Television's original reluctant vampire is back! Barnabas Collins is re-adjusting to life under his vampiric curse. Haunted by terrifying dreams of his age-old lover and nemesis, Angelique, and fighting his bloodlust, Barnabas fears that danger lies ahead for all who live at Collinwood. Meanwhile, Barnabas' ally and trusted friend Dr. Julia Hoffman is harboring secrets of her own...

We caught up with writer, Stuart Manning, to talk about the new Dark Shadows comic.

Horror News Network: Can you tell our readers about the experience you have with the Dark Shadows franchise?

Stuart Manning: I’ve been involved in Dark Shadows in various forms for over 15 years now, after discovering the show as a teenager. In addition to running a Dark Shadows website at www.collinwood.net, I’ve been very lucky to have written and produced licensed Dark Shadows audio dramas, edited fanzines and interviewed many of the show’s actors... it’s been an all-consuming hobby, I guess.

Horror News Network: How did you hook up with Dynamite Entertainment?

Stuart Manning: Dynamite started talking about doing Dark Shadows comics several months back, and as someone who’d written a great deal of officially-licensed Dark Shadows fiction, I had a track record as someone who knew and understood the show and might be suitable to write for the series. I thought it was a really exciting project and was very keen to get involved. It’s a privilege to be able to do this – to create a new ongoing story using any characters we want... That’s like being given the keys to the kingdom.

Horror News Network: What do you find to be the most fascinating aspect of the Barnabas Collins character?

Stuart Manning: Barnabas never lost his mystery. Even after hundreds of episodes, he still remained an enigma, which is quite an achievement. Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Is he a victim? Depending on the situation, he can be any number of things, but he always kept the audience guessing. I also like the way that, despite being an incredibly powerful supernatural creature, he’s essentially very vulnerable... even slightly timid. I watch the old episodes, and there’s Barnabas, out of his time, trying to adjust to the modern world and the modern Collins family, but he never quite gets there. He’s a lonely man, wanting to belong, but he’s always on the sidelines, looking on from a distance. I think that’s why children loved him – even though he was a bit frightening, he was such a damaged individual, and very easily hurt.

Horror News Network: Can you talk a bit about the challenge of writing for reader? With an established franchise like this, you may have someone brand new to the Dark Shadows universe as well as a long time faithful viewer.

Stuart Manning: I’m not sure it’s necessarily a huge challenge. I think the bottom line is telling a good story – that’s where it all begins. Get that right, and the rest falls into place. If the story isn’t clear to a new reader, then it probably doesn’t hold water to begin with. It’s inevitable that our readership is going to vary, but accommodating that isn’t a hindrance. Yes, Dark Shadows does have a lot of back story and continuity, but the focus will always be on where the characters are going right *now* and their reactions to their current situations, not dilemmas that rely on the minutiae of past episodes. I think that providing the characters and their motivations are defined, a new audience can pick up the threads easily enough... as indeed we hope they will.

Horror News Network: Where in the Dark Shadows timeline does this story take place?

Stuart Manning: This takes place a few months after the original series storylines concluded, in the summer of 1971. I did originally consider starting on the same evening the show ended, but it was a little too complicated to work for an opening installment. So we’re starting with a little lost time to give us some breathing room for the characters, but essentially it’s a direct continuation from where the original show left off.

Horror News Network: In this industry we have seen that many fans of horror in other mediums (TV shows and movies) do not purchase a comic based on the characters they love. Do you think that the existing Dark Shadows fan base will pick up the comic?

Stuart Manning: Honestly, I haven’t a clue! I certainly hope so... The Dark Shadows comic books from the 1970s were immensely successful, even managing to outlast the show some years after its cancellation. That’s pretty astonishing for an early TV tie-in product. I think a legitimate continuation of Dark Shadows in strip form is long overdue – no one’s ever done something that’s been accurate in terms of continuity and imagery, so I think that will be very appealing the show’s long-term viewers.

I really do believe this is a great format through which to continue the show... We can tell all-new stories in serial form with that entire classic cast present and correct, so I think that’s a definite draw. With the new Dark Shadows feature film next year, interest in the show is definitely on the rise, so there’s a strong potential audience.

Horror News Network: How is it working with artist, Aaron Campbell?

Stuart Manning: Aaron’s been great to work with. We’ve set ourselves a hard task – we’re trying to accurately depict the original characters and locations, which inevitably requires great amounts of research and detail. Aaron’s been a real trouper and taken that in his stride – it’s a big ask to expect an incoming artist to nail that many locations and characters in an opening issue. We’ve been really lucky getting Aaron – his style is a great fit for the material. I should also give a shout-out to Francesco Francavilla, who’s doing fantastic work on our retro-style alternative covers. I’m just loving those.

Horror News Network: What has impressed you the most with his artwork?

Stuart Manning: I’ve particularly enjoyed Aaron’s work on the established cast – seeing little details and bits of body language emerge as the art’s come in has been a real pleasure. As a writer, I can suggest a certain amount, but ultimately you have to rely on the artist to be intuitive and really sell the characters through the visuals. I think Aaron’s done a brilliant job bringing those personalities to life.

Horror News Network: Where can our readers find out more about this Dark Shadows comic?

Stuart Manning: By reading it! Dynamite’s website will also have info and you can order it from them directly, too…

Horror News Network: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about this Dark Shadow comic?

Stuart Manning: I just hope that people will enjoy it. If you’re a fan of Dark Shadows, here’s an opportunity to rediscover those characters in a brand new story, and for those who’ve yet to experience the show, it’s a great introduction ahead of next year’s movie for Tim Burton. It’s a great series with shades of classic horror and soap opera, with a brooding angst-ridden vampire at the centre. So many shows have drawn from Dark Shadows, but truly there’s nothing else quite like it.

Horror News Network: Thank you for your time, Stuart. Best of luck with the Dark Shadows comic! Comment on this interview here.

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Published on: 2011-10-17 (378 reads)