How ‘Jill and the Killers’ Flips The Script on Coming-of-Age Horror Stories
Olivia Cuartero-Briggs
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Ahead of the release of her new graphic novel Jill and the Killers, writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs pens a personal essay about why this series is so important and the need for more female protagonists in coming-of-age horror.
When I was growing up in the 90s, I was absolutely obsessed with scary movies. I loved everything about them, from the blood and guts to the adrenaline rush, and even the occasional nightmare that I never told my parents about, lest they question their permissive stance on acceptable childhood programming.
I dug Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers, of course. But what I really adored—the stories that sucked me in and stuck in my brain—were the kid-group thrillers. Stephen King’s It, Stand by Me, The Goonies, Monster Squad, Lord of the Flies… you get it. The ones that combined horrific happenstance with the perils of growing up, finding yourself, and the power—or pitfalls—of friendship.
The problem was, when I would lie in bed at night and fantasize, I always found myself stuck on where to put myself in the story. Nearly all the characters were male. Though some, like It, had a token chick, if a group of dudes chose to pull one, lone girl into their crew, it would not have been me.
I yearned for an adventure that could have me on the edge of my seat that I could immerse myself in afterward. Muck around in, within the safety of my own imagination, without having to work so hard. What I wanted, dear friends, was a classic coming-of-age thriller with a group of girls. That’s why I wrote Jill and the Killers.
But with Jill, I didn’t want to stop there. If you know me personally, you can attest to the fact that there’s very little about me that’s subtle. If I was going to both honor and subvert my favorite genre from childhood, I was going to make sure everyone knew I was doing it. And that’s why rather than a damsel in distress, the first arc of Jill and the Killers features male victims, and it is up to our fearless females to avenge them.
It’s also why each of the characters is named after the woman in famous male/female duos where, historically, the dude was featured first. Jack and Jill. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Sonny and Cher. Romeo and Juliet. And the one character who shakes that up? The very same that stirs the pot in our girl group—the newcomer to Seligmann High—Clyde. Yes, of Bonnie and Clyde.
So, for all you suspense-loving chicks out there like me, who have been itching to see yourself inside a creepy, unfolding mystery, with meaningful friendships, unrequited crushes, and all the other glorious crap that comes along with young adulthood, Jill and the Killers is for you. I am super proud of this book, and I hope you dig her as much as I do.
Jill and the Killers #1 will be available in stores on January 31, 2024 from Oni Press.
Get a sneak peek and read the full synopsis of the first volume of Jill and the Killers below:
“Returning to school after the unsolved disappearance of her mother, teenager Jill Estrada can’t wait for things to return to normal . . . even as her friends become compulsively obsessed with Box Killers, a true-crime subscription game where each month’s “unsolved case” is custom-tailored to the life of its player. There’s only one catch: Jill’s game seems to be all too real . . . and when her clues begin to connect to a series of disappearances in her town, Jill and her friends must uncover the truth behind these mysterious crimes before one of their own becomes the next victim.“
Categorized:Editorials
