Oni Press continues to roll out exciting and varied stories to start 2024, adding Zac Thompson and Daniel Irizarri’s cyber horror title Cemetery Kids Don’t Die to the impressive mix this February.
The new ongoing series is centered around an innovative video game system that lets you play when you are asleep called Enter the Dreamwave which is just as dangerous as it sounds.
We spoke to Thompson about Cemetery Kids Don’t Die as well as his innovative take on Marvel’s jungle man Ka-Zar in this exclusive interview.
Where did the idea for Cemetery Kids Don’t Die originate?
Zac Thompson: It was mostly born from a decade playing World of Warcraft and a desire to explore the alluring charm of games that require players to almost maintain a second life in order to fully commit. Beyond that, I really wanted to blend kinetic action scenes with more thoughtful ruminations on the cost of technology and how it can both inhibit and enhance our lives. Basically I wanted to blend my love of manga and my love of Cronenberg into a hearty stew.
A lot of horror fiction deals with the dream world and subconscious. How do you use these tropes to tell your story in Cemetery Kids?
Thompson: I would say we don’t really use the trope of a “dream world”. The game Nightmare Cemetery may be played while you’re asleep but it is very much a place you can go. It might not occupy a physical space but it’s not a dream. It’s a second reality. You wake up with all your memories intact. The subconscious, however. I mean that informs all the character’s journeys. There’s what they say they want but then there’s the deeper emotional underpinning that guides their decisions during the story.
Your collaborator Daniel Irizarri said “I think people aren’t ready for some of the stuff we get up to within these pages.” Do you care to elaborate on this frightening proposition?
Thompson: We’re endeavoring to bring readers visceral moments of horror and big, bombastic action scenes that will stop them dead. The idea is to load the book with moments that will make you stop and soak in the insanity on the page.
How was it working with Daniel on the series?
Thompson: Working with Daniel was a dream. He’s an incredibly talented storyteller who’s managed to make some of the most captivating character designs I’ve ever seen. He’s taken my scripts and elevated them at every opportunity. Not to mention his stylistic choices in rendering both the game world of Nightmare Cemetery and the real world. He’s a phenomenal collaborator.
Many readers enjoyed your unique take on Ka-Zar recently. Memories of working on the Ka-Zar series?
Thompson: I absolutely love that project. German, Mat and I really strove to make a unique Marvel horror title that was unlike anything else at the publisher. In that way I think we succeeded! We were able to turn Ka-Zar into a half-man/half-monster and tell a really compelling story about the Savage Land itself.
Upcoming projects?
Thompson: I’ve got a new neo-noir series from BOOM! Studios launching in April. It’s called Blow Away and it’s illustrated by Nicola Izzo. The title follows a wildlife videographer stationed in the arctic who may have witnessed a murder. She’s isolated in the harsh wilderness and decides to take it upon herself to investigate.
Cemetery Kids Don’t Die #1 will be available at your local comic shop on February 20.
