Robin Sandiford, one half of the Manchester-based creative duo behind the new sci-fi horror webcomic 'Zomblicity', recently took some time out to answer some questions for HSL. Read on to find out how the comic began, where it's heading, how Robin would fight real zombies and much more!
1. Firstly, thank you for doing this interview. Could you introduce Farcreazy Fahad and yourself for anyone who's not familiar with your work?
[I’m a] writer and blogger, who loves to write non-linear scary stories. I love graphic novels, books and am a bit of a film obsessive.
Fahad is a multi-talented digital and hand drawn pencil artist who loves creating and drawing his own characters to perfection and I’m hoping to work with Fahad in the future again on other projects.
2. What made the two of you decide to work together?
Had you collaborated on any projects together before?
No, this is our first collaboration. We met through another artist called
Libby Vickers (she’s an excellent digital artist!) who kindly pointed me in Fahad’s direction. After sending him my script, he was as passionate as I was about visualising it as a comic. I thought it would be too complex to represent in comic-form, but he took it away and made some rough character sketches which totally blew me away (These can be found on the
Facebook page and
website). After meeting up and chatting about it a few times, Fahad was then happy enough to go and draw up a rough sketch to issue 1 & 2.
3. The comic is currently on part two of its second issue, but how/when did you first come up with the idea for it?
It was about a year and a half ago. I was waiting for the Metrolink one Morning when I started to imagine a Zombie outbreak, and thought what it’d be like. I also thought the metro might make quite a unique opening setting for a film/comic, a lot of people would be condensed in that one place all travelling, and consequently many would get infected in a short space of time. I later started to think more about the story and develop it, but at the time of its conception it was a linear story pattern with both the Zombie and Human version of the lead protagonist co-existing in the same timeframe and subsequently running face-to-face into each other towards the end.
Incidentally, I ran into a lot of problems with the linear story and there didn’t seem to be a lot of logic to why there would be two existing together. So I needed to re-think the whole concept....Then it hit me, why not have a duplicate storyline where the timeline inadvertently broke into ‘two’ somewhere along the way...Still with us? well, basically the story is built on the notion that, for example; one day you’re running late for work and you might get a bit of a telling off, put it this way...being may also save your life, it’s all about how every action (however insignificant) has a consequence and our comic gives you an insight into both scenarios. It terms of where we are at present, I’ve just finished writing the last issue of volume 3.
4. How did you come up with the title 'Zomblicity'?
The title came together quite easily actually, the story however wasn’t so easy. To cut a long story short.. I came up with the title once I had the story in place, it’s kind of a play on words, an amalgamation of a few meanings with the idea of a duplicate storyline running throughout. The reason for this I assure you, will all become clear in the near future.
5. Why do you think zombies have become such a popular theme recently?
I think Zombies have always been a popular cult interest genre, ever since Romero I think they are popularity has soured since the success of the AMC TV show ‘The Walking Dead’(which by the way is superb!) and Video Games like, ‘Dead Rising’, ‘Left 4 Dead’ and with the success of the new ‘Dead Island’ trailer. More and more seems to be coming out and I can only think due to the trend that it isn’t going to go anywhere soon.
6. Do you like zombie/sci-fi horror movies? Do you have any favourites?
Yes, I love Zombie films in general and fully admit to being a bit of a sci-fi geek too. George A. Romero will always be a favourite of mine for obvious reasons. Since Romero created this genre defining concept, I don’t think anyone else has really explored the idea of it enough. Every time something new is brought to the table, it’s often Romero himself who re-invents it once more (see the recent 2007 Diary of the Dead). In terms of genre defining, I think Fulci was a legend, the make-up effects by Gianetto de Rossi are something else and this is pretty much as influential on modern Zombie films as the original ‘Dawn of the Dead’ was.
