Kickstarter Campaign: Talking ‘Death Of Comics Bookcase’ Vol. 2 With Zack Quaintance And Luke Horsman

Every anthology needs a good host. Tales of the Crypt had the Cryptkeeper. Death of Comics Bookcase has a sinister talking bookcase. It isn’t the only returning character in volume 2 of Zack Quaintance‘s anthology series, though. There’s also Goldmask, the Dark Wizard. With the Kickstarter campaign for Death of Comics Bookcase Vol. 2: Reign of the Comics Bookcases running until 15th October, here’s what Quaintance and artist Luke Horsman had to share about Goldmask’s latest exploits:

Rachel Bellwoar: Last time we saw Goldmask, he was putting others first to the detriment of his evil plan. Could Goldmask be turning over a new leaf, or would readers be wise to stay cautious?

Zack Quaintance: Goldmask is definitely on a growth arc, although he’d be the last one to admit it. I would, however, advise staying cautious for the time being. He’s deeply, truly enamoured with the idea of himself as a famous and powerful evil mage, even if his actions might suggest otherwise…

Bellwoar: How did you come up with the design for Goldmask’s mask? At one point in this story, he’s called “Knobface,” which I think is a reference to him looking like a doorknob, but it’s also like a fishbowl effect you’ve achieved.

Luke Horsman: The Goldmask design was fairly quickly conceived, actually. Zack had a clear idea for what he wanted the bulbous gold mask/head to look like. I essentially drew it up like a big shiny Halloween pumpkin, and it worked a treat.

Quaintance: Yeah, I think the only note past that I had for Luke was that it was also a mask that can contort its face. And he makes great use of that. I always have a good laugh at Goldmask’s expressions when the art comes back.

Bellwoar: No one is happier to toot their own horn than Goldmask, but what’s been the best part about writing and drawing for him?

Quaintance: Writing Goldmask is so much fun. I’ve always loved quippy, sort of stream-of-consciousness comic characters, dating back to reading Spider-Man as a kid in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, in the Brian Michael Bendis/early J. Michael Straczynski era, when he was at his quippiest. To script a character like that — and in a fantasy setting, at that — is a ton of fun.

Horsman: I find drawing him immensely fun — the character is very theatrical, and that gives me a good bit of freedom to be silly with it. My favourite aspect of drafting the strip is the hilarity of him being bombastically self-serving.

Bellwoar: They might not get a word in edgewise with Goldmask around, but a number of new characters are introduced in this story. What’s it like only having a few panels to bring these supporting players to life?

Horsman: I’m used to doing short strips for 2000 AD, so limited panel counts are always something I work with — so I guess I don’t give it much thought! Establishing a group of characters in one panel or 10 — it comes down to what the storytelling (and the script) needs.

Bellwoar: This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Goldmask fantasize about being praised and lifted by an adoring public. Overlooking the fact that he clearly wants us to think he’s ripped beneath the cape, where did these visions of Robin Hood grandeur come from?

Quaintance: Goldmask envisioning these scenarios was probably my favorite bit in the first strip, and in that story, it was a way to show that he had a difficult moral choice in front of him. Doing the selfish thing led him to the celebration vision, and doing the selfless thing in that one took him to a place where nothing was going right for him. Luke’s drawing of the muscled Goldmask being hoisted was so funny, it made a strong case here for a callback.

Bellwoar: With a third volume of Comics Bookcase already promised, any chance we’ll finally meet Goldmask’s nemesis?

Quaintance: Definitely! “Goldmask Meets His Nemesis” will be the main story in Death of Comics Bookcase, Vol. 3. When we started doing these books, there were three stories at the heart of them — Macabre Valley and The Responsibili-Teen being the other two — and it’s Goldmask’s turn in our finale to take center stage. There’s no timeline for when that will be yet, but if we get enough pledges on the current campaign, it’ll be sooner rather than later. Stay tuned

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Zack and Luke!

The Kickstarter campaign for Death of Comics Bookcase Volume 2: Reign of the Comics Bookcases runs until 15th October. The first stretch goal is for a mini-print by Sean Peacock for all physical backers.