Interview with 'Awakening' comic creators Nick Tapalansky & Alex Eckman-Lawn

By Geoff Bough

I am a huge fan of the comic book and moreover horror comics. There's just something intriguing about cracking open a comic and diving into a compelling story that grasps your mind and sometimes gives you the chills.

Awakening is a tantalyzing tale into darkness and uncertainty, what we don't know should be our greatest fear.

I recently read through the first 5 issues of Awakening by writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn. Awakening is the story of Park Falls, a small town with a big problem. People are being brutally murdered, mutilated and attacked.

Detective Derrick Peters is now retired from the force but receives a visit from Cynthia Ford, the town crazy, who seemingly has an explanation for the strange events. She utters one word...zombies.

Has she gone mad or does she have some insider information that would explain the attacks? We sit down with Nick and Alex to talk more about the book, which will be collected in a very nice hardback edition soon.

Rev: The style of the book is very interesting, can you tell us about how the idea to lay the book out visually came about?

NICK: I suppose from a scripting point of view, the two main concepts I had in mind were “immersive” and “cinematic.” Nothing earth-shattering there, but I knew when I saw Alex’s work that he was the one who could put it together like no other.

ALEX: I’ve said this before, but Nick’s scripts are really visual. It’s one of the things that drew me to the project in the first place actually. He made it really easy for me to picture the scene and then it’s just a matter of deciding how I want to convey it specifically. Basically it all comes down to the weight of the scene, dramatically. A page with more importance to the story may need to be given some extra oomph in terms of the art. For instance a page of conversation might be mostly drawing with some light color, while a big confrontation or realization might get a lot of collage and painting, so it really stands out and punches you in the face! Bam!

Rev: Can you tell us how the story was conceptualized? How did you both come together to work on this title?

NICK: I came up with the initial concept years ago, which was vastly different from the series you’re reading in execution though true to the same story elements. It all started when I got to wondering what would happen if something as horrible as, say DAWN OF THE DEAD happened at much slower pace and on a smaller scale (to begin with, at least). What would people do? Who would believe it was happening? What would cause it and how would people approach the situation? It was a pretty scary road to start down but once I got moving I couldn’t stop.

When the story, in it’s current incarnation, really started coming together I knew I needed somebody who could convey mood and story elements without relying on shock and gore to make our points – gore is pretty much absent from the script unless it’s necessary and even then we try to keep it tasteful. Alex and I both feel that the story should, and in the case of AWAKENING it does, carry enough shock without goreporn tossed in.

As for how we hooked up… Man, we really need to make up a better story for this… It was all thanks to a message board and a dream.

ALEX Nick’s so modest; the story of how we met is actually a very interesting one. I was skiing in the Alps, as I often do on weekends, when I came across Nick’s body, frozen between two mighty glaciers. I took him back to my cabin and when he had finally thawed out a bit, he told me his story, a tale most foul and unnerving. I told him it was our responsibility to share it with the world, and here we are.:

Rev: Was the story initially conceived to be portrayed as a comic?

NICK: Absolutely – it’s my love letter to sequential storytelling. The first of many, I dare say.

Oh yes, I dared.

ALEX: I actually really appreciate how well the book works in single issues. I think we’re both really excited for the hardcover, and it’s going to be great to read them all side by side, but I think the story is really supported wonderfully by the serial format. I guess what I’m stumbling over myself trying to say is that AWAKENING was born to be a comic, and while we’d love to see it as a billion-dollar blockbuster (hear that Hollywood?), it’s been planned carefully for its format and I think it shows.
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Rev: I'm really enjoying the story thus far, it reminds me of classic zombie films where there is an almost overwhelming sense of uncertainty. Det. Peters keeps coming up short on leads, I'm not too sure what to think of Cynthia yet, and Howe's findings are pretty vague but something is out there! It's a very creepy story.

NICK: Thanks! A huge part of the plan for the book was to create an atmosphere of noir-styled mystery around the events taking place in the city, with a well-rounded cast of characters. It’s anybody’s guess who may know what and what’s really true. All anybody can say for sure is that people are turning up missing and dead and these “awakened” are definitely to blame.

