Interview: Mike Garley – Writer of Dead Roots and The Kill Screen
David Gelmini
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Mike Garley is a prolific British comics writer, having worked on the Emmy-nominated series Collider as well as acclaimed horror series like Samurai Slasher and two promising new titles, Dead Roots and The Kill Screen, which he discusses in the following interview.
Dread Central: You’re well known for your horror comics such as Samurai Slasher and Dead Roots, and now The Kill Screen; do you think the genre has a particular affinity for comics?
Mike Garley: I think what works so well with horror in comics is how visual it is as a genre. With self-published stories in particular, you really need to fight for people’s attention, and then give them a reason to pick up your comic and want to come back for the next issue – especially when there’s a long gap between issues. Horror has a strong tradition of having visually iconic villains which translate really well to the page.
Horror allows you to cut straight to the chase, and when done well, they’re just as good for exploring characters as great drama, or as apt at exploring ideas as the greatest science fiction.
DC: How do you approach each idea and allow it to bloom?
MG: I like to take my time with ideas and compile a kind of “mood sheet” with images and snippets of ideas until everything falls into place. When I’m happy that there’s a story there worth telling, then I’ll write it down as a sentence – as I think it’s important that the idea can be focused enough to be told in a sentence or two, this is sometimes called an elevator pitch. Then I’ll redevelop it as a paragraph and then separate it and rework it into breakdowns for issues (if needed).
DC: Can you give us an outline of Dead Roots?
MG: Dead Roots is a 200+-page zombie comic anthology which features thirty-six unique stories from a diverse range of creators from the worlds of TV, animation, film, comics, and games. The anthology focuses on the emotional state and experiences of everyday people and their journeys as they search to find their loved ones in the initial frantic hours of a zombie outbreak.
DC: The pixelated blood and the ESRB rating-style title designs, which appear in some of the preview images, are nice touches. Did these help the series develop its personality?
MG: I think the visuality of The Kill Screen IS its defining characteristic. We use iconography that’s synonymous with the digital world that feels really natural on a printed page, which shows just how natural the digital world feels to everyone now.
And for a comic that explores our world infected by the digital world, it’s a perfect fit.
DC: Can you describe the art style?
MG: Josh , the artist and co creator, has a great style – there’s a slightly cartoony feel to it, while still feeling realistic. People have commented that they can see Mike Mignola and Cameron Stewart in there. This helps us tell realistic stories which feature some intimate character-based moments as well as touches of dark humour.
DC: What do you think is the current state of the UK independent comic scene?
MG: It’s in surprisingly good shape – there’s a hell of a lot of good stuff out there, and the market is definitely growing. Whereas, I’m sure most people would love to work on licensed properties, we’re still seeing more and more people trying to make it as an independent, which, in turn, is helping the industry as a whole.
DC: What other series do you have planned?
MG: The Kill Screen is still going strong, and there’s a follow-up to Samurai Slasher in the works. Apart from that I have a few projects with publishers in the works, a web comic called Radium which is available on Tapastic (with the ever-loveable Andy W. Clift on art duties), as well as a story in development for the lovely gentlemen at Metal Made Flesh.
The best way to find out about new stuff would probably be on my twitter @Mikegarley or my website MikeGarley.com.
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