Like many comic book aficionados. Conskipper has eagerly awaited the first new EC Comics (from Oni Press) ever since the initial announcement chilled our bones in February.
Conskipper will be celebrating the launch of the new EC line (which currently consists of Epitaphs From the Abyss and Cruel Universe) with a series of interviews with some of the writers who are helping to unearth the long thought dead brand of horror, mystery, and mad science.
Our next interview subject, Corinna Bechko, has the horror and sci-fi bases covered with a story in both Epitaphs From the Abyss and Cruel Universe! We got a chance to speak to her about both in the second installment of our EC Comics Unearthed interview series.
What can you tell us about your story in EC Comics: Epitaphs from the Abyss?
Corinna Bechko: It’s a wicked little tale about a woman with a secret who believes she is far more clever than anyone else. When she is stranded at sea among people who have always paid others to be clever for them she presses her advantage, but, to put it mildly, the weather doesn’t cooperate.
How did you become involved in the project?
Bechko: My editor Sierra Hahn was also my first editor on my new graphic novel The Space Between at BOOM! a little while back. She knows I love horror and science fiction so she asked me to pitch some ideas for the rebirth. Needless to say, I was thrilled to receive that email!
You have worked on a number of anthology titles for DC Comics in the past. What did you learn from those experiences in terms of telling a short, condensed comic story?
Bechko: I’ve always loved working on short stories. They can be challenging but they also present an opportunity to tell stories that just don’t work in a less compressed way. I enjoyed exploring that in the DC titles with established characters but it can be just as fun to invent entire worlds and situations as well. The one thing that holds true is the degree of focus. Short stories almost always benefit from having a sharp point, and I’ve tried to remember that no matter the publisher.
Who did you collaborate with on the story, and how did the artwork “flesh out” it out?
Bechko: I was extremely fortunate to be paired with Jonathan Case! I have loved his work for years and have always wanted to work with him. He gave a degree of life to this story that I could have never imagined. When comics work well they are more than the sum of their parts and that’s definitely true of our story “Blood Oath.” Jonathan is a true master!
You also have a story in the new EC sci-fi comic titled Cruel Universe. Any teasers you can share about that story?
Bechko: I love lonely stories set in space, haunted houses, and locked room mysteries. I also find it true that many people will go very far out of their way to make the same mistake twice. Put these things together and you might have a window into what you’ll find in our story “Solo Shift,” with incredible art by Caitlin Yarsky.
Cruel Universe #1 will be available at comic shops everywhere on August 7 and Bechko’s Epitaphs From the Abyss will story will appear in Epitaphs From the Abyss #3 on September 18.
Stay tuned to Conskipper for more interviews in our EC Unearthed series, and if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area this week, you can celebrate the release of Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 (out on July 24, the first comic to be printed under the EC banner in almost 70 years) at Revenge Of (Comics and Pinball) and Oni Press’ EC Comics Launch Party.
Get ready for a night of frightful festivities including: vengeful vegan eats from Vegan Hooligans, gothic designs from Velvet Apparition and Disperse Home Media, and even tattoos from spooky specialist Johnny Vampotna.
EC Comics writers J. Holtham (Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) Ben H. Winters (The Last Policeman, CBS’s Tracker), and Corinna Bechko (Avatar: Adapt or Die, Green Lantern: Earth One) will attend the special event and will be doing signings throughout the night!
The event is free to enter with a simple RSVP, and will take place on Tuesday, July 23 from 9PM – 11PM at Revenge Of Comics and Pinball in Los Angeles, California (located on 3420 Eagle Rock BVLD, Glassel Park).
