The Cemetery Dance Interview: Ari Loeb

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Ari Loeb

Ari Loeb’s credits include being a writer, a stuntman, a dancer, and an acrobat. You might have seen him as a zombie on TV or in a video game. But it was his work as Nicolas Cage’s movement coach on the movie Renfield that inspired his latest book, The Stunted Man. Loeb spoke to Cemetery Dance about his work in creature horror, how he got into writing, and the small-world scenario of finding his audiobook narrator.  Continue Reading

Meet Marco Finnegan’s Undead Detective

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cover of Calavera, P.I. Cartoonist Marco Finnegan’s love of film noir and pulps led him to creating Calavera, P.I., about an undead murdered detective who comes back on Dia de los Muertos. Not only will Detective Juan Calavera have to solve a new crime, he also needs to find out who killed him. Finnegan spoke with Cemetery Dance about the use of Mexican folklore in the graphic novel, his horror influences, and what he would like people to take away from his newest work.Continue Reading

Kolchak Kickstarted Again! Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters

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Cover of Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters
Art by Dave Acosta

After successfully Kickstarting Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary Graphic Novel and  Jeff Rice’s original novel Kolchack: The Night Stalker, editor James Aquilone is back with a Kickstarter campaign for Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters from Moonstone Books. Cemetery Dance spoke with Aquilone, along with writers Rodney Barnes and Steve Niles, both of whom are contributing stories, about this latest project in the world of Kolchak.  Continue Reading

Comics legends Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones resurrect Dracula

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cover of Dracula: Book II --- The BridesDracula: Book II — The Brides by writer Matt Wagner and artist Kelley Jones is the sequel to Dracula: Book I — The Impaler, and is currently on KickstarterGrendel writer Wagner and Jones had been meaning to work together for a while, and finally found an opportunity with the world’s most famous vampire. Cemetery Dance spoke to Wagner and Jones about what went into this comic, how it builds on the first book, and their process for working together.Continue Reading

It’s Judgement Day for….Archie Comics?

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Since 2015, the iconic Archie Comics has delved deep into a dark new world with Archie Horror, including with their premium event Archie Comics: Judgment Day. Cemetery Dance spoke with editor Jamie Rotante about Judgment Day, how Archie works in the world of horror, and the character archetypes that allow them to be in different scenarios.Continue Reading

Interview: Mikita Brottman’s GUILTY CREATURES

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Since her last talk with Cemetery Dance in 2017, Mikita Brottman has released three true crime books — An Unexplained Death, Couple Found Slain, and, most recently, Guilty Creatures. Brottman, whose many books tend to concentrate on the darker side, wants to bring more psychology and a wider view to her true crime books. She spoke with Cemetery Dance about how she does her research, why the case she portrays in Guilty Creatures caught her attention, and how being a literature professor and a psychoanalyst impacts her writing.Continue Reading

Jeff P. Jones kicks off BLOODSHOT WORLD

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image of a hand clutching a heart from Bloodshot WorldWriter Jeff P. Jones is coming out with a graphic story collection titled Bloodshot World. Markosia Books is publishing it for readers in the UK, and a current Kickstarter campaign aims to bring the book to American readers. Jones spoke to Cemetery Dance about working with international artists, how this book compares to his previous ones, and the unique stories in Bloodshot World.Continue Reading

Cullen Bunn Reigns Over THE AUTUMN KINGDOM

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cover of The Autumn Kingdom #1
Cover by Daniel Vega

After The Sixth Gun and Invasive, Cullen Bunn is back with another horror comic. This time around it’s The Autumn Kingdom, which mixes horror and fantasy. The first issue drops on September 4 thanks to Oni Press, and Bunn spoke to Cemetery Dance about his similarities with the author in the comic, his combination of horror and fantasy, and what he enjoyed most about writing it.Continue Reading

Steven S. DeKnight drives a Hard Bargain

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cover of Hard BargainSteven S. DeKnight, whose credentials include writing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel,  is coming out with his own comic Hard Bargain, with art from Leno Carvalho. Hard Bargain, which follows Frank Harding, P.I. and mixes noir with monsters, has been described by DeKnight as a dream thirty years in the making. DeKnight spoke to Cemetery Dance about his influences, how the dream came to fruition, and how writing comics compares to writing for TV. Continue Reading

Hunter Gorinson brings EC Comics back to life

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cover of Epitaphs of the AbyssThe famous and infamous EC Comics — known for horror classics like Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror — is being revived by Oni Press in an alliance with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. Oni Press Publisher Hunter Gorinson spoke to Cemetery Dance about the publisher’s new lineup with Epitaphs from the Abyss (July 2024) and Cruel Universe (August 2024), how Oni is bringing EC Comics into the 21st century, and what other comics they have that would interest Cemetery Dance readers. Continue Reading

James Aquilone kickstarts Kolchak…..again

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Bram Stoker Award-winning editor and writer James Aquilone and Monstrous Books have acquired the print rights to Jeff Rice’s novel Kolchack: The Night Stalker. Rice’s book was the basis for the cult TV favorite television series, which was released in 1972 — a year before the novel became available.

Now, Monstrous Books is planning a deluxe hardcover edition of Kolchack: The Night Stalker. The book will have a print run limited to 1,973 copies, and will feature essays and illustrations created specifically for this edition. You can help fund the book through its Kickstarter campaign.

Recently, Aquilone took time to discuss his love of all thing Kolchak, and the plans for this special new edition.Continue Reading

Review: The Werewolf at Dusk and Other Stories by David Small

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cover of The Werewolf at Dusk and Other StoriesThe Werewolf at Dusk and Other Stories by David Small
Liveright (March 2024)
192 pages
Reviewed by Danica Davidson

The Werewolf at Dusk and Other Stories is a haunting triptych of tales about “the dread of things internal.” Done in an illustrated format, it’s kind of like a picture book for adults, and it shows the depth and artistic aesthetics possible in graphic storytelling. This is a book to stay with readers long after they’ve finished the last page, and I’ve never seen anything else quite like it.Continue Reading

David Small and The Werewolf at Dusk

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Author and illustrator David Small’s latest book, The Werewolf at Dusk and Other Stories, contains three yarns — “The Werewolf at Dusk,” “A Walk in the Old City,” and “The Tiger in Vogue” — all connected by the theme “the dread of things internal.” Two are based on short prose stories by other authors, and one is largely based on a dream Small had. Small spoke to Cemetery Dance about how the stories came together, his approach in writing and illustrating The Werewolf at Dusk, and what he would like readers to take away from the book.Continue Reading

Derek Charm’s Toxic Summer

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cover of Toxic Summer #1Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Derek Charm is mixing horror with humor in his new comic, Toxic Summer, and its first issue drops on May 1 from Oni Press. High school graduates and friends Ben and Leo are expecting a great summer as lifeguards, but things go from bad to worse when there’s a toxic spill. Charm spoke to Cemetery Dance about his influences, the extremes of horror and humor, and what he hopes readers take away from his newest work. Continue Reading

Kang Tae-kyung on Webtoons and The Bequeathed

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Kang Tae-kyung is the pen name for two creators, Kang and Tae-kyung, who have published multiple webtoons, including their horror title The Bequeathed. Webtoons are comics from South Korea that can be read digitally, and they’re becoming more popular globally and in America. The live-action show The Bequeathed, from award-winning writer and director Yeon Sang-ho, is currently on Netflix, and he worked with Kang Tae-kyung to also make a webtoon version of this creepy story about murder and secrets. Cemetery Dance spoke to Kang Tae-kyung about their background, why they think webtoons are good at conveying horror stories, and how they approach getting horror across. Continue Reading