DF Interview: Miles Gunter slashes into horror with ‘Knife’

By Byron Brewer

Paige Russell, a yoga instructor navigating the anxieties of her first class, soon faces more challenges than teaching the downward-dog pose as an ancient blade containing sinister primordial power invades her studio. This Knife possesses anyone who touches it, instantly turning them into an unstoppable killing machine—but somehow Paige is immune to its hold.

Paige joins forces with Riva—a survivor of the Knife’s destruction who sports a molotov-cocktail firing shotgun—to decipher the weapon’s nature and survive its brutal wrath.

From DSTLRY comes Knife, a horror-action series from writer Miles Gunter (B.P.R.D.) and artist Patrick Mulholland (Power Rangers), debuting this April. You know me and horror. I just had to ask some sharp questions of scribe Miles Gunter about his coming cutting comic.

Byron Brewer: Miles, talk about “cutting deeper” into the slasher premise with Knife. What was your inspiration for this latest horror tale?

Miles Gunter: I love slasher movies whether they’re Italian giallos or American films like Halloween or Terrifier. Horror fans love tradition, but they are also supportive of stories that try to do something new. With Knife I wanted to do something that feels familiar but also takes a turn into new territory.

A lot of my inspiration came from Cameron’s first Terminator which is a kind of cyber-slasher. Like Terminator, I wanted to have a protagonist in an impossible situation facing off against a relentless antagonist who seems to have all the advantages. I was also inspired by an old Kyle MacLachlan movie called The Hidden about two cops pursuing an alien that can swap bodies. I love the odd couple dynamic of the heroes and the wild anything-goes vibe and wanted to do something similar with two women who have nothing in common and have to work together.

Byron: “Maintaining your sense of self in the face of relentless adversity”: an extremely personal goal that could also be ripped straight from today’s headlines. How does Knife capture the essence of this for you as its writer?

Miles Gunter: I’m a longtime yoga practitioner and I wanted to explore how self care practices like yoga affect how you engage with day-to-day life. Despite its enormous benefits, yoga isn’t a cure-all. Sometimes a practitioner can get lulled into a comfort zone and what they consider to be balance isn’t adequate for navigating the slings and arrows of life. I don’t mean to discredit yoga. It’s something I use on a regular basis but I’m interested in exploring how these modalities rub up against our own limitations as people and ultimately teach us how to go further past what we consider comfortable to become more developed people.

Byron: Introduce readers to Paige Russell. Who was she, who is she, and what challenge(s) stand before her in this new DSTLRY book?

Miles Gunter: Paige is someone for whom self care and healing are the dominant part of her identity and sometimes when we focus too much on one aspect of our lives, it makes us deficient in other areas. Paige lives a very curated life where she tries to maintain control over herself and the world around her – but of course, we can’t control the world around us. We can only control how we react to it. And also with Paige, I wanted to explore the idea of how we see ourselves versus how we are perceived by others. There can sometimes be a huge gap between these things and as hard as Paige is on herself, she finds herself with an unexpected advantage when dealing the Knife which I feel is a very compelling dynamic to explore.

Byron: Who is Riva and what is her relationship with our yoga instructor?

Miles Gunter: Riva is like a mixture of Kyle Reese from Terminator, Captain Ahab and Snake Plissken. She’s someone who has had previous dealings with the Knife and is determined to stop it at all costs. She recognizes that Paige has a quality that makes her attractive to the Knife and she intends to use that to her advantage regardless of the consequences.

Byron: What other characters are important to this thriller? Can you spotlight a few here?

Miles Gunter: I don’t want to dig too much into who else shows up, as I think it might spoil what we have in store. I’ll just say that the Knife will keep readers on their toes.

Byron: Avoiding spoilers, what can you tell us about the titular weapon of the mag, if anything?

Miles Gunter: I love writing villains and the Knife presents an opportunity to do something with a dark abyssal quality but with these kinds of warped human elements. It’s a kind of omniscient character that’s used to always getting what it wants so when it finds itself in a situation where it doesn’t get instant gratification, this is where things get interesting.

Byron: Talk about your collaboration with artist Patrick Mulholland on this book.

Miles Gunter: Patrick is the perfect partner for Knife. I am a visual writer and love to try to design things as much as I can in the script. Patrick has taken all of my cues and elevated them with his beautiful visual instincts and crisp dynamic storytelling. He understands all the elements I’m trying to weave and makes every page engaging whether it’s a propulsive action sequence, an absurd reveal or a quieter character exchange where acting is key. We speak alot of the same language so it’s been an absolute blast putting this book together with him.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Miles Gunter for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Knife #1 from DSTLRY is slated to be on sale April 23!

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