via The Blog From Another World
What could be better than sweet, furry animals who become friends and allies–so that they can guard their neighborhood against supernatural creatures, ghosts, and other horrific happenings? When Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson's amazing Beasts of Burden got its own miniseries in 2009, horror fans cheered in delight. Now they're back again with a series of stories in Dark Horse Presents, including the brand-new #6!
As part of Dark Horse Month, we interviewed writer Evan Dorkin about the past and future of Beasts of Burden, as well as the Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad hardcover, collecting "every single stupid Milk and Cheese comic ever made from 1989 to 2010." Have these toxic dairy products mellowed since their last appearance in MySpace Dark Horse Presents? Read on to learn more, plus enjoy previews of DHP #6 and Milk and Cheese!
(Psst! Many of the books we talk about in this interview are currently 70% off–and will be 80% off starting 11/25! Sale ends 11/30.)
TFAW.com: When I first saw Beasts of Burden, it was totally unlike anything I had ever seen–was it a kids book? A horror book? Where did the initial idea come from, and how did it develop?
Evan Dorkin: Back in 2003 Scott Allie was putting together the Dark Horse Book of Hauntings anthology and asked me to contribute a script to it. After kicking around some haunted house ideas, I came up with an idea for a story called "Stray" about a haunted dog house. The plot fell into place pretty easily and I had Jill's art in mind while working it out. I love Jill's work, we've known each other for years, and I was very happy that she agreed to work with me on the story. "Stray" was supposed to be a one-off story, there was no plan to continue it any further, but one thing led to another and we ended up doing three follow-up stories with the characters, which led to a miniseries in 2009.
As far as what Beasts of Burden is, I consider it a horror series first and foremost, but it has fantasy, humor, and romance elements as well. It's like a dark storybook for kids and adults.
TFAW.com: In my mind, Pugsly is definitely the breakout star. Do you have a favorite character?
EV: I'm partial to the Orphan because he's based on my cat, Crushy, who died earlier this year. And while I love dogs, I've never owned one. Pugs is definitely the most fun character to write, and readers have really responded well to him. We have Jill to thank for him being in the book, when we first discussed "Stray" she asked me to have one of the dogs be a pug. He's turned out to be a really crucial character, he balances the book out, being our cynic and big mouth. I know it sounds corny, but I honestly love all the characters, they mean a lot to me, and it's hard not to love a bunch of dogs and cats, especially the way Jill paints them.
TFAW.com: What can fans expect from your Beasts story in DHP #6?
EV: The story goes into some of the early history of the Wise Dog Society. The bulk of it takes place in medieval England, and I think it's a nice change of pace for the series. There's also a story-within-a-story, so we get a lot done in eight pages. I wanted the three DHP stories to be complete, but still give readers more information about the characters and their world that moves the overall narrative forward. It's something we try to do with every story.
TFAW.com: Is Beasts going to continue in DHP? Do you have another miniseries in the works?
EV: We have a third story finished for DHP, which I thought would be scheduled for #8, but it's not in the book's solicitation. I assume it'll run in #9. I hope it will. Beyond that, there will be more Beasts stories as soon as schedules allow. Fingers crossed.
TFAW.com: The Hellboy/Beasts of Burden one-shot was so fantastic–Hellboy really meshed well with the Wise Dogs Society. What other comic book characters do you wish would "visit" Beasts of Burden?
EV: I can't think of anyone. I was originally against the idea of the Hellboy crossover because I didn't think it would work. Because I'm dumb. That being said, I would have liked to do a story showing what happened when Lobster Johnson was "fetched" by the Wise Dogs in the '30s, as alluded to in the end of the Hellboy comic. But I was the only one into that idea. These things happen.
TFAW.com: For fans who know you from Milk and Cheese, this is quite a departure for you. What attracted you to Beasts?
