TALKING IMPALER WITH WILLIAM HARMS

[MattBrady]

This week sees the start of a retelling of a little something classic through a modern lens. The something classic would be the story of Vlad Tepes Dracula, and that something modern would be Impaler a new series from Image by William Harms, Nick Postic and Nick Marinkovich.

Let’s just all get on the same page then, right? The solicitation reads:

One of the worst blizzards in history cripples New York City in one fell swoop. But the blinding cold and snow are the least of the city's worries. For aboard a drifting cargo ship stirs an unfathomable evil that will unleash a horror the likes of which the world has never seen.

And in two nights, New York City will be no more...

We spoke with Harms about the series, the characters, and the idea of a vast, vampire epic.

Newsarama: First off, what brought all this on then? What’s the secret origin of Impaler, in terms of inspiration and motivations?

William Harms: Part of it was a reaction to the other vampire stories out there. I'm a fan of classic vampire stories like 'Salem's Lot and I am Legend, and it seemed liked those kinds of stories have kind of taken a backseat over the past ten years or so. So much vampire fiction is about vampire cabals, that sort of thing. It was either inspired by the White Wolf fiction or Anne Rice.



So I decided to sit down and really think about the type of vampire story I'd like to read. And the starting question was: What if vampires were real and they wanted to take over the world? The simple fact is that nothing would stop them. And Impaler is the story of that happening.

NRAMA: You mention in issue #1 that this took some time from conception to issue #1 – what took so long in getting the series rolling and then off the ground?

WH: Part of it was just waiting for the stars to align on the publishing side and part of it was waiting for the Nicks. When you're putting something like this together for an independent publisher, it can take a long time.

NRAMA: Speaking of them, how did you get paired up with the Nicks on art? What were you looking for, specifically, when it came to your look?

WH: I first saw their art in Digital Webbing Presents. When I contacted them, they were busy drawing the Underworld comics for IDW, so I had to wait until they were finished.


When I sat down and developed the story and world for Impaler, I had a very specific set of rules for how the vampires operated and looked--they can instantly switch from full-bodied creatures into shadows, for example. And that required a specific art style, especially in terms of the use of blacks, shadows, etc. And the Nicks had that style nailed. It was well worth the wait.

NRAMA: Setting up the opening scenes – so history, as we know it is wrong when it comes to Vlad Tepes? Well, some history, at least?

WH: Most people focus on the fact that Vlad Tepes impaled people, poisoned all of the poor people in his kingdom, stuff like that. There's no question that he did some horrific things. But he also fought against the Ottoman Empire in an effort to prevent them from penetrating into Europe, and he was a member of a secret order sworn to protect the Catholic Church. To his people, even to this day, he's a national hero.

That contrast creates a very dramatic dynamic in him as a character--can someone do horrible things in the name of good? That's a very important undercurrent in Impaler.

NRAMA: That said, obviously, the history is going to come into play, but could you give us a little of the background on what was going on in 15th century Wallachia and why it was so bad that Vlad would see….whatever he does to himself in the opening pages of #1 as the only way out?

WH: At the beginning of Impaler #1, vampires are attacking from the east and threatening to overrun Europe. Since he had taken a vow to protect Europe from any threat, Vlad does the only thing he can do to stop them…go through a ceremony that gives him supernatural powers.

What exactly Vlad does won't be revealed for awhile, but I can say that he is not a vampire. In fact, he has sworn to destroy the vampires, no matter the cost.



NRAMA: Can you explain the structure of Impaler a little? Obviously, there’s what…650 or so years of backstory to fill in. Will you be telling what happened to Vlad along with the modern-day story?

WH: Definitely. In fact, issue four opens with Vlad fighting the vampires in the 1400s. The back story is that Vlad pursues the vampires across Europe until they reach Morocco. That's an epic story in and of itself, and I'm still debating how it'll play out. Maybe as a limited series that is separate from the main book.

NRAMA: Filling out the cast – can you give a sketch of the protagonist, Detective Victor Dailey? How many years did he have on the police force? And now? He seems…hollowed out…



WH: He was on the force for about 23 years. The two most important things in his life were his wife, Tina, and being a cop. And when he lost his wife, he lost the will to stay on the force.

I imagine it'd be very hard to stay in a job, especially if you're a homicide detective like Victor, that constantly reminds you of your own losses. Every day, you're seeing people lose their loved ones. Every day you're reliving your own pain and grief. Eventually, you'd just lock the door mentally and stop caring. And Victor is smart enough to know that when that happens, it's time to walk away.

I have a great deal of affection for Victor. Some of the things he's going through mirror things that I've gone through, so he's the most personal to me. He's the heart and soul of the book.

