Interview: Mark Slater, Artist and creator or the indie comic ‘DREADFUL’
Heya Shamblers…
I know we like to interview a bunch of indie filmmakers, but this time I’ve got a whole new angle, Mark Slater is the epitome of the indie artist, he is making his OWN comic (called ‘Dreadful’ by the way) and legging it around himself to get it noticed! This is exactly the kind of love of horror that gets me going! The drive to do something like this is so incredible, the fucking passion to get moving on it and get it out there for the simple love of doing it… Now Mark is a freelance comic artist and illustrator that has clients ranging from private collectors to companies such as 5FINITY and Topps… so it’s not like this is all he does, but the spirit to go out and do this is what I really dig about Mark, he was featured on INNER SPACE when he was stationed at FanExpo this past summer, and we met him there… Ladies and Gents: Mark Slater!
ZK: Welcome to the site Mark, let’s jump right in, tell us about Dreadful and how it all came about.
MS: Dreadful is a short-story horror comic of my own creation; [so far] each book is between thirty and forty pages and consists of three different stories by two different artists. I got the idea for the title from the old “Penny Dreadfuls†that circulated in England in the 1800’s; the idea being that each [comic] would feature new or continuing stories to shock, thrill and horrify. So far the subject matter has been mostly zombie-focused but, as the series keeps going it is my hope that we can branch out into other areas of the supernatural. Issue two features a story about vampires (that don’t sparkle)!
Dreadful really came about in late 2009; I went to FanExpo in Toronto for the first time as a fan and I absolutely loved it – the atmosphere, the sense of inclusion and shared-passion in everyone there – it was incredible. Going through Artist’s Alley and seeing that other people had said “dammit, I’m making my own book on my own terms now†helped give me the confidence to not only say the same thing to myself, but also, “I’m going to be here next year on the other side of the table.†And I did!
By the time I sat down to actually start putting Dreadful together, I already had the second story, “Safe and Sound†half finished. I had been contacted earlier that year by a guy in the States who was compiling a zombie comic anthology. He asked me if I would be interested in doing a story to be included in the book and I said sure but, when I had about eight of the ten pages finished, I emailed him to ask how I would be compensated. His response was, “you send us the pages, we print them, and then you buy copies of the book at cost to sell off on your own!†Needless to say I didn’t send him any pages and I never spoke to him again.
The first story, Drywater, I came up with after seeing Resident Evil: Extinction; I thought it was going to be a zombie western. When it wasn’t I was a little disappointed but I thought to myself, “why don’t I just write my own!?†and I did! The only thing I didn’t want, though, was to have it be too old-fashioned – I wanted that old-west feel but with a more contemporary vibe. One of my favorite movies is Last Man Standing (with Bruce Willis) and I more or less based the overall look of Drywater on that type of setting, those type of characters; sort of a 1920’s old-west look but with cars and basic automatic weapons.
The third story, SKP came about by sheer good fortune! Again, in late 2009, a California-based artist by the name of Lance Sawyer was searching for Boba Fett references on DeviantArt and he came across my image called “Fett’s Vette†(Boba Fett throwing up a peace sign). He loved the image and contacted me about it; we chatted back and forth and have since become great friends. I told him I was putting together a comic of my own and what it was about, asked him if he’d like to contribute and he said yes!
So, by mid August of 2010, issue one of Dreadful was complete – penciled, inked, scanned and lettered. I took it to a print shop in North Bay, Ontario (where I was living at the time) and they had two-hundred copies ready for me within about a week. I tell you, there are few things more amazing or more satisfying than to hold a finished book in your hands and to be able to say, “this is mine, I made it.†It is a unique and unbelievably gratifying experience when all that hard work finally pays off and you can have something tangible to show for all your efforts. What made premiering issue one of Dreadful at FanExpo 2010 even better (aside from achieving a personal goal), was that Lance even flew up from California to Toronto to launch the book with me! I’m pleased to say it was a huge success and sold out by the end of the weekend.
Issue two of Dreadful features two short stories by me and a third by a UK-based artist by the name of Wynn Ryder. The first story is, once again, Drywater – it continues in issue two and will continue into issue three (where I intend to wrap it up); the third story is called Happy Birthday Trenton.