EV: I've always wanted to work on horror comics, my two favorite genres are humor and horror, but I never felt confident enough to pitch any of my horror ideas to anyone. Scott knew I was into horror stuff–I'd done a Hellboy: Weird Tales story for him, and that may be what led to him asking me to contribute to the Book of Hauntings. People who only know my humor work see Beasts as a departure, but I've written non-humor material before, I wrote Predator and Mask comics for Dark Horse, I've done a few straight superhero jobs for Marvel and DC, and my wife Sarah [Dyer] and I wrote for the Superman and Batman Beyond animated shows. Beasts is the first creator-owned project I've done that wasn't a humor book, and I guess the first non-humor project of mine that anyone's really supported, so I guess it comes as a surprise to some people that the dogs aren't drunks who curse at everything.
TFAW.com: This has been bugging me since DHP #4: is Rex's owner, who doesn't seem to be a responsible pet owner, going to get his?
EV: The subject of Rex's owner will be returned to at some point down the line.
TFAW.com: You created stories years ago for the first volume of DHP, with Milk and Cheese and Hectic Planet. What's it like returning for volume two?
EV: This is actually the third version of Dark Horse Presents, I did a Milk and Cheese strip for MySpace Dark Horse Presents, the online version. I'm very happy to be in DHP, I'm happy that DHP's back, and I'm happy there's an anthology around that wants me to do stories for them and has a budget of some sort. Anthologies were my meat back in the '90s. I'm a short-story guy, and there's been no real paying venue for my stuff for some time, so DHP's return has been very welcome.
TFAW.com: What do you enjoy most about the short-story format? What does it offer that a serialized story doesn't?
EV: I like short stories because I feel I can control them–I can figure out what goes where and how it ends, tie it up and move on. I don't have a lot of confidence in my ability to write longer pieces, I worry I'm going to lose the threads of the narrative and it'll just be a mess. Or that there isn't enough material to support a longer piece. That being said, I really do like the short-story format, in prose and comics. I like anthologies, I miss the days when there was more of a market for them.
TFAW.com: In addition to DHP, you also have the massive Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad hardcover coming out. How involved were you in putting together this collection?
EV: Sarah and I were very much involved, Sarah in fact did a tremendous amount of work on the book. It was a very difficult and labor-intensive process, because the bulk of the Milk and Cheese material was pre-digital, and I don't have a lot of the artwork for the early issues. It was a real haul to find the best sources for some of the strips and pin-ups. Sarah did a lot of corrective work herself, and I re-lettered and drew patches for a number of strips that needed propping up.
We worked out the page order and the back-up sections, we designed the front cover, and I wrote the solicitation. I'd say Sarah spent a few months on this book working with Scott, and especially Daniel Chabon, at Dark Horse, who in turn worked with Dark Horse's production department to make this the best book possible. I'm very pleased with the results and we're all very, very happy we're done working on it.
TFAW.com: Did you discover any stories that you had forgotten about?
EV: The only surprise I had going through the comics was that the early artwork was even worse than I remembered, and there are a few side jokes and bits of business that I repeated more often than I'd remembered. By the way, there are no stories in the book. There's just stuff that happens.
TFAW.com: How have Milk and Cheese grown as characters since 1989? Are they kinder, gentler dairy products of destruction?
EV: They've only gotten worse over time. They're very frustrated that they haven't become licensed cartoon stars and pissed off about the rising cost of beer and cable.
TFAW.com: The solicitation copy mentions new Milk and Cheese stories are coming up in DHP–when will they debut?
EV: I assume they're running next year. I've finished up the first one, which Sarah is coloring. We should have a full announcement on what I'm doing next for DHP sometime soon.
Our thanks to Evan Dorkin for his speedy response to our interview questions. Make sure to check out DHP and Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad now!
BROWSE EVAN DORKIN COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS AND SAVE 10-70%
VISIT OUR DARK HORSE MONTH PAGE
Did the Milk and Cheese previews make you flashback to the '90s, too? Are you excited for more Beasts of Burden? Post your comments below!
