DF Interview: Zac Thompson brings a new jumping-on point for his science-horror saga with ‘Cemetery Kids Run Rabid’

By Byron Brewer

One year ago, four friends barely escaped the unrelenting terror of the video game called Nightmare Cemetery. After spending endless hours locked into the innovative Dreamwave – the first gaming console played entirely while you sleep – in order to save one of their own from the game's all-too-real consequences, they survived . . . barely.

But after their harrowing rescue, they've decided they've had enough of Nightmare Cemetery and its enigmatic final boss, the King of Sleep. That is, until the newest DLC, The Blighted Sprawl, suddenly appears online with a promise to reveal the truth of what actually lurks at the heart of Nightmare Cemetery's digital darkness . . . and why its effects are now bleeding out into the real world in an array of bizarre and disturbing new ways.

From creators Zac Thompson (Into the Unbeing: Parts 1 & 2) and Daniel Irrizari (Judge Dredd, XINO) comes Cemetery Kids Run Rabid, a synapse-shredding new level of the groundbreaking science-horror hybrid that began with Cemetery Kids Don’t Die. I was on board as soon as I saw Zac was back. Speaking of whom, here is what the scribe told me about the coming series.

Byron Brewer: Zac, Cemetery Kids Don’t Die was an awesome read in both an adventuresome and a nightmarishly disturbing way. Why did you decide now was the time to return to this universe with the coming Cemetery Kids Run Rabid and explore further what readers learned (or thought they learned) in ‘Don’t Die’?

Zac Thompson: Continuing the story was always the hope. The ending of Cemetery Kids Don’t Die is a bummer. It’s a teenage girl dying (literally over and over) to rescue her brother, reliving nightmares every night, in hopes that they’ll finally reconnect. And when she finally sees her brother again – he’s this tepid version of himself. It seems off – but she decides she’s done asking big questions about life.

Byron: Before we go forward, explain to those who would be readers of this new jumping-on point for your extended tale what a “Cemetery Kid” is and what it has to do with gaming in your sleep!

Zac Thompson: Cemetery Kids are people who never woke up from playing the game Nightmare Cemetery. It’s an in-world MMORPG that you play in your sleep. You hook this console called the Dreamwave into your brain and it uses your mind as an operating system to transport you into a fully-playable dream reality.

Byron: Introduce us please to your protagonists and describe who they were then and who they now are as ‘Run Rabid’ begins. Will we be seeing any new Cemetery Kids in the spotlight with the series?

Zac Thompson: Run Rabid is told from Wilson’s perspective. Due to the events of Cemetery Kids Don’t Die, Wilson is suffering from a horrific disease that left him with deep facial scars. He can no longer use a Dreamwave. He’s essentially deathly allergic to it. His best friends are Birdie Cutter (the protagonist of Cemetery Kids Don’t Die) and her older brother Pik. Pik was trapped inside Nightmare Cemetery for months. But as of Run Rabid #1, he’s been back in the waking world for a year. There’s something off about him… and only Wilson seems to see it. A new friend joins the gang in this series, Maddy Gibson. Maddy’s a little bit of a wildcard. She’s unpredictable and has never used a Dreamwave before. Though she’s heard all about Pik Cutter…

Byron: What is The Blighted Sprawl?

Zac Thompson: The Blighted Sprawl is the newest DLC for Nightmare Cemetery. It’s an uncanny maze of suburbia. Cookie-cutter houses, zigzagging interchanges, and the dead mall on the edge of town. 

Byron: I would be remiss if I did not inquire about the role Nightmare Cemetery and its enigmatic ruler, the King of Sleep, may play in this series.

Zac Thompson: The King of Sleep is around! But he’s ceded his territory to a new creature that rules the game-world Yzhog: The Blighted One.

Byron: Compare and contrast: Without spoilers, how would you juxtapose the coming Cemetery Kids Run Rabid with its predecessor, ‘Don’t Die”?

Zac Thompson: Run Rabid is meaner, scarier and more experimental.

Byron: Lastly, Zac, talk about your reunion and fantastic collaboration on this franchise with artist Daniel Irizarri.

Zac Thompson: Daniel is a dream collaborator. His character designs both in reality and the game world are stunningly realized. Each are loaded with tons of intricate detail that tell stories in their own right. His emotive cartooning and impeccable page designs make the distinctions between the two worlds immediately apparent. He manages to take every page of script and elevate it beyond what I could’ve imagined. And this time out, I’ve thrown some insane things at him and they’ve always come back ten times better. We work really well together. Lots of traded energy that all ends up on the page to make the best story we can. I love it.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Zac Thompson for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Cemetery Kids Run Rabid #1 from Oni Press is slated to be on sale August 13!

I previously talked with Zac Thompson about Cemetery Kids Don’t Die. You can read that interview here: https://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/interviews.html?showinterview=IN12192324605

2. 07/01/2025 - ZACK KAPLAN

3. 06/25/2025 - AMANDA DEIBERT

4. 06/17/2025 - SIMON SPURRIER

5. 06/10/2025 - CONOR MCCREERY

Show All