Today at Phoenix City Comic Con Dark Horse Comics have announced the third chapter in Paul Tobin and Juan Ferrerya’s creator-owned horror series “Colder” entitled “Toss The Bones.” After the crazy conclusion of the last arc, The Bad Seed, Declan Thomas has overcome his own problems with insanity. He’s living happily with his girlfriend, Reece. He’s become a healer of sorts, but everything falls to pieces upon the arrival of a mysterious creature, Swivel. The second arc tore apart the victory felt by the end of the first. And concludes with the return of the original antagonist, Nimble Jack.
Now, heading into the third volume Bloody-Disgusting sat down with Paul to talk about his concept surrounding insanity, being careful to avoid putting it in a box, and the process of developing something truly unpredictable locked entirely in the human form.
BLOODY-DISGUSTING: What can you tell me about the return of Nimble Jack? What sort of insanity does he bring with him, and why is this time different than the first arc? What does Declan mean to him? And why does he want him dead?
PAUL TOBIN: I always wanted to bring Jack back, for two main reasons. The first is just because I love him. He’s such an amusingly beautiful asshole. But the main reason is that Colder is about insanity, and you just can’t keep the crazy down. I have some stupid compulsions in my life… mostly revolving around the “proper” order of doing things. And they’re crazy. And I know they’re crazy. But they keep coming back. Keep influencing my actions. I can’t beat them. I have to live with them. The whole second arc was about Nimble Jack growing again, growing from a tiny seed, and coming back as strong as ever. You can’t keep crazy down. As far as what’s different from the first arc, the relationship between Declan and Jack has changed. Declan understands Jack, now, because Declan has come to realize that he’s himself not a bastion of sanity. And… Jack? Well, Jack’s Jack. Giving reason to insanity would be cheating. He’s just hungry.
BD: Nimble Jack was seemingly born through Declan’s release at the end of “The Bad Seed.” Was his rebirth Swivel’s end goal, and if so then how is Nimble Jack connected to the larger concept of insanity?
PT: Swivel was, in effect, a farmer. And insanity was his crop. Nimble Jack is the product of that crop. It’s up to perspective if he’s the grain or the weed from the field. I don’t like to entirely pin down the concept of insanity, because it means different things to different people, and I have to account for the fact that I might be crazy myself. I mean, in a way… I’d better be crazy. It’s what I get paid for, and what I enjoy writing.
BD: After collaborating together on several projects, what is it like to continue to develop the surreal world of insanity with Juan Ferreyra? How have you two pushed into new and undiscovered territory with “Toss The Bones?”
PT: Juan is an absolute jewel. We joke back and forth about how we each think we’re the innocent ones being pushed by the other, but of course the simple truth is that we’re pushing each other, goading each other into digging deeper. I guess we’ll eventually find out which of us is crazier. I always think it’s funny when people meet us at conventions and say, “Oh… I thought you’d look crazier.”
BD: What is your process of inspiration for “Colder?” How do you get into the mood to write about this world, and what sorts of things are important to you in telling a story like this?
PT: For each of the arcs, I’ve tried to delve into a certain fear. And they need to be common fears… fears that reach everyone. The overall themes are of hunger and insanity, of course. The frailty of the mind and the body. And once I have that anchor of fear, I expand on it, just let it go crazy. With some books, I put a cap on how far I let my mind race… but with Colder I’m waiting with a cattle prod, and every time my mind balks, I give it a little jolt. That said… I like to stay away from “gore” horror: that’s just such an easy out. We’ve have fun with covers in that area, but inside the book, I want to disturb and unsettle more than I want to scare. When you scare someone, they shriek, and then five seconds later they’re laughing. When you unsettle someone, they’re awake at four in the morning, and they hate you for what you’ve done. I want that.
BD: Disturbing imagery is now a central conceit of the series, but how do you ensure that each panel is more than the sum of it’s imagery, and that it carries an emotional and unsettling impact?
PT: I mostly try to work with characters. I want them to be real. I want them to care. I want them to exist outside their terror and the struggle against Nimble Jack and insanity. If I can do that, then the scary parts will live as much as the characters. And, Juan is fantastic at taking the slightest feeling of unease and amping up the voltage. I throw him crumbs and he gives me insanity.
BD: What is your idea of true insanity? And how do you think we should best talk about it? What does it mean for Declan now that he has let go of his insanity, and that he’s moved beyond overcoming it? What is he struggling with now?
PT: Better men than me have failed trying to define true insanity. But… I’ll give it a go. That’s what I’m here for! To me, denial of reality doesn’t really count; it has to be an inability to perceive reality. When we talk about insanity, I think it’s important to address the issue from a perspective not of, “how can we make them normal?” but instead “how can we make things as best as possible, with the cards we’ve been dealt?” What we do in Colder is then push that question further and ask, “What IS reality?” And, as far as Declan letting go of his insanity… that might be true, but that doesn’t mean insanity is done with him.
BD: How has Reece changed since the events of “The Bad Seed” and what role does she have to play in this new story?
PT: I think Reece has come to an understanding that this is her life, now. That running isn’t a solution. That there might not, in fact, be a solution. This makes her a bit more grim, but at the same time Declan makes her happy, so there’s a conflict, there. And, while she was passive in the first arc, and then dominant in the second, Nimble Jack is now up against Declan and Reece, together… as a team. Of course, to him, that’s just more food on the table.
BD: What scares you most about “Toss The Bones?” And is the final story in the world of “Colder?”
PT: Pigeons. Pigeons scare me. They’ve always been a central part of Colder, because much of the story takes place in an urban environment, whether in Boston or the Hungry World. And pigeons are such a ubiquitous part of urban society that we forget they’re there. I love the idea of something so invisible turning into a threat, or at least as one of insanity’s bullets, helping to perforate reality and put a man down. I think there’s a very real fear of society’s undercurrents, and pigeons have this whole society that exists next to ours, and we barely pay attention. So I let Nimble Jack play with those concepts this time. I gave insanity its wings, so to speak. As far as this being the final arc? It’s very possible. I think horror can become mundane if it’s pushed too far. And you can’t just keep opening the same door. There has to be consequences to horror. There are consequences to this arc.