When I was leaving North Bay at the end of April, 2011, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to my good friend Clayton and his family, and I also missed his (and his son’s) birthday. I called him up and apologized and told him, “you’ll have your birthday present at the end of August!†In Happy Birthday Trenton, Clayton’s son (Trenton) receives an ancient book in the mail called “Dangerous Occult,†from a mysterious relative for his birthday. Naturally, Clayton confiscates it, and unwittingly reads (as he would) an incantation that proceeds to zombify the entire family (including guests that show up for Trenton’s birthday party). From what I understand it was well-received – they’re all just as big fans of horror as I am.
The second story in issue two is called “Midlands After Midnight†(it’s the one about vampires that don’t sparkle). It was written and illustrated by a great UK-based artist friend of mine by the name of Wynn Ryder. Wynn is an absolutely amazing artist and I was stoked when he agreed to come on board and contribute a story to Dreadful. I told him he could do whatever he wanted, just as long as it wasn’t zombies (zombies are great but we’re trying to branch out)! He replied “I’m writing a vampire story!†and I said, “awesome!†I really can’t say enough great things about Wynn’s art, it’s simply beautiful to look at and it really helped to enhance the second issue.
ZK: I see on your site (LINK) that you also do ZOMBIE PORTRAITS! How long have you been into horror, and what are your favorites?
MS: Yes, I do indeed create custom zombie portraits! I’ve been doing them for just over a year now and I’d like to think they’re growing in popularity; the more people see them the more the word seems to spread about them. People get them done either for themselves or for a friend or relative, and then their friends or relatives see them and want one too! They seem to make great birthday or Christmas gifts! [Zombie portraits] really helped me out at FanExpo and they’re always great fun to work on – you can do whatever you want to the person and never feel bad about it! If people are interested they can check out all the ones I’ve done before over on TheHorde’s main page: http://bethehorde.blogspot.com
I’ve been into horror, probably, since I was a teenager. My uncle got me hooked through important horror start-up movies such as Jaws, Aliens, Cronenberg’s The Fly, Silence of the Lambs, The Thing, stuff like that. When I was in high-school, a friend of mine and I would get together every Friday after school to watch what he considered to be the most important horror movies – Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead (the original), Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street. I couldn’t get enough and always wanted to keep seeing more – he really helped further my education on the subject!
When I left for university I started researching on my own – investigating all the “banned in certain countriesâ€, bootleg, never-before-seen, insert-cliche-here, horror movies and soaked up all the new releases that I could in theaters. I enjoy pretty much anything as long as it’s decent but, admittedly, few things get me more excited than word of a new zombie flick. I’ve always been faithful to the originals though, the Canon if you will, and I hold those closest to my horror heart. I can’t stand crap like “Hostel†or anything in the “gorno / torture-porn†genre, really – it’s just cruel violence for the sake of it and lacks a point or message, which so many of the classics really carry, and which I really value in good horror movies. If I had to pick an all-time favorite, I think it would be John Carpenter’s Halloween. I watch it every year and I just think it’s brilliant in its execution.
ZK: I get a kick out of the celebrity sketch cards, especially the horror ones (STAY FUCKING PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN RULES!!!). What mediums do you prefer to work in when you are working on a piece?
MS: Thanks, I’m glad you dig them! Those were great fun to work on and I was really pleased with the response they got. The classic monsters (Invisible Man, Phantom of the Opera) and cult-favorite characters such as Ash, Herbert West and Dr. Loomis were snapped up pretty quickly. I still have a few left over from last year – they’re posted on my blog (or will be shortly) and available with free shipping! Those were all done as part of my personal sketch-card series, 31 Days of Halloween – it seemed to go over so well last year that I brought it back again this year! Again, stay tuned to the blog for daily updates and cards for sale. I’m doing my best not to repeat myself but I’ll probably end up doing another Ash as Halloween draws closer. Speaking of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man card – that one went straight away but I’ve still got the Slimer, Vigo and Gozer cards available! They’re looking for a good home!
Typically, when I’m working on cards or comics, I prefer to use markers (Sharpies, mostly, but I use Prismacolors and Copics, too); marker is a fun, quick and easy medium to use as well as to play around with. My educational background is in Fine Arts though, so if someone wanted something done in Oil, Acrylic or Watercolour, I could do that too, no problem. I’m currently working well as a professional freelance illustrator so if anyone out there needs some work done just shoot me a message and we can get the ball rolling!
ZK: With the zombie portraits and all the classic horror influences on your work- I gotta ask, Fast or slow zombies, which do you prefer?
