Taki Soma, Mark Schey, and Cat Ferris’ Comixology Originals graphic novel Parapsychologist is just what the doctor ordered if you love comedy, drama, and most of all: monsters.
Dr. Ron Richards is a therapist whose patients are paranormal beings with relatable human issues, so we decided to follow his lead and have a conversation with co-writers Soma and Schey all about their new story in this exclusive interview.
You both describe Parapsychologist as a comedy, but also as a story with some serious underpinnings about mental health. How did you strike this balance?
Taki Soma: I have had a lot of practice being a patient of psychotherapists most of my life. I’m pretty comfortable talking about mental health and wanted to advocate for normalizing therapy and conditions I suffered from. They are not that uncommon, and it’s a shame to me that I didn’t even know there were names for these conditions until I saw a therapist. The relief I felt in knowing it’s a condition, rather than something only I’m suffering from, was groundbreaking. I think keeping that in mind helped with the balance. I hope, at least.
Mark Schey: Honestly, I think life strikes that balance for you. The funniest people I know are usually dealing with something heavy. The key for both of us is that mental health is never the punchline.
Where did the idea for a therapist whose clientele is supernatural beings originate?
Soma: Mark Schey blurted out ‘Parapsychologist’ when we were attempting to develop a completely different story at the time. And when he did, we both knew that we are to abandon the old immediately, and work on Parapsychologist. Because the title alone said everything. It’s the type of thing that doesn’t need a ‘pitch’, most people would ‘get it’, like we did.
Schey: Right. The title does the work. You hear it, and you already see the world. From there, it was really about building out who Dr. Ron is and why this particular therapist is interesting beyond the premise.
How difficult was it to select your supernatural characters for the graphic novel and are the problems more grounded in their individual natures or the nature of their form?
Soma: Not difficult at all. In fact, we had so many more characters we thought of that didn’t make it on the page. I had a long list of creatures and what their issues could’ve been. But their problems are human problems. The irony of these dimension beings having mental health issues made them more relatable and these issues to be addressed in an approachable way. They’re people, just like us.
Schey: Selecting them wasn’t the hard part. We had way more characters than we could fit. Like Taki said, those aren’t “monster stories,” they’re stories of people wearing monster costumes. In terms of their nature and forms, there are a couple of times where we lean into that, but we also knew that if we only did that, it would grow old pretty quickly.
How did Cat Farris contribute to bringing the story to life in a visual sense?
Soma: I can’t imagine anyone else’s style telling the story of Parapsychologist but Cat Farris. She was meant to illustrate it. When you read it, you’ll know what I mean. Thank Bigfoot she agreed!
Schey: The tone of this book could’ve easily moved into parody or gone too dark, and her art keeps it right in the sweet spot. She can make you care about a character before you even know their story.
How would you describe Dr. Ron Richards and would you recommend him to your friends?
Soma: Dr. Ron is a combination of Mark’s therapist from the past and one of mine. I would absolutely recommend him to my friends. In fact, I did recommend mine to a friend, years ago before I moved from that area and she is their patient to this day.
Schey: Dr. Ron is a guy who’s better at helping other people than he is at helping himself, which is probably why therapists make such great characters. Would I recommend him? No question. His bedside manner with a poltergeist is unmatched.
Which of the patients is your favorite and why?
Soma: Werewolf. He’s a mess. Like me.
Schey: Everyone seems to love Werewolf. Do I have to pick someone different? You know, I’ll go with Barb. She has such a fun, frantic stream-of-consciousness way of speaking, and I can relate to that.
Upcoming projects?
Soma: Unfortunately, none of the 3 projects I’m working on have been announced yet. So, please check back in for updates on the socials!
Schey: I have a short called “Self-Aware in AISLE 5” in the relaunched A1 Deadline. I’m excited about a horror short I just finished. And there are a few things in development at Horrible Future that I can’t talk about yet.
Parapsychologist is now available on Amazon’s Comixology Originals.
