by Jarrod Jones. Losing a loved one to tragedy is never easy. Having to deal with their unexpected reincarnation is no picnic, either.
Such is the dilemma of Going Green, a new creator-owned series from filmmaker Sean Reliford (Persons of Interest), and the Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep team of Scott Duvall and Vincenzo Federici. It follows the Dunn siblings, Cliff and Molly, as they cope with the sudden loss of their father, Tim. Lacking the funds to bury their dad and with their mother long since passed (can’t these kids catch a break?), Cliff decides to participate in the “Going Green” program, where the deceased are laid to rest in an affordable composting situation that puts subjects like Tim to seed. Naturally, there’s more to Going Green than initially meets the eye, and the Dunns soon find themselves watching in horror as their dear, departed dad reanimates in a branded compost box before their eyes.
Going Green is a youth-focused, “death-positive” original graphic novel that explores family and loss while throwing in a gnarly tree monster or two. If you’re thinking of an eco-minded Stranger Things, you’re not far from the mark. (“We can’t help but wear our influences on our sleeves,” co-writer Scott Duvall says.) It features an exclusive cover by Eisner-nominated artist Sara Richard, who had this to say about going Green: “The themes of nature and facing our mortality in a death-positive and healing way that are explored in Going Green speak so deeply to my heart. It was truly an honor to illustrate the cover!”
“The idea to make [Going Green] an eco-horror was ripped straight out of the headlines,” Duvall tells me. “Once I saw that composting human remains had been legalized in Washington state, that immediately got my gears turning. The thought of ‘what if people could regenerate as plant/human hybrids’ was too strange not to explore further, and since I was already working with an amazing horror artist who wanted to team up again on something creator-owned, I took the idea and ran with it.”
With the Going Green crowdfunding campaign taking root at Zoop, DoomRocket spoke with co-creator Scott Duvall about the origins of his latest comics project, crowdfunding with Zoop, and addresses any passing similarities to other kids-bikes-and-horror sagas.
1. Going Green seems to focus on the ground under our feet and how it can grow — or fester — into something bad. It seems horror and you go hand in hand, Scott. If you would, please break down the premise of Going Green for our readers — and share with us how you’ve wound up in this mossy realm of eco-horror.
Steven Scott: Like many things in my writing career, it happened by total accident. I was working with artist Vincenzo Federici at the time and really enjoying our collaboration when this idea began forming, and the possibility of us working together again came up. I jumped at the chance and began putting together what would become Going Green, with Vincenzo in mind from the very start. Vincenzo is one of the best horror artists working today and loves drawing monsters, so he encouraged me to serve more up for him to include in our previous collaboration, and I tried to really lean into that this time around and play to his strengths in that area.
2. A crew of bike-riding kids navigating a traumatic horror situation — sounds familiar. Can you chart the ensemble of Going Green for us? How is this friend unit challenged by the death and sudden, erm, growth of Tim Dunn?
It’s true; with Going Green, we can’t help but wear our influences on our sleeves. We’ve received some favorable comparisons to other popular entries in the “kids on bikes” genre, and I would never try to shy away from that, but hopefully, we’re bringing something new to the table in a way readers haven’t seen it done before.
Our ensemble consists mainly of brother and sister, Cliff and Molly, who are ten years apart, along with Cliff’s best friends, Skip and Pro, who are incredibly supportive and feel like they’re part of the family. I’d say they are incredibly challenged by this major shift, as losing a loved one is hard enough, but their grief is interrupted by this “growth,” as you put it. There is no manual for this, it’s completely unheard of, and now it’s living in their house and using a skateboard to wheel itself around, so that’s gonna take some getting used to. All in all, they take it in stride, but they’re only just at the beginning of their journey. This is going to lead them on as the true challenge of fully restoring plant-Tim lies ahead.
3. I read that you and screenwriter Sean Reliford have been collaborating on projects for a while. How did you two develop Going Green? Was this conceived as your comics project, which also happens to be Sean’s first?
Sean and I go back over two decades, so he’s not only my longest creative partner but my earliest. We were talking about writing projects, and he told me to read what I’ve got in development to him. Out of the ideas I presented, he really latched on to this one and shortly after called me back with some thoughts and a few ideas of his own. Before long, we began officially developing it together, and it was like old times co-writing screenplays, except this time it was for a comic, which it was always intended to be. So while Sean and I both have a filmmaking background, our only concern with Going Green has been to make it the best comic it can possibly be.
As you’ve mentioned, Going Green reunites you with your Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep artist, Vincenzo Federici. Did knowing Vincenzo would be a part of its production change your approach to Going Green, knowing his strengths as an artist?
Absolutely, because it was conceived with Vincenzo in mind. I never had to worry about what it would look like, and I knew what he was capable of and how to make the most of his talents. Having that experience of having worked together before fills me with confidence, knowing how it’s going to be working together, and I think gives us an advantage as we’re already quite familiar. And [Vincenzo is] not one to settle for being immensely talented; he’s one of the nicest guys in comics, to top it off!
4. You and the team are launching your Going Green campaign via comics crowdfunder Zoop. How has the experience with Zoop been so far? For interested creators, what are the clear benefits of choosing Zoop over, say, Kickstarter?
Zoop have been wonderful. The reason I went with them simply comes down to the fact that we know each other. Co-founder Eric Moss and I are former co-workers, so we get on the phone, and we’re talking about our kids’ Halloween costumes and Elliott Smith before ever getting down to business. Their head of marketing, Brett, and I go way back as well. Having that personal connection with them, and knowing that they actually care if our project succeeds or fails and that they’re going to try their best for us, is a major draw for me. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle with so many comics crowdfunder campaigns out there, but Zoop feels a little more selective. Speaking of, have you seen some of the projects on Zoop lately? They have some of the most amazing slate of titles that I can’t stop purchasing them myself. So it’s an honor to be included among them.
5. Share your favorite example of eco-horror — beyond Going Green, obviously.
You mean other than the Captain Planet short where he’s turning people into trees starring Don Cheadle? Anytime plants attack people in movies, such as in Evil Dead, where the vines wrap around people, sticks out to me. I just think nature can be scary, generally. The idea that nature will one day reclaim the Earth is something I think about semi-regularly. To us, that might be an apocalyptic vision, a world with no humans, but to nature, it may look like healing, peace, and serenity. One person’s idea of horror could be paradise from another perspective. It all depends on how you view it.
You can contribute to the Going Green campaign on Zoop now.
