Talking ‘The Cull’ With Kelly Thompson And Mattia De lulis

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your art and sometimes you have to wake-up at 3 AM in the morning. In writer, Kelly Thompson, and artist, Mattia De Iulis‘,  upcoming series, The Cull, that’s exactly what Cleo and her friends have to do if they want to film at Black Water Beach while the tide’s still low. Is there an ulterior motive for calling their film shoot so early? That’s for readers to find out when the series starts next month, but in the meantime find out what it was like for Thompson and De Iulis to work together again after their run on Marvel’s Jessica Jones and which character from The Cull they’re most excited to have people meet in the following interview:

Rachel Bellwoar: Whenever teenagers sneak out in the movies it’s always depicted as an act of rebellion or disobedience. I love that The Cull kind of pokes holes in that image, by showing teens being thoughtful while sneaking out. Is there anything that you’ve seen other teen-focused stories do that you knew you wanted to avoid with The Cull?

Kelly Thompson: Yeah, these are not your average troublesome teens. They’re all pretty exceptional in one way or another, so when they sneak out it’s to do things like shoot a short film in a forbidden location that’s hard to get to when it’s not the middle of the night – so the vibe is mysterious and slightly dangerous but still you can feel that it’s not your average “midnight sneak out.”

Mattia De Iulis: Exactly! We wanted to avoid the usual clichés about teenagers, especially since that it isn’t the focus of the story. You know, sudden fights with parents and then running away, these are all things that are part of teenage life, but Kelly and I focused more on introducing our protagonists and then making them real through details about their aesthetic and emotional side.

Bellwoar: How has collaborating on a creator-owned series been different from working together on Jessica Jones (or has it been that different outside of the obvious – starting from scratch, versus using established characters)? 

De Iulis: It was different for so many reasons. I am here now, working on this story after six years of comic book experience while with Jessica Jones I was on my absolute debut! I still remember the fear, I had anxiety every time I got the emails from Marvel to work on JJ and in that Kelly was fundamental because she was nice to me from the start making me feel good enough to work for Marvel. Now, on the other hand, I feel much more confident after so many years of experience and find myself side by side with Kelly is something I have always hoped for because of the total harmony that has been created over the years! Work on a creator-owned series is something I have always dreamed of. Bringing completely new characters and story to life is incredibly inspiring!

Thompson: While it’s always fun to build something completely new, I think it’s not as different as you’d think. Certainly working on something creator-owned comes with a lot of freedom – which is delicious — but there’s also a lot of risk and more responsibility for us as creators. That said, it was a dream come true when Mattia said he wanted to work with me on something that we could build together. I hope people will enjoy it as most as we’ve enjoyed making it!

Bellwoar: Early on in the first issue we learn that Cleo’s brother, Jakey, is missing. While technically present, it almost feels like Cleo’s mom is missing, too. Is that reading too much into the fact that the photo Cleo keeps looking at is of her mom and brother together or was that intentional?

Thompson: Well, the photo is actually of Cleo and her brother, not her mom. But her look has changed so dramatically in the year since she lost her brother, it’s not even recognizable as being Cleo – which isn’t some big reveal, but will certainly be clear by the end of the mini-series. But it’s just one of the many ways that we try to show that loss and trauma have carved Cleo into something new.

Bellwoar: The Cull could’ve easily just been about its teenage cast, but I really appreciated that all of the parents in the first issue had stuff going on, too. Why was it important to you to build up their backstories as well? 

De Iulis: We wanted to create a background as realistic as possible! And especially without being didactic. I think the best way to introduce a character is to tell the context which he lived and lives, the details that characterize him. It all becomes more interesting and also the reader starts to feel part of that world because they start to live their stories and understand the way these characters behave.

Thompson: Mattia is so right. It’s important for a few plot reasons that will make sense while reading, but the big one for me is that all of those little details you can learn about our main characters and their lives and families from these incredibly beautiful (often silent) pages Mattia has created is all going to come back in important and emotionally resonant way (or that’s the plan at least!) We’re all influenced by our environments, our families, our friends – sometimes that’s something that supports you and cares for you — and sometimes it’s something you learn to survive.

Bellwoar: When it comes to introducing new characters, first issues have to be economical. What should readers take aways from the glimpses we get into all of the characters’ bedrooms?

