It’s not easy staying alive in a noir story if you are a private investigator, even if you’re already dead!
Marco Finnegan explores this concept in his new Oni Press comic series, Calavera, P.I., mixing the noir detective story with plenty of supernatural and horror elements.
We spoke to Finnegan about his new creation and the inspirations behind Calavera in this exclusive interview with the writer/artist.
Where did your idea for Calavera, P.I. first originate?
Marco Finnegan: This definitely started with a drawing. I was just kind of riffing on the Calavera drawings of José Guadalupe Posada. I liked the visual of this skeleton in a fedora and trench coat and had been itching to do a noir, so it all kind of came together after that.
The noir/classic horror mix is a popular one as of late. What is it about mixing the two genres that works best for your storytelling and art in Calavera, P.I.?
Finnegan: For Calavera it just seemed to make sense, because of his supernatural origins, the influence of Mexican Folklore also brought a lot of the idea of Death being a part of life… so i just leaned into that as literally as I could.
Speaking of noir, you set your story in Los Angeles in the 1920s. Why did you choose this era over another one? Did you consider others?
Finnegan: I grew up in Southern California and have spent a lot of time in L.A .and love noirs set there, things like Connely’s Bosch, Crais’ Elvis Cole, Mosley’s Rawlins and of course Chandler, have always been my favorites because of how familiar the world is on the surface. I wanted that familiarity with Calavera, but like the above, I wanted the reader to be guided into parts of the world that they may have not ventured into.
How much Chicano culture were you able to work into Calavera and what aspect may surprise people in terms of an aspect(s) not well known outside of the culture?
Finnegan: I think the most surprising part is that there was a thriving Mexican American community in Los Angeles. I love stories that kind of retcon what has been established by popular culture, and that was my hope here, just including folks into the narrative that have been left out.
You have some great artists working on variant covers for issue #1. What is it like seeing your creation interpreted by a different set of artists?
Finnegan: It’s pretty awesome and humbling! Those covers rolling in got me super hyped. We got gorgeous covers from Zeke Pena, Juan Gideon, Ramon Perez and J Gonzo that just blew me away.
Plans for more Calavera stories in the future?
Finnegan: There are definitely more stories I’d like to tell with him and his world, but it’s too early to say if it will happen…fingers crossed!
Calavera, P.I. #1 is currently available at finer comic book shops everywhere.