NRAMA: From the solicitation and issue info, you’ve said that you’re looking to tell an epic story – and have ominously hinted that New York won’t exist in two days…



WH: Yeah, New York City is pretty much toast within two days or so. The government seals it off, and there are maybe 100 survivors or so still in Manhattan. Everyone else is either dead or a vampire.

NRAMA: What inspired you to do something on this scale? After all, the solicit and preview give the feeling that the set up in issue #1 was…a supernatural “dirty bomb” coming into the harbor…in your view, have the changes the world’s gone through opened new avenues for stories? New directions that, at one time weren’t as plausible, but now have, at least, elements of believability in them?

WH: Yeah, because of what's happened in the past few years, I think there is a degree of believability in that scenario, at least emotionally.

The destruction of a major city really resonates an entirely different level now; it hasn't been like this since the days of the Cold War. For a long time, something like this was just a kick-ass special effect, like the UFOs in Independence Day blowing the crap out of Washington, D.C. Back then, people cheered. They wouldn't cheer now.

That said, the great thing about vampires in a story like this is that they can be a metaphor for about anything. Given the state of the world, it'd be easy to see them as a metaphor for terrorism, but that's not my intent. They mean something else entirely to me.

NRAMA: Speaking of the “supernatural” – can you give some insight on your take on vampires and vampirism in Impaler? Over the years, there’ve been dozens of ideas – from straight out supernatural to biological/science based…where does Impaler fall along that continuum?

WH: I really wanted the vampires to be as unique as possible, so the usual stuff like crosses, garlic, and holy water were immediately off the table. If you can shoot one in the head or chest, it dies. The problem is that the vampires can instantly shift from a body to shadow-form, and while in shadow-form, objects pass harmlessly through them…the only thing that can harm them in that state is pure iron.

The sun can also kill them, but the vampires don't sleep during the day, they just hide from the sun. So if you walk through a dark alley or building and there's a vampire in there, you're dead.

They are single-minded in their desire to destroy humanity--they don't worry about leaving enough humans so that they can feed or anything like that. They'll kill every living soul on the planet if given the chance.

NRAMA: Winding the story aspect down, let’s get to the teases of the next couple of issues – where are things headed? Vampire Armageddon?



WH: Yeah, it's total Vampire Armageddon. The survivors learn what is happening outside of New York City, and we also get into the government's response. And once Vlad appears in modern-day New York, things get really interesting. Let's just say that Vlad and Victor don't always see eye-to-eye.

NRAMA: Fair enough. On to something…unique with the book - you’ve got this contest thing…people can sign up to be…killed?

WH: When the Nicks first started working on Impaler, I told them I wanted to die in the book. So I took some reference pictures for them, and they drew me in. (I eat it in issue two.) We all got a great laugh out of it, so we decided to run this contest where one lucky reader gets drawn into the book. If you win, you'll "die" in the pages of Impaler, get the original art for the pages in which you appear, a signed first issue, and a signed promo poster. It's going to be a hoot.



NRAMA: Finally, where do you guys see Impaler going? With all the cross pollination in comics and other media, are you viewing this as strictly a comic book, or are you investigating other avenues as well?

WH: First and foremost, it's a comic book. Our intent has always been to create the best possible comic and tell a story that really connects with readers. That's our primary concern, and I really hope to be able to produce Impaler for a long time.

We've been fortunate, though, in that we've gotten a lot of interest from Hollywood. In fact, my agent, Ken F. Levin, says that there hasn't been a title get more interest in the last two years. So we'll see what happens.

[jasonm]

Nice! Can't wait to read this!

[God-Man]

That is some cool shit. I might check it out on Wednesday.

[Ye Olde Iowa]

This book wasn't even on my radar until now. I personally can't wait to pick this bad mutha up on Wednesday (crossing my fingers, of course, that my shop ordered it!).

[V-Man]

Nick and Nick are amazing artists and great people. They 2 of the most talented guys in the biz. I can't wait for The Impaler, I've seen their new stuff in person and it's absolutely breathtaking.

Excitedly,

-Vinny

[Kody]

Checked out the preview copy at the shop Friday, and it came out fantastic! Congratulations on an outstanding book guys. My copy should be in my folder on Wednesday, can't wait to read it!

[William Harms]

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. The first issue comes out tomorrow, so please drop us a line and let us know what you think!

--Bill
www.impalercomic.com

[wreckingcrew]

Able is one of my very favorite Graphic Novels. Dracula doesnt do it for me personally, but I will check out any William Harms book on general purpose.

[William Harms]

Originally Posted by wreckingcrew

Able is one of my very favorite Graphic Novels. Dracula doesnt do it for me personally, but I will check out any William Harms book on general purpose.

Thanks, I really appreciate that. (And for what's it worth, "Dracula" never really appears in Impaler...not in the traditional sense, anyway.)

[Headhunter]

Damn, that looks phenomenal...!

[JoshuaOrtega]

Nice interview, William...I'm looking forward to checking this out!