With the first issue of Black’s Myth released today, we got a chance to sit down with the writer of the comic Eric Palicki for a chat. We get the low down on the new comic Black’s Myth.
Welcome Eric, thank you for taking the time to be with us; we are so delighted that you could join us today.
Thanks! Delighted to talk to you as well!
For some of our readers who may not be familiar with your work, could you please tell us a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m Eric Palicki, native Ohioan transplanted out here to the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been writing comics for several years; my previous work includes books published by Darby Pop, Black Mask, Scout Comics, Marvel, and more. On occasion, I also edit comics professionally, including on the Ringo Award-nominated anthologies All We Ever Wanted and Dead Beats, both published by A Wave Blue World.
Your new comics series Black’s Myth is releasing July 7th; can you tell us about the origins of Black’s Myth?
Black’s Myth is the product of many small ideas which didn’t quite equal a story on their own, but which, left to percolate in my head over time, finally coagulated into a coherent narrative. The finished product is kind of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink love letter to everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Sam and Dean Winchester to The Maltese Falcon.
How did Wendell Cavalcanti join the project?
Wendell has been a part of the project from the beginning. I wrote it with him in mind to draw it and pitched it with his name attached. We’ve been collaborating on and off for most of my time in comics, most recently on the mini-series Atlantis Wasn’t Built for Tourists from Scout. I feel like we understand each other’s strengths by now.
How would you describe Black’s Myth?
Black’s Myth is a supernatural noir thriller about an LA private detective forced to confront her past in order to solve the case that will determine her future: find thirty stolen bullets supposedly made from Judas’s silver pieces.
The comic is black-and-white. Was that something that you wanted for Black’s Myth right from the beginning?
I actually pitched the series in color — and maybe the glorious Dee Cunnife pitch pages will find their way into print someday! — but Ahoy suggested black and white in homage to the book’s noir and horror roots. I think the end result works nicely. Wendell has a strong sense of light and shadow, and if black and white is good enough for the Walking Dead, it’s good enough for us!
The comic is being published by AHOY Comics; how did this collaboration come about?
AHOY’s editor at large Sarah Litt and I have been friends for a few years. Sarah approached me about pitching to them. I sent over three or four ideas, and Sarah LOVED Black’s Myth. Being an AHOY book meant tinkering with the story a bit to fit their offbeat sensibilities, and the resulting book is a richer experience than if I’d played it straight.
What can you tell us about Janie Jones Mercado?
When we first meet Janie —nicknamed Strummer by her The Clash-loving father — she’s pretty much at her lowest point: shot while in the middle of a seemingly unrelated case. More broadly, she’s a private detective who lives and works in LA alongside her partner Ben. For years, she’s attempted to distance herself from the secret supernatural community she was born into, but she hasn’t found anywhere else she belongs. A big part of Strummer’s story, and Ben’s, will be about finding our place and our people in this world.
The series has some very talented artists creating covers for it; how do you select the artists that contribute these covers?
I’m such a dope! Series cover artist Liana Kangas and I have been friends for years — no one who’s ever met or worked with Liana will ever tell you the experience is anything less than delightful — but again, it was Sarah Litt who suggested Liana for this book. I love those covers, the perfect marriage of classic pulp fiction and Liana’s obsession with neon colorways. The variants, by Jamal Igle for issue one and Steve Pugh for issue two, were arranged by AHOY, and I got to be surprised right along with everyone else.
Do you have a favourite scene from the first issue?
The cat — er, dog — is out of the bag already that Strummer is a werewolf. Part of me wishes we could’ve kept that under wraps and sprung it on the reader, but such is the nature of soliciting orders. Anyway, the first scene in which she reveals that is so beautifully realized by Wendell and just works perfectly in the context of the story we’re telling.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Please come find me on social media: @ericpalicki on Twitter and Instagram. I hope everyone checks out Black’s Myth, monthly, beginning July 7th. Thanks so much for the time!
We would like to say a big thank you to Eric for taking the time to chat with us. We would like to wish Eric and everyone involved in Black’s Myth the best of luck with the series.
