I have to be honest here, the horror genre is probably my least favorite genre in comics. There are a ton of problems that come up while trying to translate the fear, anxiety, dismay, despair, and general horror of a horror comic; but what I find unique about The Untold is that Farrand and Vick attempt to conquer that with an interesting phycological take and an actual story versus the unnecessary gore that muddies the true value of what makes a horror story a horror story. On the Kickstarter page there is a clear vision laid out as to the vision Farrand and Vick have for The Untold and I feel like it’s something that can truly revitalize a struggling horror genre. Let’s hear from Farrand himself as to what makes The Untold special.
Ian: First can you tell us a little bit about The Untold and what makes it so important to you?
Daniel: The Untold has been the accumulation of two years hard work. I began this project knowing nothing about how to create a comic, I’ve literally had to learn everything a long the way. At every step there has been obstacles to over come and lessons to be learnt. There has been a few dark days when i considered just giving it up, simply admitting defeat. But fortunately i’m a Yorkshire man, and were bloody stubborn, so i dug my heels in and carried on. Finally reaching the point where we could launch the Kickstarter, which was an extremely proud moment. Unfortunately the job isn’t done quite yet, we still need as much help as we can get!
Ian: What made you want to create in something in the horror genre?
Daniel: From a young age, I have been fascinated by horror. It’s the only genre that will make you feel terrified to go to sleep or uncomfortable in your own skin, yet drag you back again and again and again. It’s intoxicating.
I wanted to write something that I knew about, something that I felt that I could improve on. With The Untold, I feel we address a few of the problems within the horror genre.
Ian: Can you tell us about the psychological aspect of The Untold?
Daniel: The psychology behind some of the world worst criminals has been an interest of mine for quite some time, in particular those who are malignant narcissistic sociopaths. The fact that these people can lead perfectly ordinary lives, in most cases excel in life, and be well loved members of the community yet behind closed doors they are capable of the most heinous crimes known to man. For me this is true horror and if i wanted to write a truly scary book, then i had to build a character around characteristics. Having a character like this I feel will mentally toy with the audience. Somebody who is so likable, but yet a true monster underneath.
Ian: What do you feel makes The Untold stand out versus other horror comics?
Daniel: One of the reasons why I created The Untold was because of an increasing frustration with the horror movie
and comic book scene. It felt as though the genre was stuck with a handful of ideas, that were constantly being slightly altered and regurgitated back out under a different title. Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves, Zombie Werewolf
Vampires (Trust me… it’s been done!!). I wanted to create a book that stood out on its own, unlike any other. With it’s own unique story and its own unique “monsters”. We feel that we can find the balance between excessive gore and clever writing, to scare our readers on both a mental and physical level.
Ian: I completely agree. I feel like horror movies lean on the jump scare and creepy looking things or people that just make you jump. There is no art to it anymore, it’s just lights go out nothing there lights come on something behind you. I’m excited to see something that finally gets to the mental side of horror as well as the visual.
Ian: Can you tell us about the Kickstarter; trials and tribulations, rewards, goals, everything?
Daniel: We are, as of writing this, nine days into our campaign, and oh my word has it been harder than I imagined! I guess I
was a little naive in thinking that things would take care of themselves, but I didn’t know any different. So as with the rest of the project, I’ve adapted and learned. Running a Kickstarter campaign isn’t easy, it could quite easily become a full time job. However it is extremely satisfying when you start receiving pledges from total strangers who believe in your project, on more than one occasion a backers generosity has caused me to tear up.
Ian: Can you tell us about the Kickstarter rewards?
Daniel: I really believe in offering backers value for money. If they are willing to give me their hard earn cash,
then the least I can do it make sure they receive rewards that justify it. Which is why I have spent my own money to bring in professional names to offer quality rewards. We have two amazing covers on offer. The regular cover which was pencilled by Johannes Vick and inked by Peter Palmiotti. We also have a variant cover that John McCrea (Judge Dredd, Hitman, Mythic) kindly did for us!! The prints are two commission pieces that I had done solely for this purpose. The “Dark Figure” print again was hand drawn by Johannes, and the “She’s Home” print exquisitely created by Riley Schmitz. The Untold drinking horn was something that I wanted to add to the rewards. I create hand carved Viking drinking horns as a side hobby, and thought it would be nice to offer something that I made with my own two hands. (You really wouldn’t want to see my drawing skills!!) We also have personalized sketches by Johannes Vick and Cameo appearances within the book.
Ian: What are your overall goals for The Untold?
Daniel: Our goals are to, hopefully, get issue #1 funded through Kickstarter, and make sure everybody that backed get their rewards. From there we will start production on issue #2, we may need to call on Kickstarter again depending on how things pan out. The end goal is to finish the first arc of six issues. If the Kickstarter is unsuccessful, we have still decided to complete the first issue (i will personally fund it over the up and coming months). We will then come back to Kickstarter, asking for less money, to help us pay for the printing fees. Either way this book will be being made!
Ian: Can you tell us a little bit about your artist Johannes Vick and why you chose him for The Untold?
Daniel: Johannes is an incredible artist, he has the ability to see into my mind, see what I’m thinking and replicate it
through art. It is a truly amazing skill to possess and I wouldn’t replace him with anybody else. He was actually the third artist that I had work on the project, which is part of the reason it has taken two years. The previous two repeatedly let me down and also left me out of pocket, I was close to giving up when our paths crossed. From the first conversation I knew that Johannes was the right guy for the job, and that all the previous let downs were now justified.
As you can see the passion and the creativity is all there. There is only one thing missing and that is you! Kickstarter is live and waiting for you help!