De Iulis: We worked a lot on these things. The one of telling through details came in handy so that we could introduce all five main characters and still have pages to start their adventure. The type of furniture in the rooms/house suggests the social class, you will find details in Kaite’s room that will let you know she is passionate about movies, Will about surfing, Lux about make up etc. And unfortunately, Cleo’s scars obviously tell a lot.

Thompson: Yeah, I think there are a lot of clues there. They’re less clues to like “unlock the mystery of the monsters of The Cull” but they’re clues to “understand these characters” – which is – in the end – probably more of the point? Really engaging with those pages will tell you a lot about the main characters, and it was sublime that Mattia’s highly realistic style is so detailed and clear that we could just lead the viewer through those rooms without loading it down with exposition – so the reader can just take all that in organically.

Bellwoar: The use of green and blue at Will and Wade’s house really stands out. How did you approach using color to give each character an entrance?

Thompson: That’s mostly Mattia’s genius with color. But it’s also just practical. The blues of Wade and Will at first can just be interpreted as darkened rooms, three a.m. wake ups. But the green was an idea we had for sort of like gamer type lighting in Will’s room almost as a contrast to the outdoorsy stuff (like surfboards and such). So some of it is setting a dramatic tone, or basic foreshadowing. And other things are just practical choices about who the characters are.

De Iulis: Right? I definitely need to put similar LEDs in my studio too [Laughs]. It was nice to find an aesthetic characterization for the characters as well, and in this the colors can help a lot. As in reality, everyone has preferences so I wanted to imagine theirs to make them recognizable – and Kelly had given me detailed ideas to work from and build.

Bellwoar: Who is the person you’re most excited to see readers get to know better?

De Iulis: I’m really on the fence, I’m fond of everyone now for different reasons! Every time I read the script I hope nothing bad happens to them [Laughs]. If I have to choose one I say Lux. From her very first panel you will understand why. Kelly and I didn’t set ourselves any limits, we want to tell you a real story with real people made of experiences, passions and pain. Lux is a girl trying her best with what is happening to her mother and to her. She is a force of nature and you will definitely love her!

Thompson: Oh. I love them all. That’s impossible to answer. [Laughs] I think Wade is the most interesting, she’s also the smartest and thus the hardest to write. Lux is certainly the most fun. Kaite is the most inspiring. Will is the most unpredictable. And Cleo has the sharpest and darkest corners to explore…so far. They all have something to offer, and I hope people fall in love with all of them. That is of course dangerous however in a book called The Cull.

Bellwoar: It would be impossible not to address the giant monster that appears in the preview pages. How much did setting (Black Water Beach) play into the critter’s crab-like design?

Thompson: I can definitely see “crab-like,” but that wasn’t one of the references we used so it isn’t what occurs to me when I look at it, if that makes sense? But I can see it – and yeah, I think it being a coastal city helps anchor that look a bit. I don’t want to tell people the key words Mattia and I discussed when he was designing, because I don’t want to put other images in their minds, but we were mostly going for something that would feel very alien and otherworldly, and that would – if only through massive size – feel so terrifying that it felt like a threat just by being there at all.

De Iulis: The creature design was one of the most difficult but stimulating challenges of the whole project! As far as the concept is concerned, yes, I was inspired by crustaceans and then incorporated elements to make the creature alien-like. I can’t tell you much more about what it does, you will find out soon enough but it hides much more than what the aesthetics tell for now! I wanted to create something iconic and I am very proud of how it looks in motion on the pages.

Bellwoar: Is there anything you can reveal about the frowning faces Cleo is drawing in the preview pages?

De Iulis: The sad faces that Cleo draws on the flags represent her pain, the kind of pain that is easier to explain with a drawn sad face than in words because of how it hurts. Through the details (such as the frowning faces) that Kelly and I included especially in the first issue we will tell you what our main characters have been through since Cleo’s brother disappeared. And we can’t wait to show you more (a lot more!)

Thompson: Mattia said it better than me I think. Practically, the flags are to mark their path on their journey and the frowns are because Cleo is so sad it doesn’t occur to her to draw anything else on them. So it’s nothing… and also it’s everything?

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Kelly and Mattia!

The Cull #1 goes on sale August 16th from Image Comics. FOC date is today, July 24th.