With the release of Plague House #1 from Oni Press next week, we are delighted to be joined by Michael W. Conrad and Dave Chisholm. Michael has written many comics, including Wonder Woman, Batgirls, Nightwing, Tremor Dose, Double Walker, Neptune and many more. Dave is a cartoonist and musician, he has worked on many comics and graphic novels, including Spectrum, Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound, Enter the Blue, Chasin’ the Bird: Charlie Parker in California and Instrumental.
Hi Michael and Dave, it is so nice to have you both here with us.
Could you please introduce yourselves to our readers?
DAVE: Hi, everyone. I’m Dave Chisholm. I’m a cartoonist and musician living in Rochester, NY. I’ve made a bunch of music-related comics and graphic novels and PLAGUE HOUSE is my first foray into the world of horror! It’s a face-melting book! I love every part of making comics and I’m hyped that PLAGUE HOUSE is dropping soon! Can’t wait for y’all to read this one.
MICHAEL: My name is Michael Conrad, I use the W. initial in my writing credits because I was once told it would help with the internet. I was born in a small town in a notoriously haunted area. As a child I found a dead body near my home, and not long after this I believe I was visited by the ghost of my great grandfather. I don’t know if I fully trust my senses regarding the ghost encounter, but I remain open to the idea of such things. Plague House is very much a story that reflects some of my interest in ghosts, and my attempts to rationalize and explain the phenomena.
Could you tell us about the origins of Plague House?
MICHAEL: I have grown a bit fatigued by the trope laden explanations for haunted locations. Plague House is a reference to a weird passage from the Old Testament that I found compelling, which led me to looking further back, and to other cultures and their relationship with ghosts. I realize now that Plague House is, and was always meant to be, a bit of a love letter to the genre, and an effort to incorporate some of the interesting things I came across in my research.
Dave, has it been a challenge illustrating Plague House?
DAVE: No way, it’s been a total pleasure. 100% super fun, no notes. Great script, lots of freedom, totally a blast.
Michael, what can you tell us about Del, Holland and Jacob?
MICHAEL: Del is arguably the center of the story, and to my mind he’s the most complicated of the three. He started out as a typical TV ghost hunter type, and I wanted him to be somewhat unlikable. As I worked with him, I found myself liking him a lot, and also being really bothered by the choices he was making. I really believe that imagined characters make demands, and I have listened.
Holland is maybe the person I am most like, and I have a fondness for them, but they are quite cynical, so I’m trying really hard to distance myself from that, to be more open to absurdity and the unknown. That said, Holland would be the best to hang out with, and the most likely of the three to be my friend.
Jacob might be the most tragic of the trio. I’m not a religious person, but I have an admiration and fondness for folks who are faithful, like David Foster Wallace said, we all worship something…Jacob has chosen the Christian god, and is a generally good dude. I doubt Jacob and I would spend much time together, but I would love to chat with him over coffee. I’d also like to apologize to him for what happens in Plague House.
How would you describe Plague House?
DAVE: Well-made horror, an examination of the seemingly unbreakable chain of violence that lives in humanity via a chilling ghost story involving, y’know, misguided attempts to right wrongs–with a great script and killer art.
MICHAEL: Plague House is a story about the nature of haunted locations, and the lengths that one might go to right the wrongs. Plague House is the Trolly Problem featuring the dead, those who will die, and those who will pull the level all forced to reckon with one another. What’s worse, it brings the reader in, you will have to ask yourself how you feel about the choices made. It can feel pretty bad if you’re ashamed of your deepest truths.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
DAVE: Thank you for reading comics. This is the best storytelling medium in the world!
MICHAEL: ComicBuzz readers: I encourage you to be kind to one another. Life is terribly brief, but compassion can be given freely. Don’t allow the world to harden you in a way that disallows an open heart and the capacity to love deeply. Also, read more weirdo comics!
We would like to say a big thank you to Michael and Dave for chatting with us, and we would like to wish them the best of luck with Plague House.
