DF Interview: John Zuur Platten weaves a revenge tale that spans centuries in ‘St. Mercy’

By Byron Brewer

A tale of vengeful retribution, St. Mercy pits the Incan Empire against the American West – and features two strong, determined young women who must defy authority and ultimately embrace their destiny. Mercedes Oro is one of the surviving descendants of the Incas who has been charged with protecting a cache of cursed gold used in their child sacrifice rituals. But when an outlaw tries to steal the gold for his band of thieves, he unknowingly sets events in motion that will unleash an angry god who is willing to travel through the centuries to have what he desires.

From John Zuur Platten – writer of Jurassic World: Evolution, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena, and Wanted: Weapons of Fate – with art by Atilio Rojo comes St. Mercy! I met up with scribe John Zuur Platten and got the full 411 on this miniseries.

Byron Brewer: John, I will say one thing about the upcoming publication of your book, St. Mercy: this sure ain’t your granddaddy’s Western! In fact, by the time I became familiar with the story, it doesn’t seem like a Western at all. And yet it is. As a writer, how did you deal with the treatment.

John Zuur Platten: When I first started thinking about St. Mercy as a story, I realized that part of what made it work was the sense of isolation. So, in a modern setting, it would be harder with technology such as wireless phones and the internet to pull off creating a world where the characters were on their own. And I’ve always been a huge fan of the Western genre, so it was a natural fit. My goal was to introduce the unexpected and mystical into the familiar. However, there was an advantage to the setting in that everyone was armed to the teeth and violence was a common occurrence.

BB: Your protagonists certainly face some improbable if not impossible odds. Are these type of mythical stories something you enjoy?

John Zuur Platten: Absolutely. I really do enjoy creating characters that face things so much bigger and more powerful than themselves. Then, the challenge becomes, how do they overcome this antagonist? What are they willing to do, and what of themselves are they willing to give up, to reach their goal? I think this is the true definition of a hero. It is easier when you are three hundred pounds of muscle and can just punch your way through problems. It is much more interesting to me when determination and defiance are a character’s primary driving forces. In the case of Mercy, that means facing off against a wild and vicious gang of outlaws led by a murderous narcissist. For Tocto, it comes down to her squaring off against a god she loves. Part of the fun of the story is seeing how each of these heroes rises to the challenge.

BB: Introduce us, if you will, to Mercedes Oro, both before and after she undergoes a transformation that presents the great challenges she faces and also gives the book its name.

John Zuur Platten: When I was younger, I knew a woman named Mercedes that went by Mercy. I was always intrigued by the name. So, when I started working through the story, I immediately locked on Mercy as the main character. I wanted her to be young, somewhat naïve, and non-threatening. The “Saint” was how some people would mock her. This also references her life’s work with her father running a mission. And the story really kicks off with her showing mercy to a wounded outlaw, and instead of gratitude, she is attacked and left for dead. This gave me the opportunity to show Mercy at the extremes, because once she changes, she becomes a merciless avenging angel. And as she starts to visit bloodshed on her enemies, you also learn that Mercy had more than a few secrets of her own, and that she wasn’t unprepared for this fight to protect “her” gold.

BB: Talk a little about the relationship between Mercedes and Toctollissica, and introduce her.

John Zuur Platten: Tocto and Mercy share a bond through the ages, though not as you might first believe. The cursed gold that Mercy and her father are protecting comes from the Capacocha child sacrifice rituals of the ancient Incas, one in which Tocto was to have been an honored participant. But things go horribly wrong, and this leads to Tocto having to choose another path to appease her god. However, she eventually spites the god of death, Supay, instead. The curse stays with the gold through the ages that follow, and that is how Tocto and Mercy become connected to one another. What starts as Tocto whispering in Mercy’s ear evolves into something more.

BB: What if anything can you tell us about the outlaws whose actions begin this miniseries?

John Zuur Platten: Frank Danton and his gang are classic, archetypical Western villains. The allure of freedom and power enabled by being willing to do anything to get what you want is what drives them. For Frank, he sees his boys as family. But only to a point – the moment one of them becomes a liability, they’re as good as dead. Frank’s second-in-command is Ray, and they’ve ridden and murdered their way through the western landscape for years. When Frank learns about the stash of Mercy’s gold, it is too irresistible to ignore. Unfortunately for them, they have no idea the hell they unleash when they come to take it.

BB: Give readers an extended pitch for the book, just to map out where the story heads.

John Zuur Platten: I really wanted the books to escalate in intensity and violence as the story progresses. While it may seem at first you are deep into a Western, by the time the narrative reaches its climax, you find yourself with Mercy and Tocto in a blood-drenched grindhouse horror story of cowboys and demonic children.

BB: Why is Atilio Rojo the right artist for St. Mercy?

John Zuur Platten: I’m so excited to see Atilio’s art bringing St. Mercy to life. When we first talked, he “got” what I envisioned. But then he used that as a starting point to go so far beyond what I could have imagined. I tell stories with words. He does the same with images. It’s been a terrific collaboration. Matt Hawkins of Top Cow put us together. It was his vision that Atilio and I joining forces would work. He was right and I couldn’t be more grateful. Matt also knew of Atilio’s interest in Mesoamerican history and culture. That was a priority for me, as although we are taking necessary creative liberties with some of the mythology, having a level of authenticity was especially important. I’m a firm believer in honoring your sources and references. Working with Atilio, I think we’ve achieved this in St. Mercy. The elements of the story that take place in ancient Incan society are integral to both Mercy’s and Tocto’s journeys. And they are beautiful to look at as well.

BB: John, what other projects in which you might be involved, inside or outside comics, can you tell readers about?

John Zuur Platten: I’m outlining another comic now. It is an original IP that takes place in multiple realities and also involves lots of action and brutality. Hopefully, I’ll be able to say more about the title soon. Writing video games has been my bread and butter, and I continue to do so. I’m working on a number of games at the moment. One will be announced mid-June – a huge franchise I’m extremely grateful to be working on. And together with my partners at EP1T0ME, we are in the process of developing a slate of both original and licensed IP for games, film, streaming and comics. And, if the stars align, we’ll see more of St. Mercy. I had so much fun writing the books and I’ve already plotted out some continuing adventures for Mercy and Tocto. 

Dynamic Forces would like to thank John Zuur Platten for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. St. Mercy #1 from Top Cow and Image Comics is slated to be on sale August 25^th!

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