Interview: Alan Robert On His New Horror Adult Coloring Book & Comics
Michael Pementel
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Alan Robert is an artist with many skills. While some may know him for his bass playing in Life of Agony, he’s also an accomplished illustrator and writer. Well before his years in a band, Robert found his call to art through cinema and comics. “I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember,” he says. “My earliest memory is probably seeing Star Wars in the theater at six years old (1977) and being so inspired to rush home to draw all the creatures in the Cantina scene. My dad collected comics as a kid and passed down his books to me, which was also a big inspiration.”
Robert continues, sharing how discovering the horror genre impacted his love to draw. “As I got into my teenage years, I became fascinated with horror movies and gory special fx makeup. A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and The Shining were my favorites. My drawings were very detailed and gory in the ’80s (laughs)! My love of horror has only grown since then, as you can tell from my books.”
This love for art and horror guided Robert towards his career in comic books and adult coloring books. One may not immediately find a connection between horror and coloring books, but Robert knew there was something special to be found in combining both.
In regard to the idea of adult coloring books, and creating one, Robert shares, “Coloring books for adults became a ‘thing’ a few years back. The most popular ones were mostly nature and pattern based and they made all the bestseller lists. They were pretty much everywhere for a while. These high-end coloring books were great, but I saw a void in the market for horror fans like me. Where were all the horror coloring books?! I decided to make my own. I figured there had to be like-minded horror fans out there that would want to get in on the coloring fun. The Beauty of Horror, Volume One became an instant bestseller on Amazon in 2016. Been going strong with the rest of the series ever since.”
The Beauty of Horror is a superb combination of Robert’s creativity and passion for horror. With two of his coloring books already appearing on the New York Times best seller list, Robert is proud to soon release his third volume, entitled: The Beauty of Horror 3: Haunted Playgrounds. Inside, folks will find a massive collection of intricate images they can color to their heart’s delight. There’s a stellar array of gruesome, creepy, and unsettling imagery that allows for endless imagination when it comes to color.
Each volume also follows the book’s titular character. Speaking to her background, Robert says, “There’s this mischievous undead girl named Ghouliana who appears in all of the books. She is constantly playing tricks on the reader to play her creepy games, unlocking doors to more evil. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve included poems and search and find games in every volume. In the latest book, The Beauty of Horror 3: Haunted Playgrounds, colorists get to search for Ghouliana’s missing monster parts throughout the book to piece her Frankenstein monster back together again.”
For Robert there has always been a drive to focus on illustration (which is what he originally went to school for). “Long before my music career,” he shares, “I went to school to become a comic book illustrator. I attended The School of Visual Arts on scholarship in the early nineties and had Thor artist Walter Simonson as a cartooning teacher. Simonson later wrote the forward for my graphic novel Crawl to Me. In ’93, when I graduated, I had to make a choice: Either go on tour with Life of Agony to support our debut album River Runs Red (Roadrunner Records), or start taking my portfolio around to comic publishers to try and get a job making comics. Music seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wanted to see what that was like.”
He continues, “Fast forward two decades, I never lost my passion for making comics. I signed with IDW publishing in 2009 to release my first comic series Wire Hangers. After that came Crawl to Me, Killogy, and the Beauty of Horror coloring books. Crawl to Me is now in development to become a feature film! More details on that to come very soon.”
One may assume that given his commitment to Life of Agony, there may have been some strain in being able to follow his other passions. But Robert says that wasn’t really the case; even with his musical duties, he found ways to keep his interests alive and ready to be unleashed.
In regard to having to focus on music over illustrating or writing, he clarifies, “I wouldn’t say it was difficult, because all throughout being in the band I was able to put my creativity to use on album and merchandise designs. I think I designed every Life of Agony t-shirt we ever made! But, when I did finally get serious on getting a book deal, it was an amazing achievement for me. Especially because I did not use a literary agent or anything. I was able to land the publishing deal through a connection I made on Twitter. Someone was definitely shining down on me at that moment.”
It’s a remarkable joy when an artist finds a way to live a life exploring all their passions. Robert is proud of all the work he gets to create; each project brings its own trials and joys, all coming together for one rewarding experience.
Robert states, “Creating these books is so fulfilling. I’m very passionate about it. There’s nothing like holding the published book in your hands after months of long hours over the drawing board. And drawing for me can be very relaxing. I lose myself in the art for several hours at a time, often forgetting to eat or take a break. It can also be very isolating, too. When I’m trying to hit a book deadline, you might not see me for a few weeks straight before I come up for air.”
The illustrator, writer, and bassist says there’s a lot more in the works for folks to be excited for. “Well, besides continuing making books, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes with adapting these properties for film, television, and games. Nothing I can announce just yet, but there a lot of exciting things coming in 2019! Plus, we’re working on material for a new Life of Agony album for Napalm Records. That should be out around October, 2019.”
You can order yourself a copy of The Beauty of Horror 3: Haunted Playgrounds via Amazon or IDW Publishing.
Categorized:Editorials