Going back to sci-fi, I grew up on Star Trek and Dr Who and remember getting to see one of the Pertwee shows live in Manchester, which was a momentous occasion. In terms of modern day sci-fi, I could never get enough of the TV show Lost, I’m still living with a hole it left my life (oh and no, I’m not a bitter Lost fan either!). My love of all things sci-fi related meant that I didn’t just want to pick on Horror for the comic, so I borrowed a few influences from watching years of my favourite shows.
7. Will 'Zomblicity' zombies be different from those featured in other horror comics, series and movies?
At the moment, there’s not a lot I can tell you without spoiling things for you. It terms of their look, we tried to [make them different]
 |
| Early concept sketch of the zombies |
We wanted the Zombies (as well as all the other characters) to have a distinctive look, very pale almost as if they are physically starving for blood and some more hulk-like with the torn clothing. The Zombies are without a doubt, stronger and meaner than ever before seen. We’ve only really seen the more docile type so far, but what if they were evolving? I would be asking the question, will this strength be something ‘other’ survivors might be keen to harvest to possibly aid their survival?
Think something along the lines of the Vampires in Matheson’s ‘I Am Legend’. When the human race has all but died out, and all that’s left are Zombies... in the words of Jurassic Park..... “Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way."
8. Curtis, the main character so far, seems to be aware of the time jumps at some points. Is he aware of the events in both storylines, or does he simply know that time 'stands still'?
Well, in timeline 1, he’s more precarious and doesn’t really get chance to acknowledge that time has stopped as he is bitten. But certainly, in timeline 2 he’s more and observant of thing things around him. The outbreak in timeline 2 seems to have already happened so he’s piecing things together. Will Curtis become aware there is a parallel timeline? Will they collide at some point?
9. As well as dealing with vicious zombie attacks, the story seems to have a sense of humour to it as well. Is that something you had always intended or just something that developed with the characters' personalities?
Not originally, but I loved some of the funny little quirky elements Fahad added within the first sketches and it made me think about lowering the tone a little bit and making it slightly less depressing. I mean it still has moments when the tone shifts and when the mood becomes a bit more serious, particularly in issue 3 when the tone is very melancholy.
10. Are the writing processes for your short film scripts with Moving Echo and 'Zomblicity' similar, or do you approach them in completely different ways?
The filmmaking process is a lot more complex, it requires a lot of planning/structure and you have to be practical with realist views in relation to budget when coming up with ideas. With Moving Echo we like to bounce ideas off each other to see how things work. I usually write a rough script and then we rewrite it together. With Zomblicity I have the freedom of the Reins if you like, and can throw anything in there (however ridiculous and illogical it may seem) because it’s not budget reliant. I could throw Godzilla in and it would still be doable. Think of it as blank canvas, your free to do whatever you want with it.
11. What influences and inspires you both when writing/drawing?
Fahad always enjoyed drawing characters from very early ages. His first inspiration came from the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles series and then later the Street Fighter series and also takes inspiration heavily from Japanese Manga/Art. He began drawing characters from an early age and it was clear he had an eye for it. He liked to replicate all his favourite Street Fighter characters. He eventually decided he wanted to take inspiration and create his own individually unique characters. He followed Art right up from High School and attended John Moore’s University in Liverpool.
He also likes to draw inspiration not just from friends, but from familiar locations. With Zomblicity he wanted to pull in from Manchester various landmarks and reference points so people could relate to the comics. Although this isn’t officially a Zombified Manchester, it does have particular landmarks (The Metrolink and the big wheel) that are instantly recognisable. We will be bringing more familiar locations in very soon, so stay tuned.
I like to write stories and characters based on my experiences and myself. There is a little bit of myself in Curtis. When I write I put myself in the reader/viewers position and think, what would they like to see in a story? I like to fuse as many genres together in the hope that there’s something for everyone. In Zomblicity there’s a romance between the central characters, there’s a bit of gore/horror and of course it’s a Sci-Fi premise. These are all things I know that I would want to see.
