DF Interview: Artist Carola Borelli joins legend R.L. Stine for a new YA horror tale in ‘The Graveyard Club’

 

By Byron Brewer

 

Graves End is as sleepy a town as they come... especially being surrounded by cemeteries, and the local kids could think of nowhere else they'd rather wreak harmless havoc. But being surrounded by graveyards comes with the pervasive reminder that... there are more dead than there are living.

This town is an endlessly eerie place with no shortage of strange and dangerous happenings, and when high schooler Parker West pulls what seems like a harmless prank, he may be putting his friends in more danger than he can imagine...

Author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps, Fear Street, Stuff of Nightmares) and artist Carola Borelli (Spider-Woman, The Deadliest Bouquet) launch The Graveyard Club, a coming-of-age horror series, a Breakfast Club in a graveyard filled with frights both nostalgic and new. I sat down with artist Carola Borelli to chat about the coming book.

 

Byron Brewer: Carola, before we jump into The Graveyard Club (sounds ominous!), tell readers how you found your way to art, and then to comic book illustration. Were you a comic book fan?

 

Carola Borelli: I have always been a reader, like many I started by reading manga, but I grew up in a town where there wasn't a comic book shop, so I only managed to broaden my reading when I moved to Rome for university.

 

I have always drawn, but I never thought I could make drawing my job. I attended the University of Architecture but at a certain point I realized that it wasn't what I wanted to do, and it was at that moment that, encouraged by a friend, I enrolled in the comics school, and I realized that perhaps it could be my path.

 

Byron: What was it like working with legendary horror author R.L. Stine? Were you familiar with his works before your collaboration on your coming comic?

 

Carola Borelli: I was a child in the 90s, and I grew up on R.L. Stine's stories. My parents bought Goosebumps books for me and my brother, and I think my love for reading comes from there too.

 

When I was contacted for this project, I almost didn't want to believe it. I said yes without even thinking. Working with R.L. Stine was one of those experiences that I couldn't miss! For me, it was one of the greatest joys I’ve experienced.

 

Byron: Introduce us to Parker West. Who is he when we meet him in issue #1 and what challenges / changes might this character undergo during this coming-of-age horror series? (No spoilers!)

 

Carola Borelli: Talking about Parker without giving spoilers is difficult. Parker is a normal teenager, with a girlfriend, a small group of trusted friends and a family that loves him. He has a strong aversion to injustice and a mystery in his past that haunts him. But I don't think I can say anything else, I don't want to ruin the reading experience for you.

 

Byron: Can you tell us anything about his friends or other characters important to the book here? Which one has been your favorite to illustrate, as taken from the awesome character designs of Dan Mora?

 

Carola Borelli: Dan Mora's designs are wonderful, he managed to really characterize each of the kids. They all have a very distinct personality and an important role in the group. Parker and Trip are definitely my favorites, although my favorite to draw is Rhonda, and I loved working on the interactions between Parker and Patti.

 

Byron: Graves End sounds like an eerie place even for a sleepy little town. How did you use your artist’s toolbox to bring this canvas to life and to set the various moods of the comic as the story unfolds? Did you work at all with color artist Francesco Segala on the palette he used?

 

Carola Borelli: Like many, I take inspiration from everything around me, from video games, to films, to photos. For this book in particular, my trip to Ireland last summer was extremely useful. I was fascinated by their cemeteries (as well as the cliffs) and as on every trip I took a lot of photos to archive as "future references". I never thought they would be useful to me in the short term. For the palette, however, I completely entrusted myself to Francesco. I knew his work and I have always loved it, so I knew that by entrusting him with my pages he would be able to enhance them to the fullest, bringing out all their potential.

 

Byron: Who were some of your art influences? Before and now in comic books?

 

Carola Borelli: My artistic inspirations are varied. I started by studying Stuart Immonen and Pepe Larraz. I tend to study, analyze and absorb something from everything that comes to hand even if it is completely different sites like Marguerite Sauvage or Max Sarin.

 

Byron: Carola, what other projects of yours, inside or outside comics, can you share with readers?

 

Carola Borelli: At the moment, I'm working on the second volume of Graveyard Club (which promises to be wonderful) and on the new Avengers Academy vertical comics series. I don't know yet about the future, but I'm sure there will be other wonderful projects.

 

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Carola Borelli for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions. The Graveyard Club #1 from BOOM! Studios is slated to be on sale September 18!