The creative team behind INVINCIBLE PRESENTS: ATOM EVE return to their original creation, a modern-day member of an ancient cult whose duties dictate that he roam the earth to protect the living from the dead...and occasionally to protect the dead from the living.

We spoke with co-creator, Benito Cereno, about Hector Plasm.

The Big Bad Wolf: For those that may have never read a Hector Plasm story, can you give a synopsis of the character?

Benito Cereno: Hector Plasm is a member of an ancient cult called the benandanti, or well-walkers, which basically means "do-gooders." He was born as part of this cult because he was born with a bit of amniotic sac called a caul over his face. This gives him the ability to see ghosts and true witches, and the obligation to help and protect people from ill supernatural influence. And so our guy Hector roams around the world encountering ghosts, demons, witches and monsters, sometimes protecting the living from the dead, and sometimes vice versa.

The Big Bad Wolf: What are Hector's powers?

Benito Cereno: Hector has the basic abilities of any benandante: the ability to see and converse with ghosts, to detect true witches, general good luck and protection from drowning, as well as a few things we haven't revealed yet. Additionally, many benandanti have individual spiritual or psychic powers that are unique to them. In Hector's case, he is a physical medium, meaning that he can channel the spirit world in the form of ectoplasm, formed from the fluids, or humors, in his body.

He also has some basic magical training, and a few magical items in his possession, such as his Javanese keris dagger Astyanax and his Chinese sword, whose full abilities have yet to be revealed.

The Big Bad Wolf: The book itself has sort of a Hellboy-ish feel to it. Was Hellboy one of the inspirations for this book?

Benito Cereno: Hellboy is absolutely one of my favorite comics, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't have Mignola's work in the corner of our mind when we developed the book, but I think it would probably be more accurate to say that Hellboy and Hector are inspired by a lot of the same things, such as world folklore and ghost stories. Although, you'll find a lot less Lovecraft in Hector, for sure.

The Big Bad Wolf: Can you tell us about the stories that will be appearing in Hector Plasm: Totentanz?

Benito Cereno: The title Totentanz means "dance of the dead," and that's kind of our theme in this special. The stories and features focus on Halloween and Halloween-like holidays, showing ways in which different cultures around the world celebrate loved ones who have passed on. Whereas the last book, De Mortuis, featured several stories that had already been printed in various backups and anthologies, this book features stories that have never been seen before in print (although a few of them debuted online for Halloween the past couple of years).

The Big Bad Wolf: What can we expect to see in terms of monsters and things that go bump in the night in Totentanz?

Benito Cereno: Oh, let's see. There's a ghoul, some ghosts, a witch, some fairies, Mexican-style calaveras, a gross pig monster, and lots and lots and lots of skeletons.

The Big Bad Wolf: After Totentanz, is there any chance of a Hector Plasm series?

Benito Cereno: That's always been the plan. The series won't be coming up immediately, but Nate and I have every intention of telling you the full story of the life of Hector Plasm.

The Big Bad Wolf: Are there any crossovers with other supernatural/horror characters in the works?

Benito Cereno: There's nothing currently in the works, but I think it would be cool to do a crossover story with Phil Hester's The Wretch, or maybe the characters from his book Golly. I'd be too intimidated to try to cross over with Hellboy or BPRD. Also, the cosmologies of our two books are pretty different. Like I said, there's not much Lovecraft in Hector.

The Big Bad Wolf: Has there been any interest yet in other forms of media for Hector Plasm?

Benito Cereno: Interest? Sure, but nothing really tangible that I could talk about, unfortunately.

The Big Bad Wolf: When is the release date and how much is Hector Plasm: Totentanz?

Benito Cereno: The book will be hitting shelves in October, in time for Halloween. It'll be $5.99 for 48 full color pages.

The Big Bad Wolf: Where can our readers find out more about Hector Plasm: Totentanz?

Benito Cereno: Nate Bellegarde and I have a website at www.fetorpse.org, which has a link in its header to the official Hector fan page, which has tons of info about the book and some previews of the stories that will be collected in Totentanz.

The Big Bad Wolf: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about Hector Plasm: Totentanz?

Benito Cereno: If you're a fan of comics like Hellboy and BPRD, books like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, or shows like Supernatural, and you're looking for something else to scratch that Halloween itch, please pre-order a copy of Hector Plasm: Totentanz, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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