MS: Ooh, tough but fun call. Shall we address the argument as to whether or not fast zombies are actually zombies? In 28 Days Later they don’t technically eat your flesh; in the remake of Dawn of the Dead they do. Let me stress, first, that I am a huge zombie fan (just so I don’t get inundated with angry emails telling me I’m not), but frankly I really don’t care either way – zombies are terrifying no matter what speed they come at you. Granted, having to run from them is a little more troublesome as all humans tend to get winded eventually, but what’s most frightening about zombies is their numbers and the fact that they’re the only monster that really comes to you. Vampires and Monsters: you need to be in the castle; Mummies: you need to be in the pyramid; Werewolves: you need to be in the forest. Zombies are the ones who come knocking at your door and when they do there are thousands of them! They’re your friends and family; people you knew, and they can’t be bought or reasoned with. All they want to do is eat you and you’d better be prepared to defend yourself.
ZK: So, you’ve been creating Dreadful from the ground up, where can people get it, do you ship? Or is there an electronic copy to purchase?
MS: Indeed I have, it’s been an indie project all the way! At the moment, the only stores that carry Dreadful are here in Ontario. They are:
Blue Beetle Comics (Barrie)
The Beguiling (Toronto)
The Silver Snail (Toronto)
Paradise Comics (Toronto)
The Comic Room (Scarborough), and
Heroic-Dreams (Pickering).
I do ship, yes – the cost per book is an even $5.00 and I charge $5.00 shipping (general flat rate). I’ve been struggling with how best to go about selling an electronic copy – it would be helpful to know what people out there thought. Would $8.00 be too much for a PDF of both issues one and two together? Let me know! I’m more than happy to investigate the whole electronic comic thing if I find there is a demand for it. Otherwise, the easiest way to get yourself a copy of Dreadful is to contact me directly (all my info is on my blog- LINK HERE). I also greatly encourage anyone who picks up a copy and enjoys it to like Dreadful on Facebook! Sure it’s tacky but it’s nice to know who appreciates the work [we’re] doing.
ZK: What is coming up Next for you, Mark?
MS: Right now it remains to be seen for sure as to what’s coming up next exactly – a lot of things are in talks right now. I can say for sure that I will be at FanExpo again in 2012, it’s gone great for the past two years and I can only hope the trend continues.
Otherwise I’m hoping a few things come to fruition: with any luck I’ll be doing a signing around Halloween at a comic shop in Toronto (check back to the blog for updates) – I’ll have copies of both issue one and two of Dreadful for sale there and will be taking requests for commissions and zombie portraits; I’ve submitted my application to TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) and am waiting to hear back from them – that’s in February, 2012; Wizard World Toronto in March I’m hoping to score a guest table. Nobody’s coming to me yet with offers to work for Marvel or DC so until that happens I’ll keep plugging away as hard as I can at the indie thing (it is pretty awesome to have so much control over my own work). I’ll be doing an interview with the Barrie Examiner this week so, for those of you living in the Barrie area, keep your eyes peeled for yours truly! Apart from that, issue three of Dreadful is in the works and should be finished by the new year. As always I’m taking requests for zombie portraits and I’m working on my 31 Days of Halloween sketch-cards! As soon as something new happens I post it on the blog so people can always just bookmark that and keep checking back there, I’m fairly regular at updating it. I never stop drawing and I’m always creating something new – what’s coming up next for me is whatever I choose and you all get to come along for the ride!
Well, we appreciate you dropping in, the comic is wicked, and it’s great to see people out there creating what they love! Check out Mark’s interpretation of yours truly… as he joins the GALLERY (LINK) here on Zombieinfo- like it? Want your OWN? CLICK HERE to get the details (LINK) on how you can order your own zombie portrait!
I’m ‘the Zombieking’ and this topic is now DEAD to me!
Ok shamblers… got something SPECIAL today for ya! Not only do we have the talented Chandler Riggs on deck… oh no, we got a ‘PG-13’ Zombieking! That’s right boys and ghouls… no swearing this time! …I might just pop a vein or something…I better clean up the body parts lying around the crypt too… anyway. On October the 16th (in 2 DAYS!!!) we will see him return for AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 2… Let’s take a look at Chandler’s body of work so far:
Get Low (2009)
The Walking Dead Season 1- (2010)
The Wronged Man (2010)
The Walking Dead Season 2- (2011)
When I met him and his Dad at the Fanexpo in Toronto this year, he was a friendly and outgoing guy… I didn’t even try to eat him! Then again, his Dad was sitting RIGHT THERE so I felt a little like I couldn’t have anyway…but enough jerkin’ around…let’s talk to him, Ladies and Gents: Mr Chandler Riggs!
