A Shadow-Soaked World Of Secret Cults And Nightmare Creatures: Discussing ‘Spectors’ With Writer Shannon Eric Denton

Cramming monsters, cults, and oddball heroes — oh, and a gatling gun that fires just about anything you can think of — into a single story may seem like a lot to take in. But writer Shannon Eric Denton is betting that you will still get a kick out of Spectors, a project drawn by David Hartman. The collected first volume comes out May 12st from Titan Comics. In an interview with Comicon.com, Denton discusses the story’s inspirations, his working history with Hartman, and why comic books were the right medium to tell the Spectors story.

Tom Smithyman: Spectors seems to have it all — horror, the occult, humor, time jumping. How do you describe the story to others, or do you not even attempt to?

Shannon Eric Denton: Ha, we packed a lot into this one! Spectors has become the lynchpin of the Monster Forge universe with Kraken, while at the same time being its own unique solo story. In a shadow-soaked world of secret cults and nightmare creatures, monster hunters Reginald, Debby, and their newest ally Ollie — a supernatural enforcer with the heart of a child — unravel a decades-old conspiracy born in the haunted 1930s and rekindled in the modern day. With a mystical blade in hand, a weaponized prosthetic, and Ollie’s otherworldly strength, they charge headfirst into twisted science, cursed asylums, and an ancient evil reborn — racing to stop a cult’s apocalyptic scheme before their deadliest case becomes humanity’s final reckoning.

Smithyman: That’s a lot of ground to cover. What was your inspiration for Spectors?

Denton: Watching a ton of Hammer Films growing up; Indiana Jones, where mysticism exists in our world but just always outside of the witnesses who were there; and a big desire to create a found family of victims with a score to settle.

Smithyman: One of the most interesting parts of the story is the heroes’ weapons, which include a multi-tool gatling gun? How did you come up with Reginald and Debby’s unique tools?

Denton: For Reginald, I really wanted him to inherit a weapon that had been passed through the generations of his family, but one that he hates for what it made him do in the past. He’s fully aware of its dark power. As for the syringe gatling gun, I’m fully giving that visual to David. I told him to give us something over the top, and he delivered with that visual. After that, it was totally fun figuring out all the amazing things it could do. Debby basically became our mystic version of Green Arrow and Hawkeye’s quiver.

Smithyman: You’ve worked with artist David Hartman before. What is your working dynamic like?

Denton: David and I both have a tendency to push each other in a fun way to take things past where we’d both go individually. As longtime animation directors, we’re used to managing teams of super-talented folks (who usually aren’t ever wrong in their creative choices, but we have to get them all on the same page and fast). It has been fun to be the one being challenged to try something differently. It’s a good fit.

Smithyman: You and Hartman have a lot of experience in animation. Why was a graphic novel the right medium for Spectors – or are you looking across media?

Denton: My whole career has been across all media at the same time. I started at Extreme Studios shortly after Image Comics was formed, so even though I’ve had a long video games and animation career, in my heart I’m always a comics guy too. I’ve never gone a year without making a comic. So for me, it’s a part of my DNA and where my heart and mind naturally reside. Each medium must be respected and approached differently, but at the end of the day, they all revolve around telling a compelling story.

Smithyman: Spectors ends in a way that leaves future stories open. Do you hope to tell the next chapter soon, or are you moving on to different projects?

Denton: We definitely have more Spectors (and Kraken) planned. This is a world we love, and we can’t wait to share all of what we have planned with the audience. So please get to your local comics shop and ask for this book!

Smithyman: OK, I will! Best of luck with Spectors!