DF Interview: David M. Booher unleashes a new horror tale with throwback comics vibes in ‘The Feeding’ one-shot

By Byron Brewer

Nolan Ward has done everything to forget his disturbing past. Drinking. Drugs. Day-trading. Sex. And still, that past has caught up with him in the form of a twisted painting called The Feeding… which eats people. And it's hungry. Can Nolan stop this demon, or will he be devoured like so many others before him?

The Canto team of writer David M. Booher and artist Drew Zucker are together again for The Feeding, a new one-shot that sees them jumping into the realm of horror… a book described as a throwback to the vibes of Tales of the Crypt and Creepshow.

Well, if the Canto team is reassembling, so is this interviewer who has followed them down that trail for so long. Here is what friend and busy scribe David  M. Booher told me about The Feeding.

Byron Brewer: David, before we jump into The Feeding (which we will, I promise), it is certainly good to see the Canto band back together as artist Drew Zucker and you reunite for The Feeding, a horror one-shot from Syzygy. How does it feel to be working on something with Drew again, AND it being something OTHER than Canto?

David M. Booher: That’s right: the dream team is back, baby! It’s even better because Canto colorist Vittorio Astone and letterer Andworld Design are on The Feeding, too. Of course, truth be told, we’ve never really been gone. Drew and I have been working together on Canto for nearly seven years, which is being published by Dark Horse now. The Feeding is a nice side-quest for us. While Canto is aimed to an all-ages audience, The Feeding is definitely adult horror. Switching genres—especially with someone I trust like Drew—has been a great change of pace.

Byron: I believe it’s been said this one-shot will have a flavor akin to the old-school vibes of Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, two horror works that were awesomely done in both comic books and on TV. Expound on that a bit please re The Feeding, and could there possibly be… a “host” ala the Creepshow Creep?

David M. Booher: We don’t have a Creep or a Cryptkeeper…yet. But we absolutely have those vibes. Those old EC horror stories are so effective because they throw characters into the most twisted, scary, impossible situations. We go along because we wonder what we would do if we faced the same monsters. That’s partly the point of The Feeding: what would you do if a carnivorous painting put you on the menu?

Byron: What can you tell readers about how this book came to be, and how did Syzygy’s Chris Ryall become involved? As I understand, the origin involves NYCC and crowdfunding?

David M. Booher: The origin tale is as twisted as the story itself! Not really. As the best stories do, this one came about over beers at New York Comic Con. Drew told me about a dream he had about a creepy painting and we spun the story out from there. We decided to launch the story first through crowdfunding, which is great for a horror one-shot. We funded and published the crowdfunding version, knowing we would like to bring it to the broader market. That’s when Chris Ryall jumped in with Syzygy Publishing and Image Comics. Now backers have their limited edition version, and we will get to expand for even more readers.

Byron: Introduce us to Nolan Ward. Can you give us a little non-spoilery picture of who he has been and what he has become, all in the name of forgetting – or escaping – his disturbing past?

David M. Booher: Nolan Ward is a piece of work. Really. A day trader. Drinker. Partier. Womanizer. A scum bag. But we quickly see why: he’s haunted by his past. These vices keep that past buried. We all know that never works for long. So his demons take the form of a painting that eats people…and it’s coming for him. The story is about how he confronts the literal monster that has caught up with him.

Byron: What other characters are important to this one-shot? Can you throw a spotlight on a few right here?

David M. Booher: There are basically three characters: Nolan Ward, art gallery owner Liza White, and Nolan’s father. I’ve already talked about Nolan. To dive into the other two would take us into spoiler territory. Suffice to say each one has a moment to show Nolan who they truly are.

Byron: No spoilers, of course, but can you (without a “read the book!” response) even hint at the relationship between Ward and “The Feeding” – which is, it has been revealed, a monstrous painting that… EATS people?

David M. Booher: Read the book! (smiles) Seriously, Nolan has a long history with this painting. Its ubiquitous presence in his life explains why he is who he is as an adult. Beyond that…you know the drill.

Byron: David, what other coming projects you are involved in can you tell readers about?

David M. Booher: Drew and I are still working on Canto. The last story arc is being released right now from Dark Horse in the 6-issue Canto: A Place Like Home. We’ve also got beautiful new hardcovers for all the collections up to this point. For my next creator-owned projects, I’m moving farther into horror territory. I’ve been a horror hound since I was reading Stephen King at 12 years old. It feels like a great time to make that kid’s day with some creepy new stories.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank David M. Booher for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The Feeding one-shot from Syzygy Publishing & Image Comics is slated to be on sale October 23!

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