The hardcover is going to include some exciting supplemental material, 10-pages which detail some of the events taking place between the issues and major events portrayed in the comic. Each issue gets a page of journal entries written by Derrick coupled with a beautiful, iconic piece of art that both relates to the entries listed and expands our view of Park Falls as a city. If you haven’t already, head down to your comic shop and pre-order (Previews Order Code APR08 3552) the hardcover – it’s only $19.95 (with 144 pages!) and it even comes with a fancy dust jacket. How can you say no? You can even pre-order online at Things From Another World

ALEX: That’s funny it reminded me of old detective movies too! That’s what drew me to the story initially. I guess that speaks to the fact that the book doesn’t fit easily into one category. I happen to think Nick has done a great job of combining genres and influences, to create a melting pot of the things he and I love. There’s something in here for those of us who aren’t strict horror or zombie fans.

Rev: has it been working with Archaia Studios Press?

NICK: It’s been a great experience so far. One of the benefits of working on a creator-owned title with a publisher which was founded by a creator for creators means there’s a great understanding of both the creative process and the artistic integrity associated with the project.

ALEX: Archaia has been great to us. The staff treats us like people and the creators we work alongside are something of an inspiration. It’s like having 20 big brothers to look up to.

Rev: Is there anything or anyone in particular that you guys drew inspiration from when developing the story?

NICK: Hmmm…That’s a tough one. I think, like so many others, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was a big one for me. Unlike later films, this one kept such a tight lid on any information that the characters were left largely in the dark for the majority of the film. There was an ongoing sense of panic and fear through the lack of knowledge which really stuck with me.

Just referring to creators who’ve inspired me and continue to keep me riveted you’ve got Jeff Smith, Stephen King, Brian K. Vaughn, Hideki Anno, Steve Niles, and so many others.

ALEX: This is always a tough question. There are so many artists I look up to, in comics or otherwise, but I guess for this book I tried not to look at other zombie books too much since we were setting out to do something different. I think to a certain degree I wear my influences on my sleeve, but I’ll give you the list anyway: I really dig Kent Williams, Dave Mckean (who doesn’t?) Mignola of course, Ashley Wood, Phil Hale, all those Allen Spiegel guys really. I’m also really into t-shirt design and I think everyone should be checking out Stan Doll/ CSDIV - most badass shit ever - but I’m getting sidetracked. I think Benjamin Carre’s cityscapes played a big part in inspiring the look of Park Falls itself. Check his stuff out: he does some pretty amazing photobending.

Rev: I recently learned that the book has been nominated for several Eagle Awards, a very prestigeous recognition in the industry. How does it feel to be nominated for this recognition?

NICK: It’s…wow. It’s huge for us. The fact that we’re up against so many great titles (Y: THE LAST MAN for Favourite Colour Comic – American and THE UMBRELLA ACADAMY and THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST in Favourite New Comic, not to mention I’m up against Jason Aaron and Matt Fraction for Favourite Newcomer Writer) that I think even being listed next to them is humbling. We’re even up against Superman and Captain America! Holy shit! The fact that it’s voted on by fans is what really makes it though – this isn’t some elitist sitting at home sipping wine and drawing names out of a hat – this is voted on by fans. Just…wow.

And, if you’d like to vote (who wouldn’t?), you can do so by heading over to: http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/vote.asp

ALEX: Yeah, I can hardly believe it, honestly, It’s an amazing honor - I sort of feel like a kid who snuck passed the velvet rope at the Oscars or something!

Rev: Having crafted an original zombie tale with Awakening and garnering some accolades with the book, how do you feel about the state of zombie comics and the current zombie boom? How do you feel the comic medium has contributed to the success of the zombie genre?

NICK: I think, like anything that gains a lot of popularity with the suddenness that zombies (and horror in general) have you end up with a lot of people emulating and not enough innovating. We set out to break from the mold rather than try to do what has already worked in the past, or at least been done to death, and hopefully we’ve succeeded. I think comics have been huge in the escalation in popularity of the zombie genre: there are some great zombie novels floating around but a horror like zombies really shines in a visual medium.