I’ve also got a bit of a penchant for non-linear story patterns. This probably stems from my favourite books (Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five & Chuck Palahniuk’s Survivor). I like to read something unpredictable and like to feel as though I won’t know where the hell I’ll be when I turn the page.
12. Do you have an idea from the start what each character will look like, or do they change drastically in the planning stages?
 |
| Chuck |
Farcreazy Fahad was integral in the development of the main characters. He was in charge of ALL the character art that you see. He even brought one of his own characters from one of his other projects; Chuck was a character he completely devised on his own whom I later wrote into the story. From the clothing (Curtis with the distinctive Hat & suit jacket) to the expressions, these were all reference points that he used from friends and family. He was very precise with the look of them too. I think the characters did change over time, certainly from the first drafts anyway. Jo for example has been made much more angelic and fragile and this is detrimental to the story, sometimes it’s the unlikely hero that succeeds so her look was vital in the early issues.
13. Is it fun to be able to show the same person in two different storylines?
Absolutely, it’s the most interesting part to write. I love being able to play around with them and see how each action shapes the path they choose. Some characters will no doubt become better people in one storyline and in the other we will see them regress. By the time we get to volume 2, we’ll have two story patterns with two separate sets of characters that have gone completely different ways. They’ll be so different, I think if both sets ever came face-to-face with each other, I doubt they would even recognise themselves anymore.
14. If there were a real zombie apocalypse tomorrow, which of you do you think would survive the longest?
We’ve both got different attributes that might aid our survival skills. I know I’m a bit of a hoarder, so maybe one day I’ll have collected valuable objects that I can throw at Zombies when they attack me in my home. My hardback Walking Dead books must surely pack a punch or two!
15. Ideally, would you like to get 'Zomblicity' printed in book form, or do you prefer the freedom that publishing the webcomic yourselves gives you?
Absolutely, although it’s a whole new kettle of fish when it comes to getting a publishing deal, this becomes the point when you have to start charging. We do have plans to go to print with the first nine issues when they are complete. We’ll probably sell these on our site or independently through a partner’s site. I’d welcome a publishing deal but I’d still like to keep the online comics FREE, as we believe that’s the way webcomics should be. We’re certainly looking at printing these at the moment as people like to collect things and have a copy in their hand to appreciate the Art (I know I do!).
16. When can we expect the next issue?
Work is about to start on issue 3. I’d say it should be ready for mid-March, no later. We were discussing ways of making the art stand out even further, Fahad wants to utilise the environments more and bring in some effects like rainfall, to give it a more gloomier look (certainly not out of place in Sunny Manchester anyway). In relation to what is happening in issue 3, I can tell you that the setting will shift in both timelines to 3 months later. So we will get to see how the characters have adapted to this new Post-Apocalyptic environment.
Curtis’s fate in timeline 1? ..who knows!! Can we safely say he’s a Zombie for sure after the bite? And has Jo got it in her to be able to cope in the wilderness without him?
17. Are either of you working on any other projects at the moment?
I’m helping to work on a couple of short film’s at the minute, one called ‘Echoes’ and ‘Time to Kill’. As well as my busy day job!
Fahad is working with two other friends at setting up a T-Shirt design company.
18. Could you give a message to any 'Zomblicity' fans out there?
I would just like to firstly thank Lilia for doing the amazing feature/review and also giving us the opportunity to do this interview.
We’d also like to thank Ry McDermott for supporting the comic in a big way from day 1, all the people who follow us on Twitter and anyone else that’s supported us so far. We’ve only recently launched issue 1 and the response has been immense and we feel truly honoured that people enjoy it and like to spread word. All I want to say now is stay tuned; we’re working hard to get the next lot of issues to you and enhancing everything all the time. We really believe the story is that good, we want you around for it as it progresses. There’s some huge stuff happening throughout volume 1 which you won’t believe you eyes when it happens and as for the final issue to it...let’s just say it’s a pretty significant event that will change everything.
A big thank you to Robin Sandiford for the interview, information & permission to use pictures.
