Phil Woodward is prominent creator of UK indie horror comics. We caught up with him to find out more about his latest project, Post Mortem, which is currently on Kickstarter.
STARBURST: What is Post Mortem?
Phil Woodward: A dark and twisted horror story, a story of survival and morality – all entwined with some dastardly surgical procedures. Skin & Bone is the first of a planned trilogy following the journey of the protagonist; the nameless man that awakens in a hospital room with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He quickly finds that he is far from safe, the halls running thick with blood and lined with bodies. Beset on all sides by nothing but terrifying questions. If you’re in to your organ harvesting stories then this is for you.
Why have you chosen this particularly vivid style?
I probably read too deep in to the word graphic novel. I took inspiration from my favourite genre and horror movies, the likes of The Cube and Hostel. Horrors with twists. The real inspiration came from reading articles about underground organ black market and body snatching. You know, the light-hearted stuff. I have always been a slasher fan with Freddy, Jason and Mikey being a part of my entertainment schedule, and the most part it takes a lot to scare me. For me, the ones that keep me awake are the originals of Ju-On and The Ring as well as Shutter.
Why are hospitals such a mainstay of horror?
It’s all to do with fears and phobias, feeling trapped, feeling helpless. You’re supposed to feel safe and well looked after in a hospital. Very similar to people’s fear of dentists. A place with all the equipment to cure diseases and save lives is also a place with the equipment to create a human abattoir.
Is horror coming back to comics?
I don’t think it ever really left comics. Looking around, there are plenty of quality and gory titles out there. The indie scene has plenty of twisted writers that can push the boat. With the uplift in superheroes to all mediums and the spotlight on Marvel and DC, it’s easy to see why many horrors are taking the back seat.
Why Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a solid foundation for imagination, funded by the community and driven by people who want to provide and offer support. The community is an integral part of why we decided on launching a Kickstarter. We spent four years developing and networking in order to achieve the goal of realising our dreams.
How different is this from your other work?
The difference for me is purely the story and backdrop of my ideas. I pursue the same level of quality and detail in everything I do. I have many story ideas from sci-fi to horror, action to mystery and although they are very much different, they must have the same high standards throughout. A big change from my day job in retail, although there’s a horror story in there somewhere.
What’s next?
Continuation of Post Mortem with follow ups Blood & Bone and Flesh & Bone. Project-wise, we have horror anthology Nyctophilia, a collection of urban horror stories and horror comic called Shepherdz. It will be a post-apocalyptic tale with a cool backdrop. Also in the pipeline is our website Comixster which is a social education, recruitment and showcase platform for the comic book creative, fully designed and coded from the ground up.
You can find out more about the project via www.postmortemcomic.com or via their Kickstarter page here.
SHARE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW OR ON TWITTER @STARBURST_MAG
Find your local STARBURST stockist HERE, or buy direct from us HERE. For our digital edition (available to read on your iOS, Android, Amazon, Windows 8, Samsung and/or Huawei device – all for just £1.99), visit MAGZTER DIGITAL NEWSSTAND.
CLICK TO BUY!
MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
