A slick and sleazy television chat show host gets more than he bargained for when he channels an ancient source of evil, unleashing terror and carnage upon the world! Published as part of Berserker Comics' 'Spine Chillers' line, Channel Evil is a full on horror story that will delight and terrify all who have the courage to read it!
We once again caught up with the very busy, Alan Grant to discuss the project.
The Big Bad Wolf: How did you come up with the idea for Channel Evil?
Alan Grant: The
idea originally came to me while I was reading a book by a Canadian who
with his friends had formed a "channelling" group to contact the
spirits of the dead. I did some research into the phenomenon and found
that, although it's more or less ignored by the mainstream media,
channelling has a huge and growing audience all over the world. I
wondered what would happen if, instead of channelling one of the boring
spirits who advocate universal peace and galactic love, somebody
managed to channel the spirit of some long-forgotten scion of evil.
I'd
been wanting to work with artist Shane Oakley for some time now, but no
opportunity had presented itself. A couple of years ago we pitched a
US-set "early version" of Channel Evil to one of the US companies;
however, it was too strong for them. Rather than do what they wanted,
and tone down the horror, Shane and I sat on the story till we found a
sympathetic publisher in Renegade Arts Entertainment.
The Big Bad Wolf: Other than the the book, does any other comic or movie influence this?
Alan Grant: No,
not at all. I've never seen this subject handled anywhere else except
in the many "factual" books written by channellers. The big difference
is that all of the spirits they channel claim to be "the High Priest of
Ancient Egypt", or "the Commander of the Galactic Quest for Peace" or
just some dead bloke from 17th century England. In contrast, Channel
Evil concerns our hero contacting an entity which is bathed in blood
and evil to its very core.
The Big Bad Wolf: Who's the rest of the creative team?
Alan Grant: Art
is by horror artist Shane Oakley. Colouring/lettering is by Jamie
Grant's studio (they do Frank Quitely's Superman, too). Editor is
Alexander Finbow of Renegade. Variant covers will be by Frank Quitely.
The Big Bad Wolf: Is this a mini-series or ongoing?
Alan Grant: It's
basically a 4-part mini-series. However, we intend to craft the ending
so that the hero of the first story arc will actually become the
possessed villain of the second story arc.
The Big Bad Wolf: How much is this book and when is it released?
Alan Grant: $3.95 april 2009
The Big Bad Wolf: Where can our readers find out more about Channel Evil?
Alan Grant: Check out the Renegade Arts Entertainment website.
The Big Bad Wolf: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about Channel Evil?
Alan Grant: I
used to own a flotation (or isolation) tank. It was filled with
salt-saturated water so, like the Dead Sea, you floated on top. The
water was kept at blood temperature, so you couldn't tell where your
body ended and the water began. It was soundproof, and totally dark.
Once,
when I was in the tank, I was thinking about a Batman story I was
working on, which featured a villain known as Cornelius Stirk. Stirk
suffered from severe mental illness, which he "treated" by cutting the
still-beating hearts out of his victims and then consuming them. The
thought suddenly flashed through my mind: "This is what I do for a
living...and it's evil!"
Immediately, and to my terror, a
disembodied voice said clearly: "You think that is evil? I can show you
what evil really is!" Chills ran up and down my spine. I broke out in a
cold sweat. I was out of that tank faster than a ferret up a drainpipe!
When
I'd calmed down and thought about it, I realised that - whatever the
reality of what had happened - it was a brilliant base on which to
build a story. I hope it frightens my readers as much as it terrified
me.
The Big Bad Wolf: Thank you for your time, Alan! Good luck with Channel Evil!
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