;)
On the eve of “Outcast” landing in stores, Kirkman sat down with Bloody-Disgusting to talk about the series, his fascination with exorcism and demonic possession, and developing the series for both comics and television. Also with the season 5 premiere of “The Walking Dead,” he talks about what fans can expect, and the bold new direction for the comic series.
Bloody-Disgusting: We’re big fans of your body of work on the site, and excited to finally get the chance to chat with you about “Outcast”.
Robert Kirkman: I’ll try my best not to disappoint.
BD: So be honest with us, how pissed were Andre 3000 and Big Boi when they heard the name of this new horror series?
RK: (Laughs) I haven’t talked to them yet, but I think as long as I don’t start a rap group, I’ll be alright.
BD: Tell us a little bit about the point that you started toying with the idea of another horror series and what inspired you to dive into the world of possession?
RK: Well exorcism and demonic possession is something that I’ve always been interested in, because of my religious upbringing as a child. Looking at the “Walking Dead” and seeing it as the zombie movie that never ends, I was looking for another part of the horror genre that I felt had the same sort of potential for long form storytelling. With “Walking Dead” I looked at zombies and thought to myself, “Why doesn’t anyone ever keep going?” There had never been a movie that kept going and told stories using the same cast, or a novel series that carried it forward in a long term exploration of it. I kind of feel like there is the same sort of opportunity there with exorcism stories. There is no deficiency of fantastic exorcism movies out there, as there are a lot of them that do great things and break new ground, but I don’t think any of them really explore this phenomenon as a situation that can be solved or a conflict that can be resolved. There really isn’t anyone exploring the idea of why this is happening, how we fix this issue, or if there is a way to prevent it. I think “Outcast” is a long form story where our characters look at demonic possession as a problem that can be fixed, which I think is a new angle, and we get to watch them succeed or fail over the series. I’m hoping that this will be an exciting endeavor for all involved and I’ve got high hopes.
Exorcism is such a fluid and still largly unknown phenomonom .Is it real? Does it still occur? Does it really look like The Exorcist (where almost 95% of our understanding comes from). Also, why are certain individuals chosen by the demon? Why is it never someone of high social standing? What draws the demon to certain indivduals and what happens to the victim after? Do they go on with their lives as if nothing but a bad flu occured, or are they forever marked in some way?
I think this subject could have a lot of longevity to it and I look forward to where Robert Kirkman takes it.
Hi Guys and Gals,
I just finished reading Outcast #1, and just wanted to say that I am really impressed. It feels like the complete package. Excellent writing, amazing visuals, and a fresh and interesting story. Fantastic use of black in the art btw! It feels really appropriate. Anyway, I am really looking forward to enjoying the journey with this one, and for that I thank you. Keep up the good work!
Regards,
Daryl Poyner.
Loved Outcast! Looking forward to more!!!