At any given moment, there seems to be a lot of horror comics on Kickstarter. It’s a popular genre, but with good reasons: as long as there are things to be scared of, there will always be new horror stories to tell.
Creators Ian Mondrick and Benjamin Æ Filby want to try something different, however. By focusing on pacing, mood and atmosphere, they’re confident that their latest Kickstarter project, “Tomb of the White Horse” will provide the tension and thrill that horror fans crave.
“Tomb of the White Horse,” the first of a four-part horror series, launched earlier this month on Kickstarter to an impressive start. Grabbing half of their $3,500 campaign in the first three days, co-creators Ian Mondrick (“The Good Fight,” “Corpus,” “Unlawful Good”) and Benjamin Æ Filby (“Tank Magazine,” “Split Lip”) are excited for the opportunity to scare people just in time for Halloween.
As a blizzard descends upon a remote distribution center, a mysterious package is delivered. The three-man night crew will be witness to unspeakable horrors born from within the TOMB OF THE WHITE HORSE.
Indeed, they must be doing something right, as the project is now fully funded and has its sights firmly set on its stretch goals. I caught up with Ian and Ben to discuss “Tomb,” its influences and the impact horror has had on their careers.
Hi both! I’m very excited about Tomb of the White Horse on Kickstarter, especially since it’s now surpassed its original goal and is fully funded! Congratulations! How did it feel for you both knowing that this project has gone from a dream to a reality?
Ian Mondrick: It feels amazing! But it also feels like a long time coming. We’ve been working on this for almost two years now, and the story had been kicking around in my head before that. So to realize that soon people will be holding it in their hands is more surreal than real.
Benjamin Æ Filby: It’s fantastic. This project has been on our minds for quite a while, and it’s great to see our hard work is paying off, and that people are interested!
Let’s go back to the beginning. How did “Tomb” get started, how did you both get involved in this project?
IM: The original story came to me while I was at work, and started more like a ghost story you’d hear around the campfire. I’d tell the idea to my co-workers, refining and adding items in, almost rehearsing it, in a way. It was probably a week before I ever sat down at my keyboard and put it to type.
BF: Ian and I started working together on a short story called “Win Tremendous” for his “Curio” anthology – we enjoyed it so much that after that project wrapped we starting talking through other projects to work on. That’s when Ian told me about a horror story he had in mind that would eventually twist into the shape of “Tomb of the White Horse.”
You talk about your shared love of movies such as The Thing, The Shining and Hellraiser, and presumably they all play a part in influencing “Tomb,” do either of you have any other influences that fed into this book, what horror comics do you love?
IM: Yeah, almost every horror anthology series or movie ever! I love the idea of short vignettes, self-contained stories that can be experienced in one sitting. Creepshow, Tales from the Darkside, (special shout out to anyone who remembers the Friday the 13th TV series!). And of course, the old EC horror comics were a part of my youth, at least the reprints.
BF: Aside from the major horror classics of my big influences for the book (for me) is a very select type of modern horror – films like It Follows, The Ritual, The Babadook – wherein the horror is more of a lens through which to view a character going through something really real.
Also, in terms of dark, twisted anthologies, a show that has been a massive influence on my storytelling is Inside No. 9 – not out and out horror, but a brilliant series that captures the mood, tension, humor and everything in between really, really well.
Continued belowHorror is such a visceral experience that can often be tricky to translate into comics. What are some of the things you’ve learned about the genre, and how to make horror work in comics?
IM: Well for me it’s all about setting the right mood. Getting the tone correct does most of the work, and the horror movies I’ve loved are usually the ones that leave more questions unanswered than answered. What lies on the edge of your conscious mind is the unknown, and at our core, the unknown is truly the most horrifying thing. So for me, this was a tightrope walk, not wanting the book to be too vague, but also to make sure we don’t pierce the veil and over-explain ourselves.
BF: It’s all about the pacing – giving the scene room to hang when it needs to, for the mood to seep in, and then knowing how to ratchet up the tension to a fever-pitch. On the technical side of things, there’s a lot of things to consider, but without establishing how the characters feel, or knowing how you want the reader to feel, it falls apart.
There’s also the balance between what’s shown and what’s left to the imagination. An artist instinctually wants to show what’s going on, but with horror what’s going on is the experience of abject terror. Showing somebody reacting to something truly terrifying is often more effective than actually showing say, a monster.
You mention on the Kickstarter about this being the third re-write of “Tomb”, and that this version has had a script review from Danny Lore. How has this process helped refine the book?
IM: Well I’m learning more about making, selling, and marketing comics every day, and one of the most important things is: hire an editor. My good friend (and stellar writer) Tony Keaton assisted me with the rough first couple of drafts. I had an opportunity to have a script reviewed by Danny, and having a second pair of eyes was incredibly helpful. Tony got the book into great shape, but Danny was able to push it even further forward, and the combined efforts of everyone has made it into something we were convinced would find space in people’s longboxes.
BF: I’ve always liked this story, but after we received the first round of script notes from Danny, we had a very long chat and rebuilt a lot of the script, and now I LOVE this story. Having an editor, especially one as skilled as Danny, really elevated the book to something more meaningful and effective.
“Tomb of the White Horse” seems like a perfect Kickstarter because not only is it already funded but it’s a one-shot, complete story. There’s also mention of this being the first part of a four-part series, however. What can you tell us about that?
IM: Well I can’t say as much as I’d like, as there are some pretty heavy spoilers moving forward. But, as you noted, the stories will all be singular tales, that you won’t need to read in a certain order to enjoy. But taken from beginning to end, they’ll tell a sort of oral history of the events we’re planning to reveal, and they’ll expand in scope as well. Our next story will be bigger in scope and cast.
BF: “Tomb of the White Horse” exists as its own entity, but there is the opportunity for so much expansion – we can’t say much more than that. Once you’ve read the book it’ll all fall into place!
Lastly, for those still on the fence, what can you tell us that will really change people’s minds?
IM: For me, it’s the care put into the plot and character development. We wanted to eschew the jump scares and torture-porn that some movies have devolved into. I think that we’ve crafted a comic that is scary, engaging and works to make these three poor souls real people, rather than just meat for the grinder.
BF: Very much what Ian said – with a little extra: We’re very conscious of the fact that horror is all about taking those first steps out of the light, and into the darkness, the unknown. With that in mind, we want to keep a lot of the book a surprise for you.
Continued belowEverything you’ve seen so far from the “Tomb of the White Horse” campaign is only from the first quarter of the book. There’s so much more to see, and much, much more terror to come.
“Tomb of the White Horse” is live on Kickstarter until 9/4/19 and can be found at TOMBcomic.com
