Writers and Co-Creators Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanqing (The Outsiders, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars) Collaborate with Eisner-nominated artists Eamon Winkle give life Principles of Necromancy.
While brave knights and dangerous monsters rock endless wars, business thrives for Dr. Jacob Ace, a traveling doctor whose mysterious cures are the closest thing to magic the world has ever seen. These horrific miracles are just stepping stones to Dr. Eye’s ultimate sinister goal: to overcome death itself.
The Beat wanted to know more about the project and contacted the creators via email for an interview!
Diego Higuera: The Principle of Necromancy has a unique character in The Eyes of Dr. Jacob. What was the inspiration behind creating a doctor with such dire goals? Defeat death?
Colin Kelly: “Dr. Eyes” was inspired by the world we wanted to explore: a high fantasy setting, but a No magic. Steeped in hard facts, we argue that no one is better suited to discover its secrets than the scientist, and that no science is greater—or more “noble”—than that of the physician. As we realize what this means – here, the Doctor is considered a wizard, feared and worshiped in equal measure – the character of the Eye, the youngest of them all, begins to take shape.
Jackson Lansing: It is a direct reflection of ideas as old as the genre itself. The Eye is a twist on the now classic Victor Frankenstein archetype – a scientist seeking the limits of science. but why? For ambition? For personal gain? For revenge? Or something deeper? Who is the man behind this mask? That’s the question every issue of Principles of Necromancy asks – we see Dr. Eyes from every angle except his own, and ask readers to make up their own minds.
Eamonn Winkel: In terms of the character’s physical design, what really makes it “compelling” is the convention that “he can’t look like a villain.” Eyes needs to look approachable, even innocent, because at his core he is doing a great service to the world by trying to save them from death. So we have this angel-faced guy who is doing everything he can to help people. It just so happens that his idea of ”helping” may lead to some places you don’t want to go…
Higuera: Jackson and Colin, you have worked together on several high-profile series, e.g. Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars. How to work at a creator-owned company Writing a project like Principles of Necromancy is different from writing a larger project Franchise?
Lanjin: Simply put: we answer to no one but ourselves. Big real estate is amazing, but they have understandable concerns about sales, “brand health” and more. We’re lucky enough to understand how to work within these systems, but to be honest, it’s always a delicate balance, starting with pure experimental creativity at a disadvantage. This is not the case with Principles of Necromancy. Here, we’re only responsible to ourselves—and to whatever the reader finds in the story.
Kelly: The biggest change, at least for me, is that the guardrails of continuity are gone. You can’t build on the previous foundation because literally there is nothing Have been here before. This can be absolutely freeing, but with it comes uncertainty – you can’t rely on the love of known characters, you have to put out the most authentic story possible and simply pray that your unique vision connects with the audience Resonate, and find people who love your weird kids as much as you do.
Higuera: Eamonn, your art has been described as evocatively horrific. Can you tell us about your process of bringing the dark, grim world of Principia into the game?
Life?
Winkel: How wonderful! While I enjoy drawing a little bit, the horror genre has always been my comfort, so I felt right at home in Necromancer. There was a lot of collaboration in the writing process of this book; we had weekly meetings to discuss the script and brainstorm everything from page layout to character design to the final artwork. It never felt like work, it just felt like three friends having a great time. Let me tell you, it was a lot of fun bringing Doctor Eyes and his world to life.
Higuera: The world of “Principles of Necromancy” incorporates elements of high fantasy Dark, mysterious magic. How did you build the world of this series?
Kelly: First, let’s use “twisted, forbidden science” to transform “dark, arcane magic”… which is indeed at the core of our world-building. We centered it all around the concept of how can we take the Normally Take what is considered magic and turn it into something “practical” (yes, we know “practical” is a stretch in this case). Tonally we were strongly influenced by the likes of Lord of the Rings, Conan and Elden Ring, while always keeping a bit of Mike Mignola on our shoulders, channeling the shadowy and extremely human nature of Hellboy story telling, even in the face of horrific impossibilities.