CR: Sure (REAL NAME EDITED), er, Zombieking Hello, everyone, thanks for taking time to read & watch!
ZK: So Chandler, obviously I want to jump right in and talk about zombies… since we ARE ‘zoimbieinfo.com’ and all, but I wanted to chat a sec about some of your other work…The Wronged man is a Drama with Julia Ormond, and Get Low is a Drama/Mystery… with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray… was it intimidating to work with actors like that or did you just say to yourself ‘I’m an actor, they are actors… no big whup!’
CR: Pretty much. It wasn’t intimidating because I did not know who they were, but I mainly worked with Robert Duvall and he was super-nice to me. Julia Ormond was awesome, maybe because she has kids, it felt like she was my temporary mom in our scenes.
ZK: Besides ‘The Walking Dead’, what else have you got coming up?
CR: a short film called Terminus, a pilot for a kid’s Cooking Show and after that either movie roles or back to school until Season 3 of the Walking Dead.
ZK: Wicked… So tell us a bit about being on the set of the Walking Dead… with the heat, and fitting in school, and the actual shooting of the show…it has to be a challenge!
CR: You don’t get distracted on this show because everyone is really focused and doing their jobs. I am home schooled on the set & they give me time, so it is way easier than actually going to school & doing it, which I had to do last year.
ZK: So, tell us about the Zombies, is it creepy, or just another day at the office for you when you see them now?
CR: Not really. We eat lunch with them and know they are normal people.
ZK: Do you like Zombies when they are fast…or slow?
CR: I like them slow because you can get away!
ZK: The show is fantastic, we’ve been on board since they announced it was being made- what’s it like working with the other actors, any funny or interesting stories to tell from the set?
CR: Tickfestation in the woods and Cow patties in the fields. Steven Yuen had a tick in a private place and he was hilarious telling us about it.
ZK: I won’t be so brash to ask about any of the upcoming plots, besides I prefer letting it play out so I get surprised… but I will ask this, without giving anything away, has any of the scripts for season 2 surprised you?
CR: A lot of them have, one was pretty jaw-dropping, but I can’t say how. Sorry.
Chandler, I want to thank you very much for taking the time to chat with us… we want to wish you all the success in this, and your upcoming projects, drop by anytime….but I doubt it will be this clean next time, the Zombiequeen made me pick up all the mess I left around the crypt for your visit…
Is there anything else you’d like to let us know to keep an eye out for?
CR: My dad’s band JILLHAMMER has a new song on iTunes called “Camel Toe”. Buy it a lot because he needs the money! And buy their album BOONDOGGLE. It has a lot of swearing in it, Zombieking, so you will love it!
Wicked, thanks a bunch for the chat!
….phew! I made it! A whole interview without swearing! I deserve a treat, where’s that cheerleader I had locked up?
Oh, make sure you check out AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ on Sunday, like I had to remind you…
I’m ‘the Zombieking’ and this topic is now DEAD to me!
This will be different, yeah… I got to meet Doug Bradley at the FanExpo ‘Festival of Fear’ this past August, and I scored an interview with the man himself. What… Don’t believe me? HERE IS THE AUDIO to PROVE IT!!! Yep, it’s an audio interview…first time ever. If this post goes well I might just do them from time to time…ignore the mumbling at the beginning, it’s a new machine. Below the audio will be all the relevant LINKS discussed in the interview… enjoy!
Easily a perfect conversation… ok, ok, so I didn’t ask him ‘How many nails in your face, Doug?’ (answer is equal to how many times I nailed yer MOM…) but still, I got to chat to him about current projects, upcoming films (with RUTGER HAUER!!!! FUCK YEAH!) and really, you can find all that Pinhead stuff out there already, right? Umbrage looks kick ass, and I’m pretty stoked about his dance card being all filled up, so much thanks and love to Doug Bradley!
I’m ‘the Zombieking’ and this topic is now DEAD to me!
Interview: Brian Singleton: Director, writer, producer, editor and even special effects!
