By: Nicole D’Andria
Take a
trip back to the 80s with the slasher horror comic we’re featuring today: aXmaniac! Enjoy horror tropes and
archetypes with creator and die-hard horror fan Ammar Al-Chalabi.
The
creator of the comic book is Ammar Al-Chalabi. He is a freelance
illustrator/comic artist from the Netherlands. His work includes the
co-creation of WART and the interior art for Toy-Z. A huge
horror fan, Ammar is both the writer and artist for aXmaniac, which has the potential to become a mini-series!
This
Kickstarter has a $1,768 goal that it’s attempting to reach by June 1, 2018 at 5:25
AM EDT. Rewards include digital (about $4) and physical (about $11) copies of
the comic book as well as several options for art prints starting at
about $14 and a special Kickstarter offer to get a drawing of you getting
killed by the aXmaniac (about $63)! To see the rest of the rewards, check out
the aXmaniac Kickstarter.
I spoke
with writer/artist Ammar Al-Chalabi about his take on the slasher genre.
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| Ammar Al-Chalabi |
Me: What do you love about the slasher genre that's reflected in aXmaniac?
Al-Chalabi: The slasher genre to me is almost like a
superhero film. You see your favorite hero (killer) getting rid of all those
annoying and pesky teens. And of course it's an added bonus if the killer looks
cool or has a fun gimmick.
Reflected
in aXmaniac is the rollercoaster ride
of such a movie with a cool looking killer. The comic, like most of those
movies, doesn't apologize for their sleaziness and exploitation. That is what I
wanted to convey in aXmaniac. Good
friendly violent fun.
Me: How is aXmaniac unique from other horror
movie classics?
Al-Chalabi: On the surface it looks like a pretty
standard slasher story, but if I were to make a follow up you’ll see that the
main protagonist will have a character arc.
I think the ending of this story is also what will set it apart from others.
I think the ending of this story is also what will set it apart from others.
Me: Why did you choose to set the comic in the 80s?
Al-Chalabi: The 80s was the golden age of slasher
movies. I wanted aXmaniac to feel
like it could have been a movie in that period. Riding on the success of Halloween and Friday the 13th. There is just a charm about 80s horror that I love
so very much.
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| aXManiac Page 1 |
Me: What are your favorite horror movie tropes and what are some of the ones
we can find in aXmaniac?
Al-Chalabi: I love the “teens know something is
wrong but the adults won't have any of that.” It is featured a little in aXmaniac.
The
infamous “the killer is too cool to run but can keep up.” Now, people do run
away from the aXmaniac in my comic,
but he always seems to find them!
And any
good slasher should have a couple getting intimate and being severely punished
for that. This is definitely in my comic!
Me: What is your favorite horror movie trope and
your favorite horror movie archetype? Why?
Al-Chalabi: You can’t go wrong with a good ‘ol bait-n-switch
where you expect that jump scare but nothing happens. And I love a creative
(and gory) death scene.
My
favorite Archetype is the undead slasher stopping at nothing to get to its
prey!
No small
buildup like a ghost would do (shutting doors or making stuff disappear), but
immediately slashing away like nobody’s business.
Me: You've basically condensed a movie into 23 pages. Do you have any future
plans to expand aXmaniac into a mini-series or ongoing series?
Al-Chalabi: When writing aXmaniac I made a list of stuff I wanted to include in my comic.
This list was very long and only 1/3 was used in the current comic. If people
enjoy aXmaniac I would really love to
make aXmaniac 2! I'd probably go for
a mini-series of 4 issues if there is a demand for it.
Me: Who is your favorite horror movie slasher and
why are they your favorite?
Al-Chalabi: My favorite by far is Jason of the Friday the 13th series. I love how blunt
those movies are unlike Nightmare on Elm
Street where Freddy tricks teens.
Me: Why did you decide to use a more cartoony style for your horror comic?
Al-Chalabi: The style you see in the comic and
promotional art is my “default” style. I feel comfortable drawing this and I
personally like the cartoony look included in a story that is taken seriously.
There are a lot of more serious looking horror books out there. I hope that my
drawing style will be a breath of fresh air in the world of horror
comics.
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| aXManiac Page 2 |
Me: What is the number one reason why you think people should back your
Kickstarter?
Al-Chalabi: The product of this Kickstarter is made
by someone who has a love for a niche genre of movies. I wanted to tell a back
to basics slasher story and I believe people who like this genre will very much
enjoy my book.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for aspiring comic book
writers/artists?
Al-Chalabi: Start out small. Just make that first
book of that epic tale you want to tell. Write your story and draw all the
pages. Once you have a book all done you'll be ahead of everyone who keeps
taking about starting a project.
Also keep
trying. Get better with each book or page you make.
Me: Thank you for taking the time to chop some
heads with me. If you’re reading this and want to check out the Kickstarter for
yourself, see it here.
Do you
have a Kickstarter? Want to be interviewed about it and have the project
featured on "Kickstart the Week?" Let me know in the comments below
or message
me on my website.
Other “Kickstart the Week” features:
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