with “Ghoul Scouts”. Zombies are just the first adventure that these boys and girls encounter in their hometown, the self proclaimed “Paranormal Capital of the World”.
Steve and Mark chatted with us about “Ghoul Scouts, zombies, differentiating character designs, making a story to share with children, and more. “Ghoul Scouts” #1 is out this Wednesday, July 8th, at comic shops and comiXology.
What’s “Ghoul Scouts” about for those that may not know?
Steve Bryant: “Ghoul Scouts” attempts to answer that age-old question, “Who would win in a fight: zombies or scouts?”
It’s actually the story of a group of misfit kids who are away at a scouting jamboree when a zombie outbreak occurs. The kids have to band together to survive and eventually try and save their town. That town, Full Moon Hollow, is known as the “Paranormal Capital of the World” and the mystery of the town serves as the impetus for future stories—involving other monsters—going forward.
Zombie comics are both really popular and sort of overdone, for a lot of fans. How were the two of you hoping to do something different or interesting while developing the project?
SB: At its core, “Ghoul Scouts” is a coming-of-age story, like the Sandlot or Stand by Me, but with monsters. With that in mind, there’s a tone we were striving for. We wanted there to be stakes for the kids, and a legitimate sense of danger, but we also wanted to explore what it feels like to be that age.
It’s a delicate balancing act: trying to generate danger and excitement, along with some emotional beats, and making sure we didn’t get too graphic, or too sappy.
Mark Stegbaurer: I think we really wanted to do something different with the zombie genre at the same time that wasn’t gore filled, but more like an episode of Scooby Doo. Some thrills, but also some humor. My tastes have always been more geared towards humor, as is my art style. So we wanted it very accessible for all readers.
“Ghoul Scouts” is different from a lot of zombie comics, and a lot of comics in general, in that it seems to very much be aimed at a younger audience. What made you two want to tackle a series geared for a younger audience?
SB: I wanted to make a comic I could share with my son. He was 7 when I started on it, and he’s 15 now! Sometimes these things just take a while to come to fruition. That said, he still wants to read it. He’s a trade-waiter, so he’ll have his chance in October.
MS: I’ve always felt that there should be more all-ages comics, since for a long time it seemed like anything that was labeled all-ages was more geared towards a much younger audience. But with “Ghoul Scouts” we really wanted to grab the tween audience and give them something they could relate to.
One of the things I always like most about comics is finding out how books came together. So how did the two of you hook up for “Ghoul Scouts” and how did the book end up at Action Lab?
SB: I started playing around with the concept in 2007. Even though I write and draw some of my own material, I knew I wouldn’t be drawing “Ghoul Scouts”. My natural inclination is to take a more Al Williamson approach and I didn’t think that served the material as well as a stylized look would.
I reached out to a few artist friends and inquired if they’d be interested, but for one reason or another, nothing ever materialized. This worked out for the best, of course.
I’ve known Mark for years, and have always been in absolute awe of his inking chops. It wasn’t until I read his creator-owned book “Dr. Goyle” that I learned he was an excellent cartoonist, as well. The moment I saw that, I knew he’d be the right person to draw “Ghoul Scouts”.
Continued belowMark and I started on the pitch in spring of 2014. I immediately brought in editor Chris Murrin, whose contributions have been instrumental on “Athena Voltaire”, another series I write and draw. Another old friend and frequent collaborator, artist Jason Millet, agreed to color the pitch (and beyond, if we found a publisher).
I shopped the pitch around to appropriate publishers in spring and summer of 2014, but got no response. Y’know, sometimes this happens. Even with editors you have a relationship with, a pitch can be too similar to something else they’re doing, or too far afield from a direction the company wants to take, or it might get overlooked in the constant deadline crunch. It happens.
Flash forward a year. At San Diego Comic-Con 2015, I was set up across the aisle from Action Lab Entertainment’s Dave Dwonch, an old friend. ALE head honcho Bryan Seaton was a frequent visitor to Dave’s table and stopped by to chat with me. We talked about the “Ghoul Scouts” pitch and Bryan asked me to send it to him after the con. It clicked, or the time was right—or both—because we locked in on an agreement pretty quickly.
MS: I was also inking a project of Steve’s that was in the early stages of development, which gave Steve an idea of my dedication and passion to making comics. He had told me about the “Ghoul Scouts” project and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I had always wanted to do a kids action book, and this was a great opportunity. Once I saw the initial script, I knew this was the book I wanted to draw. We have a lot of cool ideas for future projects with the gang and hopefully those will see the light of day in the next several months and beyond.
One thing I noticed was that each of the characters in “Ghoul Scouts” is very different looking, like you could instantly recognize each from their silhouette alone. What went into the design of each character? On that same note, what went into giving each a unique personality?
MS: I definitely wanted to make sure all the kids were distinct. Too often artists will draw kids as just small adults, but they aren’t at all. Their proportions are different, their body language is different. I really made sure that was reflected in the art. I know Steve and I both wanted all the kids to really be diverse in both looks and character. I made sure that Chase and Peyton weren’t the same height, and that Becky and Trey weren’t the same height even though they are shorter than the others. When you have a book set mostly at night, there will be a lot of silhouettes and you should be able to pick out your characters.
SB: The scouts themselves started with the standard kid-lit archetypes: the jock, the brain, the leader, and the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, but I wanted each one to be more than just that label. I tried to change things up from some of the standard presentations. What if the jock was a girl instead of a boy? Why not make the brain NOT a nerd? Trying to find a different approach there was a good starting point.
From there, it was a matter of incorporating some elements of how I wish I’d have been as a kid, or incorporating some qualities I see in my son and his friends.
I like that you both compare this story to Scooby Doo and Sandlot, which I think are both pretty apt. Sure, it’s about monsters and has some laughs, but also is ultimately a coming of age story, which is pretty universal. Did either of you draw from your own sort of coming of age experiences (minus the zombies of course)?
SB: The majority of my life at that age was spent reading and drawing comics! I did spend a lot of Saturdays with my friends exploring drainage tunnels with flashlights (dumb!), building forts in the woods, and other “pretend we’re on an adventure” activities. But nothing culminated in that quintessential coming-of-age-moment. Is it too late for me to have that now? Or should I just do it vicariously through the “Ghoul Scouts”?!
Continued belowMS: I think I was in the same boat as Steve. I was mostly home reading comics, playing with Star Wars action figures, or drawing scenes from my favorite comics. I would sometimes do things with the other kids, like some adventure stuff, but I was happiest doing my own thing. So I think I’m living vicariously through the book as well.
The ending of “Ghoul Scouts” makes it clear that there’s plenty of other adventures the kids can go on. What’s the hope for the series if you get to do more?
SB: Yes, please! Mark and I have a lot of ideas for future stories. In a perfect world, I’d love to continue building this world with as many mini-series as Mark is able to draw. We’re already powering on ahead, though. I sent Mark the script for the first issue of the next mini-series, “I was a Tweenage Werewolf”. So I’m cautiously optimistic about the scouts’ future!
MS: I think we have lots of stories we can do with the gang, and as long as Steve wants me to draw them, I will be drawing them!