Brian is the creative force behind Forest of the Dead, and had done a couple of wildly successful short films as well including ‘Zombie Cop vs. the Alien Terror’ and my personal favorite ‘Death Trike’. Brian has done some acting as well, appearing in ‘Corpses are Forever’ with such genre favs as Brinke Stevens, Felissa Rose, Linnea Quigley, and Richard Lynch. He has even appeared as himself in the documentary ‘Horror Business’ that focuses on grassroots filmmakers and has a lot of clips from even MORE genre favorites like Sid Haig, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Lloyd Kaufman, and many others. With his obvious love and respect for the horror (and zombie!) world… it was only natural that we speak to him, so on with the interview!
ZK: Hi Brian, thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Can you give us a little background for the readers who aren’t as familiar with your work?
BS:  It’s my pleasure, Zombie King! Film making in an all-consuming career, so most of my life revolves around movies in some way. I’ve been making independent films for 15 years through my own production company, One Day in a Pasture Productions. Since 1996, I’ve written, directed, produced, photographed and edited 7 short films and 2 features. I’m a true fan of cinema in every respect, with a love for horror movies above all others – so naturally, most of my work has been horror. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been drawn to the horror genre.
Like a lot of filmmakers, I spent my early years developing my skills through short works, mostly with a handy cam and a non-linear editing deck at my high school. Then, in 2001, I began production on my first feature, a gory campers-verses-cannibals picture called, Forest of the Dead. The film was completed in the fall of 2001, but didn’t get released until 2007.
After that, I finally shot something new and created a short film called Death Trike. It’s a paranormal revenge story about three street punks who run down a child on Halloween night, only to be hunted by the child’s
possessed homicidal tricycle. It’s pretty much Christine with a tricycle (and it was made years before Rubber!) The film premiered at the 2006 Killer 63 Short Film Festival in Ottawa, then in 2007 at the Independent Film Festival of Boston with the New Zealand monster movie, Black Sheep. I also made a re-cut of the film that won second place in a short film competition for iLaugh.com.
From there, a new feature was conceived about a werewolf attacking a fast food restaurant, which of course became, Werewolf Fever.
ZK: What is taking up your time these days?
BS: Werewolf Fever and more Werewolf Fever. The movie was completed in 2010, but like any indy filmmaker knows, when you make a movie, you have to live with it forever. Finishing the movie is only the beginning. The hardest part is everything after that. Since I always have ideas for new movies, I am looking forward to starting something soon…maybe Werewolf Fever 2?
ZK: Werewolf Fever is doing really well, you’ve managed to win some awards and hit some festivals, tell us about making that movie and how it came about.
BS: Well, it’s certainly been a long road for this movie, but one well worth taking. It’s been almost 5 years since Werewolf Fever was first envisioned. The story began in April of 2007, when a group of friends and I stopped for lunch at a classic looking drive-in restaurant in Renfrew, called, Odi’s Kingburger. As we ate our lunch, a joke was made about shooting a monster movie there, with the obvious villain being a Werewolf attacking the Kingburger to eat the burgers and the staff. We laughed at first, then I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. So, I decided to take the first step and ask. I approached the Kingburger’s owner, Robert Audette (“Odi†), to see what he thought about his restaurant being used to shoot a werewolf movie. I soon discovered that Odi was a great guy. Then he introduced me to his daughter, Robin, who also happened to love horror
movies. We all got together, Mark and I pitched the idea, and it developed from there. At the time, we didn’t even have a script, and Werewolf Fever had to be written, planned and shot between April and September of 2007. Because of these times constraints, grant applications and other bids for funding were not an option. It was a question of making the movie now with the resources I had, or not making it at all. All I had was a Visa card and a part-time job for funding, so I had to be very creative with my budget. I set the film entirely at the Kingburger, I cast familiar actors that I knew would commit to the difficult shooting schedule for the thrill of the project, rather than a paycheck, and I quickly wrangled a small group of film industry friends for some extra hands. Then we set out for a summer of Werewolf Fever.
As for the actual production, the movie was an exhausting and grueling experience to make – but as usual, it was the time of my life. We had to shoot overnight on weekends, which was very tough on everyone involved, since we all worked full time day jobs during the week. For the few daytime scenes, we only had two mornings to shoot everything before 8am. Those we the most stressful shoots for sure. In the end, I was very lucky to have everything work out for the best.
ZK: It’s a blast, I got to see it on the big screen and had a great time… Seems like a lot of love and late nights went into that shoot, any funny stories to share?
