IDW Publishing

April 2004

An interview with Remains artist Kieron Dwyer.

IDW: How did you get involved with this project?

Kieron Dwyer: Steve was someone I'd never met but I liked his work, and he felt the same about me, apparently. When he started seeing some of the preliminary art from my graphic novel Last of the Independents (written by Matt Fraction, published by AiT Planetlar), he contacted me and said, "Let's do something. You like horror? Zombies?" I said, "Hell yes!" and the rest is history.

IDW: Without giving too much away, what can we expect from the series?

KD: A buttload of hungry hungry zombies!

IDW: We've read zombie stories before; what separates Remains from the rest of the pack?

KD: When Steve and I first started discussing Remains, we talked about stuff we loved in zombie movies and stories that came before (Dawn of the Dead was an especially relevant touchstone for both of us - my friends and I went to see the midnight movie showing of that at least once a month when we were teens!), and we also talked about how we could separate our book from those others. After 28 Days Later, the hot new zombie thing is running zombies, instead of lumbering ones. That's fine, but I think our twist on zombies is cooler than that, and frankly, scarier. But that's all I want to say about the difference for now.

IDW: Steve Niles has established himself as the premier name in horror comics. What's it like working with his scripts?

KD: So far, so good. He's obviously well versed in cinematic thinking and writing, so his scripts are very clear and dynamic. Steve knows how to cut to the chase and get things going. He also knows how to step back and let the art take the lead, which some writers aren't able to do. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Steve, well beyond our work on Remains.

IDW: How will this work compare to some other things you've done?

KD: I'm switching up my drawing style yet again for this project, going for a loose and scratchy look which seems to fit the story. The more grotesque this series becomes, the more the art is going to echo that. My good friend Harper Jaten (Blackheart Billy, et al) is doing an awesome job on the colors, as well. We've established a look that really works for this series and one that fits perfectly with the other high quality stuff coming out of IDW.

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