(Photo by Stacy Cain)
Blood Type, which will be hitting stores this summer from Oni Press, is the first time the EC Comics line is offering a standalone, serialized horror series. Its seed was the short story “Blood Type” in Epitaphs from the Abyss, and now writer Corinna Bechko has the opportunity to expand on what she created. Cemetery Dance spoke with Bechko about how Blood Type is getting its own series, why she feels at home in horror, and what it’s like working on an EC property.
(Interview conducted by Danica Davidson)
CEMETERY DANCE: When you first wrote “Blood Type,” did you have any thoughts about continuing its story?
CORINNE BECHKO: I wrote it as a short, but I also fell in love with the protagonist, especially after I saw Jonathon Case’s art. So in that way I pictured it a bit like a seed: a small, complete package that also contained the DNA of something much larger.
How did it come about that Blood Type is getting its own series?
Oni must have seen what I saw in Ada, the vampiric main character, because the short blossomed into the idea of a longer story during San Diego Comic-Con last year. I can’t tell you how excited I was to tackle the project. And now that Andrea Sorrentino is on board to handle the art for the mini-series I can tell you that it’s going to be a blood-soaked thing of beauty.
You said, “Horror has just always been where I’ve felt most at home.” Can you please expand?
I feel like horror, as a genre, is very freeing. It’s what I gravitate toward when choosing what to read or watch, and it’s what I tend to write when left to my own devices. It’s a genre that’s all about feelings while being elastic enough to tell stories in any time or place. I love that horror appeals to empathetic people because, while the characters might be going through terrible things, they are still trying and hoping or they’d give up. Horror stories might not always be about good people, but in my experience good people enjoy horror.
What’s it like working on an EC property?
In a word, humbling! EC has such a rich history that it’s a true honor to add a little piece to the mix. On a more granular level, it’s been amazing to work with my editor Sierra Hahn and all the folks at Oni, too. She’s brilliant about story. In addition, everyone involved cares deeply about ensuring that the new tales remain true to form by honoring what makes EC such a recognizable property.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
I’m everywhere under my name, Corinna Bechko. I mostly hang out on BlueSky these days where you can find me at https://bsky.app/profile/corinnabechko.bsky.social. I’ll also be appearing on two panels at WonderCon at the end of March.