BS: Thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Their were many memorable moments for sure. On the first night of shooting, the Werewolf stepped off the dumpster and went through a picnic table. We had to
replace the broken boards the next day, but thankfully everything was fine! Then there was the roller skate leg scene, where we rolled the skate across the parking lot more than 30 times to get the right take. The
scene with the Werewolf jumping off the Kingburger roof drew a big crowd to watch that night. And, of course, there was also a collection of weird, creepy guys who would show up randomly at 3 am to chat with
everyone – but mostly creep the actresses. They were hard to get rid of sometimes. Some of those moments were caught on tape, so hopefully everyone will get to see them one day!
ZK: Let’s talk ‘Forest of the Dead’, you shot the film in 2002, but due to ‘technical tragedies’, the film had to be re-cut from scratch and released in 2007- What was that like to go back to a project you had finished not
because you wanted to (such as doing a directors cut), but had to?
BS: It was absolute Hell, no question. Forest would have been released in 2002, but ended up on the shelves long after it’s time. I used a good camera to shoot that movie, but since 2001, technology had changed so
drastically that the movie already looked much more amateur that it actually was. It was a low budget indy shoot, but I took every shot very seriously and tried to be as professional as possible. I don’t think people
understand how much work goes into any indy film, since some people think you can make them in a weekend! I went back to it because it was my first feature and I had put my life into it for so many years that
I had to get it out there somehow. When I committed to re-visiting the project, I put in hundreds of hours of additional work to finish it because I truly believed in was a good film. In the end, I’m glad I did.
ZK: Are you happier with the results?
BS: Yes. I pretty much got exactly what I wanted. I had a DVD release with my own cover artwork and every special feature I had created to try and tell the film’s long and sorted story. The disc is pretty much the
ultimate time capsule for all those glory years I can never get back. In the end, The most important part of that whole experience was to get my film on the shelf, and I did.
ZK: The usual ‘zombieinfo.com’ question: Fast or slow zombies- Which do you prefer?
BS: Zombies move slow, not fast.
ZK: With your obvious love of the horror genre, what (in your opinion) is the best ‘era’ in horror films, and how do you see the current state of horror?
BS: I think 70’s horror had a trademark style that was unmistakable and brilliant, however, most of my favorite horror films were made in the 80’s. That decade was an explosion of original horror that had never been
seen before or since. It was a renegade time for horror and exploitation film and I think the world of cinema is richer for it. I only wish I was old enough to have experienced it on the drive-in screens instead of on
mangled VHS tapes!
ZK: Is your work inspired by the directors you respect? And how?
BS: I know it’s cliche, but I am inspired by the horror greats: Carpenter, Romero, De Palma, Sam Raimi, Tobe Hooper, Joe Dante, Larry Cohen, John Landis and so on. I’m also a huge fan of great directors that I believe
never got the careers they deserved, like Fred Dekker, Don Coscarelli, William Girdler and Don Dohler. I’m also inspired by renowned master filmmakers like Sergio Leone, William Friedken, and Stephen Speilberg.
I guess I drawn inspiration for all sources, however, I never try to imitate anyone’s work. So many indy filmmakers try so hard to be like their heros, they end up ripping them off. I don’t think any director needs
another “homage†or “tribute†paid to their films, so I always try to develop my own style.
ZK: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us, is there anything else you’d like to say or plug?
BS: I would just like to say thank you to anyone who has taken the time to check out my films and support my work in any way, I truly appreciate it. And I encourage anyone out there to give all indy films a chance. I know there’s a lot of crap out there, but there’s also a lot of great films too – you just have to find them!
Now… Normally I’d make some wise ass remark here, about this topic being ‘Dead to me’ and don’t worry…it’s coming but later- I’m working on something with Brian for Fan Expo… so STAY TUNED!
Holy fuckin’ fuck!?!?! Marty made a game, and it kicks ass! Many of you already know Martin Whitmore as the creator of Zombieinfo.com’s ‘Crawler’ image (which we LOVE by the way) and his kick ass web comic Tasty Flesh is STILL taking names (and kicking other stuff) out there (and they have tee-shirts too!) Marty is kind of an honorary ‘Zombieprince’ around here… he pretty much can do whatever he wants (and usually does) and I’ll gush… so let me tell you about his new game ‘Against the Dead’… it’s a Zombie survival RPG, yeah… the old school pencil/paper D20 games that rock so hard, especially with a few like minded friends (and perhaps a few beverages???) actually… no, fuck this, I’m not going to tell you about the game, oh, no… I’m gonna make Marty do it! MARTY!!!! Get in here!!! It’s time to whore yourself to the masses here and pimp your game!!!!
