Uproar Comics are a Northern Ireland based indie comics company who have been making waves with their current horror series, Zombies Hi. We caught up with creators Kevin Logue and Danny McLaughlin to find out what it’s all about.

Starburst: Tell us about Uproar Comics, what is it that you do?

Uproar Comics: We started in July 2011, with the release of Zombicide. It was so successful we set it up as a business. We do a lot of workshops and graphics work. The comic has been going for just under two years now.

What’s Uproar DEC all about?

It’s an interactive comic, available as an app. The buzzword is gamification. It’s a comic made for the iPad, rather than just a comic book available on the iPad. There’s a lot of unlockable content, 3D features and quite a few puzzles that unlock new story threads. It’s not just another zombie type comic, it’s more a one stop shop with all sorts of additional content that you can download. It’s still very much a comic, it’s just got extra content.

It will also feature puzzles that you will have to do in order to progress the story. If you go into the characters and bios, you can find out much more than you’ll just get in the story.

What are the differences between writing a regular comic book and a digital one?

The best thing about the digital platform is that you aren’t limited by the page or print costs. We’re putting as much on there as possible. It’s still a comic book, rather than a game.

Why Zombies?

Zombies are bad guys that everybody knows, which meant we could spend more time talking about the more philosophical aspects. We wanted to do a story about our own area and people. We stole the zombie trope and now we’re breaking them. We start off with slow zombies and then it evolves, but not as much as having them talk. Our zombies reflect the people. The fans have reacted very well to some of the storylines involving different zombies.

What sort of horror inspires you?

We love our folklore, but shock horror isn’t our genre. We’re more interested in the personal horror. We grew up in Northern Ireland, and there’s been a lot of bad things happen here. When we created Uproar Comics, we wanted to reflect both global and local issues. We’re really kicking the door down on the more local side of things.

Is there a key storyline you’re proud of?

No one is talking about what’s happening in Northern Ireland right now, and we’ve used our story to reflect those issues. That’s why we have a story that features the IRA and how they exploit the situation. We’ve been inspired by current events that have happened in the real world.

What other projects do you have planned?

We like to have local content that appeals to global audiences. We’re adapting a local myth, and we also plan to do a Derry version of The Goonies, and a full on steampunk super hero fantasy. We want to show people that we can handle other genres.

We do workshops that help kids understand expression through art, and we work with schools and colleges to help them produce their own comic books. We love working with the kids, and we’re very proud to be helping the local industry, even if it’s just in a small way.

Why go from Zombies to Steampunk?

We love it. It has science and religion at the same time. If there was a messiah, what would he look like and what would he be? That’s such a grand story we’d want to set it in a grand world, so we thought steampunk. We designed three characters, and they are all in the vein of Doc Savage or The Shadow. Steampunk just seemed to fit. We love sci-fi and retro things.

What is your dream project?

We’d love to do some sort of animation along the likes of Archer. We’d love to work with Alan Moore as well.

Evil Dead versus Walking Dead?

If it’s the TV show, the cast of the Walking Dead all die. If it’s the comic, then they win. Just.

Simpsons or Futurama?

Futurama. It’s ballsier. But in its prime, The Simpsons.

Star Trek or Star Wars?

Trek. BBC 2, growing up, Star Trek every time.

Truth or Beauty?

Both!

You can find out more about Zombies HI and their over projects over at www.uproarcomics.co.uk. The DEC launches on July 31st.