Broken Frontier

7 Horrific Questions With... is back once again asking creators the same questions concerning horror topics. It will give you insight into the creators handling of horrific content and what some of their favourite horror tales are.

Although not as well known as Conan the Barbarian, Robert E. Howard's Puritan crusader Solomon Kane is still a beloved staple of the pulp era heroes. A vengeful character, set on ridding the world of evil, he haunts the horrors of the 16th century. For Dark Horse Comics, Scott Allie is translating the pulp novels to comics and giving it his own twist. Here's a look inside his head.

BROKEN FRONTIER: What is it that constitutes true horror for you?
   
SCOTT ALLIE: Moral fear—the idea that we're the monster, that there are really terrible things in the world and there's a fine line between us and them.

BF: How does the current market treat horror comics according to you?

SA: Better than it had in a while. There's more room for horror comics than there's been in ages. I wish zombies and slashers weren't so prevalent, but it's nice that the genre's represented.

BF: What are the specific challenges you are facing when writing a horror tale as opposed to drawing, for instance, superhero story?
   
SA: You have to really engage the reader emotionally, because the whole point of the horror story is to get them to feel something. You can't just gross them out, especially on paper, because that doesn't work the way it does on film. You have to get them to feel for the characters and the situation, and lull them into a state where the atmosphere of the book becomes real for them. It's not all bright colors and punching.

BF: What is your favourite creature that strikes terror into the hearts of the innocent and why?
   
SA: I really like the werewolf, because he's truly a monster, and he's truly us, and more importantly, I still don't think a great werewolf story, a genre defying werewolf story has been told. But I like demons—old school, occult, biblical demons, because anything's possible with them.


BF: What is your favourite terrorific story, be it comics, movies or books?

SA: At the moment, The Exorcist. Been thinking about that one a lot.

BF: What is either your latest horror project or the one upcoming on your schedule?

SA: Most of my schedule is horror books, but I have a Solomon Kane miniseries debuting in January that is very much a horror story, more so than the last one.

BF: When faced with a giant octopus, his tentacles woozing your way, his one giant eye focusing on your frail human body, what do you do?
a) I reach for my can of maze
b) I quickly try to reach for my mobile to call my zombie army: zombies vs giant squids!
c) I'll tell you what I'll do! (insert your personal option)
   
SA: Kneel down and go insane because I'm convinced this is C'thulhu and it's all over for man.

Solomon Kane is published by Dark Horse Comics and check out Scott Allie at his website. Make sure to read previous editions of 7 Horrific Questions With... featuring The Walking Dead's Charlie Adlard and Fiona Staples of Wildstorm's North 40!