DF Interview: Dan Watters unleashes a deadly cat-and-mouse game in ‘The Six Fingers’

By Byron Brewer

Neo Novena archaeology student Johannes Vale has always been so very in control of his life. But when he commits a brutal murder using the M.O. of an historic and notorious serial killer, everything begins to spiral out of control... primarily as Johannes doesn't remember doing it. What follows is a gripping cat-and-mouse game as Johannes seeks refuge in the rain-soaked streets of Neo Novena. He will stop at nothing to unravel the secrets and ciphers of what he did and why he did it; but each revelation only leads further into the dark heart of his future-metropolis and Johannes' own heartbroken soul.

Written by Dan Watters with art and covers by Sumit Kumar and Lee Loughridge, The Six Fingers is a mini-series that will keep you on the edge until the very end. For that reason and others, I wasted no time in sitting down with scribe Dan Watters to talk about this new book.

Byron Brewer: Dan, as you have previously said, “[The Six Fingers] is one we’ve been boiling up for years, a true labor of love. We’re doing something with it I’ve never seen in comics before.” Do tell, please, about the book’s inspiration and this new-to-comics reference.

Dan Watters: This book and its brother, The One Hand by Ram V and Laurence Campbell, span out of a nebula of an idea Ram had and called me up with at 2 a.m. back in 2019. Two stories with a third trapped in between them. Ram cites Cormac McCarthy and post-work societies as the sparks that led him to this. For me, it was Chaos Theory that ended up being the rabbit hole. Both books have their own stories, their own themes, and are entirely readable on their own. But hopefully people will pick up both to discover the true nature of the beast.

Byron: Very cool!… This book, to me at least, has a distinctive Hitchcock feel, especially the cat-and-mouse theme of a protagonist investigating a murder he himself supposedly committed. Chilling! Are you a fan of Alfred Hitchcock films, or at least that type of edge-of-your-seat storytelling?

Dan Watters: Sure. Hitchcock’s a master. I’m also a big fan of Jean-Pierre Melville. Philosophical crime dramas that hit like hammers.

Byron: YES!!… Please introduce us to archaeology student Johannes Vale.

Dan Watters: Johannes Vale is a post-grad archaeology student who feels an intense need to be in control of all aspects of his life. When the One Hand murders –  an historical serial killer MO – start up again, he begins to suspect he has something to do with them, and is outraged that this isn’t something he has power over. He’s a bit of a horrible little sod, and therefore very fun to write.

Byron: What other characters are important to The Six Fingers? Can you spotlight some here before readers pick up the book in February?

Dan Watters: My favorite character in the book is possibly Ada, an artist and art dealer who ends up mixed up in Johannes’s drama but stands for absolutely none of his crap. She’s become a bigger and bigger part of the story as the tale has unfolded, partly because the whole team was having a blast bringing her to life.

Byron: Does this five-issue miniseries allow the readers to discover clues in Johannes’ search as he himself tries to put it all together?

Dan Watters: Of course. This is a detective story first and foremost. But I suspect most won’t figure out exactly where we’re going till we get there. Everything is laid out between the two books.

Byron: Can you give readers a feel for the canvas where this all takes place, which I take to be the rain-soaked streets of Neo Novena?

Dan Watters: Neo Novena is a city of the future, and about as miserable as we all suspect the future might be. Nothing much has changed, but humanity perseveres as ever. It’s a retro-futuristic place of winding alleys and winding freeways, hollow walls and empty estates. The perfect place for a killer to hide. Or to be cornered and trapped.

Byron: Talk about the art of Sumit Kumar (Man-Bat, These Savage Shores).

Dan Watters: Sumit is a phenomenal artist, and I think anyone who’s seen his work on These Savage Shores will attest to that. That book is one hell of a thing. We worked together on a short Atom horror story at DC rather a long while ago, so it was great to dig into something longer and build it from the ground up together. Choosing the artists for this project was complex, as we knew we needed two artists who would compliment each other while not looking similar enough that one of the books might be confused for the other. We definitely have that in Laurence and Sumit.

Byron: Dan, what other projects of yours can you tell us about that will be out soon?

Dan Watters: I’m relaunching the Doctor Who comic with Titan Comics starting with the FCBD issue in May, which feels like quite a Bingo square to tick off as a British genre writer. Also just announced, Ram and I are writing Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! for Skybound.

Other than that, not much I can talk about just yet. I’m the busiest I’ve ever been, juggling six (!) different projects in different universes, as well as working on my next creator-owned project – which feels like a new direction for me, and one I’m extremely excited to unleash.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Dan Watters for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The Six Fingers #1 from Image Comics is slated to be on sale Feb. 21!

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