DREAD THE DAWN
by Todd H. Latoski
For most people, dawn represents a new day. It is bright and represents hope. For the characters in John O'Conner's Black Dawn series, published by Scare Tactix Graphics, dawn represents the end of life as we know it.
With three issues out on the shelves, and three more on their way, John O'Conner sat down to talk with us about the book.
CR: For our readers who have never heard of John O'Conner and Black Dawn, tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to create Black Dawn.
JO: In 2006, I pitched to my friend, Bruce Levine, the idea of developing a comic based on a fantasy novel I had written. Bruce had worked with Silent Devil Comics, the folks behind Dracula vs. King Arthur. We ended up talking about other ideas that I had developed, and one was a screenplay I had written some years before called Black Dawn. When I told him the premise, he was interested and asked to see the screenplay. I gave it to him, and a few days later, he called me and said "We have to make this into a graphic novel." That was the beginning. The origins of the story go back even further to a short story that I wrote called "Antibodies" that was published in a small magazine back in the 90s.
CR: What prompted you to choose the self-publication route, rather than solicit one of the many comic publishers out there?
JO: I think comics is an industry where you can start a band yourself, and people will be willing to listen. That is what we decided to do. We didn't do it alone, though. Bruce was connected to Scare Tactix Graphix, which was just getting off the ground at that point. They have many great artists like Tommy Castillo and Dirk Strangely, and some great comic titles like Billy the Monster Hunter. Glenn Tippett, the president of STG, is a super good guy. Their web site is www.scaretactixgraphix.com. We owe them a ton.
CR: There are presently three issues of Black Dawn out there, and only three remain for this six-issue series. Do you envision Black Dawn being complete after the sixth issue, or do you have more stories to tell after that?
JO: It's funny. I had always envisioned it as a sort of closed-ended story. In fact, I thought of it as something that could not simply continue. It was too intense, from my perspective, and I couldn't imagine what could come next without simply upping the body count. I wasn't really interested in doing that. It was only one night at the NY Comicon that Jeff and I were talking about where to go next, and I realized that there was potentially a continuing storyline that could come out of Black Dawn. There are two potential ideas now. One follows some of the characters that we already know. There is another idea that follows completely different characters, although it is set in the same world. So we've talked about two sequels: something like "Black Day" and "Black Night". But we'll have to see whether doing them becomes a practical idea or not.
CR: How was Jeff Clemens selected to be the artist for the book? What responses have you received regarding his art?
JO: We got very lucky with Jeff. Bruce and I had been trying to land the right artist for about a year, and we had one person drop out at the last second. Literally, as we were about to sign the contract and move out. So, after a year, I had gotten down to fumes in terms of ideas for how to find someone. I figured - heck, I'll put an ad on Craigslist. I got about 14 responses and reached out to everyone to talk and see if we could make something work. Jeff happened to be temporarily based in the DC area and answered the ad. We talked, then met up at a Panera nearby, and eventually decided to go ahead with the relationship. So Black Dawn is a Craigslist success story, no kidding. I'm a huge fan of Jeff's art. We've recently brought in colorist Thomas Bonvillain, and he is bringing something really special to the books too. Between the two of them, I get excited every time I bring up my email. There is often really cool artwork waiting there for me. I love it. It's funny - Jeff has his own fan base. A number of times I've been at shows and people come up to me and ask if Jeff will be there. They see the Black Dawn display and they know right away that it is his work.
CR: What do you hope readers will enjoy most about the series, or take away from the series as they read each issue?
JO: I hope they enjoy the same thing I get out of it. The best thing about the horror genre is that it gives you an opportunity to explore drama at the extremes. Take the most intense set of circumstances that you can imagine and put people into it. See how they respond to the challenge. In the original Evil Dead you get a bunch of college students who accidentally awaken demons that start possessing them. In Jaws, you get three men in a boat dealing with a monster far bigger than any of them are ready to deal with. So what do they do? I see Black Dawn the same way. This is an extreme world. So how do the characters deal with it. They're just ordinary people, but ordinary people can do some pretty incredible things when they have to.
CR: Do you have any other projects in the works (i.e., the young adult fiction series mentioned in your bio on the website, other comic projects, etc.)?
JO: Jeff and I are working on a new comic concept that takes place in a world where gravity is as changeable as the weather. That's going to be very cool, and it also gets at people in extraordinary situations. We have a package that we're using to talk to publishers. I have also been developing a fiction series for young adults. It's really about missing people. You know, if you look on Wikipedia, you find lists of people that have gone missing back to the beginning of time. Not all of them have fallen victim to predators. The story follows a girl whose twin sister went missing, and what she does to try to get her back.
CR: What can readers expect to see in the last three issues of the series?
JO: It's hard to answer that question except very generally. So try this: good intentions go awry. We see what some people are really made of. Look out for the drunk guy. It will all be wrapped up at the end of number six. Then we'll see if it makes sense to address the other Black Dawn-world stories that we've been working with.
CR: What prompted your "Be a Character" in Black Dawn contest, that has allowed readers to find themselves immortalized in an issue of Black Dawn? Have you received good feedback to the contest?
JO: We thought it might be fun for folks. Response has been positive, but not a lot of folks have jumped in. Not yet, at least. We'll see. We're only halfway there!
CR: When will issue 4 be going on sale?
JO: We're near the end of development now. I expect to get it out in May, given print turnaround times. We'll probably get it up on Graphic.ly a lot sooner. We'll let everyone know via the web site (www.blackdawnweb.com) or the Black Dawn page on Facebook as soon as it is available. We have an email list of folks that we have met at shows. We'll let them know too.
CR: Will you, Jeff, and Black Dawn be making any comic convention appearances this year?
JO: This year will probably be a little quieter than last year. I'm going to be at SPX in Bethesda, Maryland, on the weekend of September 10-11th. I'm waiting to find out about NY Comicon too, on Columbus Day weekend. We'll find out about that in the beginning of June. That might be it for the year.
CR: What are some of your favorite comics? Who are some of your favorite comic writers/artists (and any of whom may have inspired you in your own work)?
JO: I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, as well as Charles Burns' Black Hole. I loved Brian Vaughn's Pride of Baghdad. Geof Darrow's work is amazing too. And of course, a couple of books that had a big impact on me when they came out were The Watchmen, and Art Spiegelman's Maus. Now that I think about what I said about horror showing you how people can respond in extraordinary situations, another gripping book is Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis books. She tells about being an ordinary kid living in Tehran when the Islamic Revolution took over. Now that is an extraordinary situation.
CR: Now that you have an actual published comic book out there, what words of encouragement would you give to other inspiring comic writers and artists struggling to see print?
JO: Do the work that reflects you. There will be an audience out there. And don't give up. That is the big thing. Every day, someone out there decides to throw in the towel. Don't let it be you, not if the work means something to you.
If you haven't checked out Black Dawn yet, visit their website at http://www.blackdawnweb.com/. They have the first three issues available for sale, as well as preview art, synopses of each issue, creator bios, and more info on the "Be a Character" contest. If you love character-driven horror, then Black Dawn is the book for you!
Todd H. Latoski/Writer
Todd was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, but moved to Florida back in the late 1980s. Todd grew up reading comics and have always been a fanboy. Working in the legal field by day and writing his heart out at night (with three published comic stories to date, and one more in the works),Todd has been doing MegaCon coverage for several years and looks forward to doing so for many years go come.
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