MW: Mwahaha! Always happy to sell my soul for a little exposure – and it’s always good to be here with you, ZK!
ZK: Ok Marty, stop lying…you have no soul… welcome back and all that crap- you already know we love your stuff, so tell the people all about your new game!
MW: Like you said, it’s an old-school d20 RPG. Create a character, roll some dice, and chainsaw your way through unholy hordes of the undead! The game takes your characters through 3 stages of the zombie plague… from the first days, where you start as an average chump, through the battle for survival where you become a master of combating the undead scourge, through the apocalypse – if you survive that, then you become the new masters of a world wiped clean by the ravenous blight of zombies. So, gather some friends, bring some drinks, order a pizza, and join the fight!
ZK: So… now that I got you here, instead of just hanging out in the King’s TV room… you might as well answer a few questions! Like how I totally roped you into an interview? That’s not the question… this is- what have you been up to since we last talked?
MW: I’m lovin’ life as a freelance illustrator. I’ve been working as the illustrator half of Ideaschema (http://ideaschema.org/) with my partner Megan Elizabeth Morris. We’ve been having a great time working with all kinds of great people. I got interviewed by CNN about Geek Sex at SXSW this year (http://bit.ly/glcPPM) – watch that for a laugh! …in addition, I’m working on another zombie book right now, as well as putting together expansions for Against the Dead.
MW: ‘Creative Team in a Box’ is our answer to hiring a design/advertising agency for businesses on the web. Megan and I specialize in solo entrepreneurs and small businesses, and we help their web presence really smack people in the face – we use eye-popping illustration work, integrated into people’s websites, to really bring them to life. So, it’s a bit like necromancy. …but instead of gutting a chicken and chanting in Latin, I make sweet artwork for ‘em.
ZK: Back to the game, it’s (and here’s your ‘Zombieking says’ quote) more fun than stuffing a muskrat in yer pants! …no, I can do better: Zombieking says: This is the kind of game I can REALLY sink my TEETH into! …yeah, better. Anyhoo, it’s fun and all that- how did you go about testing and developing it?
MW: Sergio Vandel is the guy I went to when I wanted to make this game – he’s an amazing game designer, and he helped shape my wild ideas into a solid RPG system. …he’s also the guy who runs my weekly D&D game. We have some of the most amazing gamers I’ve ever met in our group, people who are known for working within the rules of a game to break it from the inside out. We put ‘Against the Dead’ through the wringer by playing game after game of it with these guys, working out the kinks, adding new mechanics to make it better, and we refined it down into the book we’ve got today. We also had a great idea: the ‘Against the Dead’ book contains *everything* you need to play the game, except for a set of dice and friends. You don’t have to buy three separate books like a lot of systems out there just to get started… we wanted you to be able to buy one book and start busting heads!
ZK: So, when do you actually sleep? Oh..wait… ON MY COUCH! (just kidding!) For reals though, what have you got coming up this summer, and WHERE can we get your game?
MW: You can get your hands on a digital copy of the game at RPGnow.com by following this link: http://bit.ly/dCxEZV Also, if you’d like to get your hands on one of our remaining print copies (we’ve only got about 20 left), you can email me (marty@ideaschema.org) to see if I have any left. They’re selling for $30, plus S&H. We’ve got several expansions planned, so you can get a little extra carnage to add to your game. You can always visit http://martinwhitmore.com for more information on what I’ve got coming up.
ZK: Ok man, go back to your stuff… I got people to kill and stuff to see… Drop by anytime Marty!
MW: It’s been great talking with you! If you’re ever in Austin, you’ll have to stop by for game night and meet the guys! Just bring a few bucks to chip in for chainsaw gas…
ZK: As long as no one tries to saw me…you got a deal Marty! By the way… a certain ‘Crawler‘ makes an appearance in the game too… OR SO I’VE HEARD!….
(Not the Crawler… but damn if it doesn’t freak me out a lil…)
I’m ‘the Zombieking’…and I’m getting sick of all these ‘repeat’ visitors! …Naw, I kid… but they ARE fucking up my catchphrase! Screw it… I’m ‘the Zombieking’ and this topic is now DEAD to me!