ALEX: I think comics have played a big part in putting zombies into the spotlight, but these things are all cyclical, I think. You know, one decade vampires are the shit and all you see is vampire movies, and goth kids with sharpened canines, and then everyone gets sick of that, the climate changes, and all of a sudden werewolves are the shit, and so on. I don’t want to bore everyone, but I read somewhere that America loves zombies because lately we’re all more scared of each other than of monsters. For instance, a lot of people got pretty freaked out when they found out the majority of this country wanted Bush for another term. All of a sudden the masses seem pretty scary. Now I think there’s a kind of apocalypse fetish going on in popular culture. Everyone’s worried about the end of the world and so that’s what we want to see in movies and TV. You get the idea. What’s wrong with embracing entertainment that plays on our real fears?

Rev: What are some of your favorite zombie genre books? films? comics?

NICK: I honestly haven’t read too many zombie books so I have to, I’m afraid, default to the Zombie Survival Guide, old faithful that it is, and leave that there. Films….well, like I said before there’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, one of the first and greatest and 28 DAYS LATER which I don’t necessarily qualify as zombies per se but since it’s so widely referred to as such I’ll lump it in. Besides, it was just a great movie – I like to mention it whenever I can. The best of the best was SHAUN OF THE DEAD, my all-time favorite film and one I can’t get sick of no matter how hard I try. Zombie comics are tougher to come by in terms of quality, but THE WALKING DEAD seems to get it right almost all of the time and I’ve been anxiously awaiting JESUS HATES ZOMBIES.

ALEX: I actually never read any zombie books before I started working on AWAKENING, and I’m not really reading any now. This is something that I HOPE helps our book stand out. I do, however, have a soft spot for some “zombie cinema.” I’m all for the classics, and I do still remember the day I first saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, but I really like the guys that play around with the old ideas or try something new. It’s sort of like when you see a painter who’s doing cubism, and he’s doing a really great job of it, but who cares? Cubism is great but it’s done, you know? It was done like 80 years ago. I liked 28 DAYS LATER for that reason (plus I respect any movie that puts a dick in the audience’s face within the first half hour), and I even applaud Romero for taking his idea in a new direction with his latest movies, even if it didn’t always work out perfectly. WILD ZERO is an amazing little film that’s pretty ridiculous and different from the norm. And God bless Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright for reminding everyone that it’s okay to laugh at this stuff as well as love it.

Rev: Have there been any rumblings about adapting the book to film? How do you feel about that possibility?

NICK: There’ve been rumblings but only minor thus far. Suffice it so say that there have been discussions and will hopefully be more in the future, though the story was conceived for the comic medium and I’d be just as happy if it stayed there from an artistic perspective.

From a storytelling angle, I would actually have to say that a TV series might serve the story better. A large part of our story is the passage of time – a full year by the time it’s done. It’s difficult to show the slow passage of time and escalation of events over the course of two hours – you’re hampered by time constraints and can sometimes have to force the passage of time by using time stamps and such, which isn’t exactly what we’d want (though we do use them in the book to establish dates). A TV show or mini-series would give an opportunity to stay true to the comic with regards to that.

Not that I’ve thought about it or anything.

ALEX: Hasselhoff plays Derrick or I walk.

NICK: Don’t hassle the Hoff.

Rev: Will you guys be working together on future projects? What's next for the both of you?

NICK: Oh yes, we’ve got boatloads to do together yet. I don’t think we’re quite ready to announce anything yet but we’re in the planning stages for at least one of our next books. I’ve also got a few other projects in various stages of development that I hope to be able to talk about soon.

ALEX: Are you kidding? You couldn’t tear me away from this guy if you tried! We’ve been kicking around some stuff lately, some of which I’m pretty excited about. I think we’re both pretty focused on AWAKENING right now, but you definitely haven’t heard the last of us, barring any tragic accidents.

And of course I’m always working on other freelance stuff so if you’re into metal or hardcore at all, keep an eye out for the next Architect album. I’m doing the art, but more importantly the music has been sounding amazing!

This is a book to jump on right away! Ask your local comic retailer to order you the upcoming hardcover of Awakening and begin enjoying this tale of mystery and the dead!

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