Lanjin: Exactly. There is no such thing as magic in this world. We can only do this with our own two hands…it’s scary enough.
Higuera: The mysterious cures and horrific miracles of Dr. Jacob Ace are at the heart of the story. How do you balance horror elements with character development to sustain Reader participation?
Lanjin: At the center of every story Colin and I tell are characters – that’s where we start in the first place. The giant corpse golem at the end of Principles of Necromancy #1 is not the theme, but Kane’s journey from “honored warrior” to “horrified immortal”. The same goes for Eloise in issue 2, Doctor Psy in issue 3, and the City King in issue 4. Everyone has their own journey to go on—and their own Dr. Eyes aspects to reveal—so the horror becomes something we can all deploy tactically to turn the screws on those arcs and make them As original as possible.
Kelly: Luckily, when it comes to horror movies, Ammon is the new horror master. As a result, our mundane imaginations become something completely different in his hands—even if, as the authors of the book, we ultimately go home with nightmares.
Winkel: We talk about body horror a lot in the book, and to me the horror comes not only from the visuals you see, but also from the connection to the characters. Connection to the characters we follow is an essential ingredient in creating horror. In the case of Kane, we see his love for his fellow humans, his loyalty to his king, and it was this love and desperation to save them that led him to accept the help of the Eye, which led to his eventual fate of becoming a human mouse – king. So while his new form is visually terrifying, knowing that he himself was complicit in the destruction is just as (if not more) terrifying.
Higuera: Amon, you were recently nominated for an Eisner Newcomer Award. There is this How does recognition affect your understanding of Principles of Necromancy, and what What does this mean to you personally?
Winkel: Words (or pictures) cannot describe how honored and grateful I am for Russ Manning’s Eisner nomination. Art and creating can be a very lonely thing at times, so getting nominated was definitely a big neon sign that said “You’re doing the right thing, keep going!” It was so inspiring to me. and was nominated for the work he did Principles of Necromancy It turns out we have something really special here, and I think that motivates us even more.
Higuera: As a creator working on such diverse projects, what are the new opportunities? Did “The Necronomicon” come to each of you creatively?
Lanjin: This is our first foray into the horror genre and our first creator-owned issue-by-issue comic in almost eight years, so new opportunities were obvious. free! Weird stuff! Experimentation with single-issue format – this is one of Colin and my favorite things to explore. That said, it also does allow us to incorporate some of our deep-seated fears of death and life into the pages of a strange fantasy world that only plays by our rules. As Colin mentioned before, crafting a world that suits the story, rather than the other way around, is a joy in itself.
Kelly: It’s an incredibly basic, heartfelt answer, but it’s an opportunity to write something truly disgusting. Not just visually – although who doesn’t love audacity in all its gorgeous and terrifying glory – but in terms of motivation. There’s one character—let’s call him the “Science Bastard”—who is a staple of literature, but very difficult Emotionally connect; the principle is our chance to play this character and do our best to turn him into someone you may not like…but someone you want to see succeed.
Winkel: Speaking of firsts, this is my first foray into comics! So this is really a new opportunity for me and I want to bring my best to every page to show what I can do. I wake up every day so grateful to Jackson and Colin for giving me the opportunity to write this book with them and create this wonderful and sometimes terrifying world. It truly is an absolute joy.
Higuera: Is there anything you’d like to share with readers and fans?
Lanjin: We sincerely thank everyone who’s willing to give Principles of Necromancy a try…and promise that Dr. Eye’s terrifying journey is far from complete. Be sure to keep your eyes open. Doctor’s orders.
Winkel: To all the readers who picked up this book, to all the comic shops and bookstores that carry it, to all the people who joined us on this journey, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! My pencils are sharpened and I’m ready to take you into more of the world of Principles of Necromancy!
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