From The Comics Journal weekly links, Billy Langsworthy intetviews Faith Erin Hicks for Brands Untappped.
Faith Erin Hicks – the writer and artist behind Skybound’s new Universal Monsters: The Mummy comic – discusses putting a new spin on a classic.
Faith, it’s great to connect. Issue one of Universal Monsters: The Mummy – which you’ve both written and done the art for – lands on shelves this week. So, let’s start at the beginning – how did The Mummy find its way to you?
Skybound Editorial Director Alex Antone had approached me and he was interested in me writing this book. My background is mostly in the middle grade and young adult area of comics. I mostly do graphic novels for that age range. However, I did co-write and draw an adult four-issue series for Dark Horse 10 years ago – it was a prequel for The Last of Us video game – so I have dipped my toe into the horror waters, as it were!
Initially I was very excited to write it, but then there was a death in my family. My dad passed away from cancer. So I said to Alex: “I’m sorry, I don’t have time to work on this. Please give it to someone else.” But Alex came back a few months later – after I’d had a little time to myself – and he offered the project to me again. And a story about death, grieving and not being willing to let go of someone who’s very dear to you was deeply appealing to me at that time, as someone going through a painful family loss.
And I said to Alex: “I’m actually interested in drawing it, if that’s something that you would be interested in?” So I drew up all these sketches and handed them into Alex – and Universal was OK with hiring me for not only the writing, but also the drawing.
Read the interview here.
The Toronto Comic Jam 