IN FETU is a short story written by Simon Spurrier and illustrated by Christopher Mitten, available in the April 7th edition of MySpace Dark Horse Presents.

We caught up with writer, Simon Spurrier, to talk about In Fetu.

The Big Bad Wolf: How did you come up with the concept for this story?

Simon Spurrier: I guess I was pretty analytical about it. I was contacted by Scott Allie – off the back of my work on Gutsville, I suppose – with an invitation to contribute a horror short to Dark Horse. He asked specifically that I aim for a creepy, shivers-along-your-neck sort of vibe, and frankly I couldn’t have been happier with that mission: comicbook “horror” all too often equates to “more blood than a vampire’s pissup,” so it was refreshing to dodge that bullet.

As it happened I wound-up having a really long, self-indulgent Think Session about how best to achieve a genuine Fear Response from Pictures’N’Words On A Page. It’s a static medium, obviously, so you don’t get to use the chiller-movie cheat of “Something Jumping Out.” I didn’t want to tell a story set in some crazy esoteric situation – “five Mongolian paraplegic atheists go canoeing, and then…” – because that sort of thing instantly alienates the vast majority of readers. And I didn’t want to rely on some simple Clawed Fiend because different readers respond to Monsters in very different ways. (I’ve never seen a comicbook monster that frightened me. I’ve seen a lot that made me shout Cooool, but that’s not exactly the vibe I was after with this) Plus, like I say, gore’n’guts wasn’t an option…

Eventually I decided the story would have to revolve around a set of factors which everyone could relate to. I realised all my favourite horror flicks play on pre-existing fears or easily-imaginable situations. (Jaws – we all occasionally spend time in or around water. The Ring – we all watch TV. Nightmare on Elm Street – we’ve all got to sleep, etc…) Ultimately I fixated on the fact that everyone is slightly neurotic about their own bodies – nobody likes the idea of not being in control of their own flesh – and that should form the basis of the story. Chuck in a smattering of other everyday stuff (which all-too-often comes attached to its own anxieties or fears) – babies, cars, drinking – and it wrote itself.

The Big Bad Wolf: What did you find the most unsettling about writing this tale?

Simon Spurrier: Simply having to imagine myself in the main character’s position. Most of us have felt that fear, at one time or another, of an unexpected lump… or bruise… or twinge… or whatever-other medical condition. It’s frightening – the idea of your own body rebelling against you – and every accidental glimpse in the mirror is a reminder of that.

Plus I’ve always been a little bit creeped-out by babies (they always look like they know far more than they’re letting-on), and the idea of one rustling about in the darkness at the foot of my bed was about as Brown Underpants as it gets.

The Big Bad Wolf: Speaking of unsettling, did you receive any feedback from your peers about In Fetu?

Simon Spurrier: Nope, I kept this one to myself.

Actually, I did show it to my fiancée – she’s my last, only, and best line of defence, in the war against Sending Unreadable Pap Out Into The World – and her response was “brrr… that’s creepy.”

(Followed, a minute later, by: “Si… you know you’re sort of sick, don’t you?”)

The Big Bad Wolf: How was it working with Christopher Mitten on this project?

Simon Spurrier: A dream come true. I’ve been a long admirer of his work on Wasteland, and when Scott mentioned his name I was over the moon. Chris delivered pages of a ludicrously high quality at a breakneck speed – which is pretty much all you could ever want from an artist – but went one further by being constantly enthusiastic about the project, responding to notes and debates as we went along, and generally acting as though he felt lucky to be involved… Which is sort of funny, because I figured the guy was totally slumming it by collaborating with the likes of me.

The Big Bad Wolf: What impressed you the most with Christopher Mitten’s artwork?

Simon Spurrier: Besides its sheer throbbing awesomeness? The way that his lines suggest form rather than slavishly insisting on it. Anyone else using his techniques would make a page seem messy or ugly – he makes it feel clean and creepy. Very clever stuff.

The Big Bad Wolf: Growing up, were you a fan of horror anthologies? (And which stands out as your favorite?)

Simon Spurrier: Embarrassingly I’m a little too young to’ve been around for the heyday of the Short’n’Creepy comics, so – no: I never got into all that stuff while growing up. That said, I’ve tracked down a few nuggets of Brrrfun since I started writing. I’ve got a couple of reprinted DC anthologies – the old House Of Mystery/Secrets stuff – and a few tattered old issues of Scream!. Great material.

I grew up on mainly a diet of 2000AD, which was (and – thankfully – remains!) an anthology comic of the highest quality. Mostly Sci-Fi and Action, admittedly, but there’s been a recent shift back towards horror serials and, happily, one-offs called Terror Tales. I cut my comics teeth writing five-page Twist-In-The-Tail strips for them, so something like In Fetu wasn’t too much of a departure.

The Big Bad Wolf: Would you like to write more horror anthology tales in the future?

Simon Spurrier: Absolutely, yeah. I’ve got a lot of time for anthologies in general, and horror in particular. It never ceases to sadden me that multi-strip comics aren’t more universally embraced. I’ve heard it said that “the US market just doesn’t get anthologies”… If true, I hope it’s through lack of exposure rather than some Cultural Taste issue.

The Big Bad Wolf: Where can we find out more about your work?

Simon Spurrier: Get Ye To The Google! There’s a Wikipedia entry, which is typically dry and uneventful, and a very-rarely-updated website: www.simonspurrier.co.uk. I’m best known as a novelist, I guess (check out Contract: gangland killers, resurrected victims, creepy crime), but I’ve been quietly writing comics for a few years now. That’s mainly in the UK – 2000AD, etc – though I’ve been doing some more high profile gigs Stateside recently: Ghost Rider and X-Men for Marvel, Poison Ivy for DC. Plus the long-delayed Gutsville through Image, of course, but that’s a long and tortuous tale in itself. Plenty more stuff waiting in the wings to be announced, too.

Oh, and I guess my most visible online presence at the moment is the “Short’n’Curlies” Column, in which I waste many hours of readers’ and my own time by hating, ranting, complaining, griping, whining, and oh-so-very-occasionally-saying-something-insightful about Whatever The Fuck I Fancy.

I can recommend it – it’s good for the soul.
Find it at: http://www.bleedingcool.com/category/short-n-curlies-by-si-spurrier/

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

Simon Spurrier: Hope you enjoy it. Hope it shits you up. Hope you come back for more.

The Big Bad Wolf: Thank you for your time, Simon. Best of luck with this story and your future endeavors!

Read In Fetu by Simon Spurrier.