Finally it can be revealed! Secret Project #1!
Once in a while I hope I can be allowed a wee bit of hype here, and so here we go: One of the reasons I’ve ve been so mad crazy over the last 8 weeks or so was because we’ve been putting together a sequel to last year’s acclaimed THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY anthology. The book comes out of Fox Atomic’s graphic novel line, and will be out this August from Harper Collins.
Like the first volume, this is a 112-page comics adaptation of the short stories of horror writer Thomas Ligotti. Writers Joe Harris and Stuart Moore have returned to adapt Ligotti’s cerebrally chilling stories, but we have some new players as well.
This time out the cover is by the great Jon Foster. Jon worked on a bunch of covers for me back in the day, but his style has taken a major evolution since then, and I was really excited to see what he would do with the Nightmare Factiry concept, and I think he knocked it out of the park.
The interiors are by Bill Sienkiewicz, Vasilis Lolos, Toby Cypress and Nick Stakal, aided and abetted by the coloring of Lee Louridge and Rico Renzi, the fine lettering of Comicraft and the great design work of Symon Chow. I hope to be able to let everyone see a sneak peek of some of the interior pages, and hopefully everyone will be as pleased as I am by this incredible line-up of talent.
I haven’t been able to talk much about this project here on the blog because of an intensive deadline crunch. It was a little touch and go for a while there, but everyone came through relatively unscathed.
I’ll have more to say about this (and more previews) in the coming weeks but for now I would just like to say, for the record, that it was just the kind of project you always hope to work on: unique, intelligent material, writers and artists who understand that and have the chops to bring it to life, and who also epitomize professionalism in so many ways. I’m very very lucky to get to work with such great people as the ones I’ve just named, and to learn from them along the way.
I also have to send a shout out to my partners in crime, Eric Lieb, the Editor in Chief of Fox Atomic Comics, and Hope Inelli and Jeremy Cesarec at Harper Collins. I couldn’t ask for better collaborators or bosses.
Anyway enough thanks yous. If you’re not familiar with the writings of Thomas Ligotti you’re missing a contemporary stylist and fabulist second to none. His stories are thought provoking, disturbing, and truly, truly original. THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY II is, I hope, a true reflection of his unique world view in graphic novel form.
Ligotti and Sienkiewicz? Let the fans rejoice! Let the spell checkers tremble in fear!
Please tell me this will have a big push at San Diego, yes?
Looks great!
The cover is truly outstanding. I’m hoping you’re going to say at some point that you will have some advance copies at Comic Con at the Fox Atomic booth.
The art on my stories really came out nicely. I think people will be talking about Toby Cypress and Nick Stakal after this. A class project all around…thanks, Heidi.
I loved the first one (it was a nice gift from a dear friend) – I am really curious about the second book! Really great news!
Getting to collaborate with Bill Sienkiewicz was a personal fanboy dream first hatched after the Demon Bear terrorized Dani and the New Mutants.
And Vasilis Lolos absolutely KILLED it for this book. Very excited for everyone to see.
THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY VOL. 1 was a lot of fun and a gorgeous book. But I think VOL. 2 takes things to an even higher level.
Oh, Fox Atomic still exists?
Heidi, please have someone fix the website
I really must try this “working on something that gets you excited and that you can be proud of” thing sometime.
I’ll add my praise for the first volume and anticipation of the second.
Boss.