Day: December 6, 2022

Title: I WALK WITH MONSTERS: The Complete Series
Authors: Paul Cornell & Sally Cantirino (Illustrator)
Pub. Date: April 20, 2021
Publisher: Vault Comics
Formats:  Paperback, eBook
Pages: 128

Find it: Goodreads, Book2Read

 

In her past, the Important Man took away Jacey’s brother. Now Jacey has David, who is sometimes a monster. Together, they hunt those who prey on the vulnerable. But the Important Man is still out there.

MONSTERS WALK BESIDE US ALL, AND SOMETIMES LURK WITHIN.

In Jacey’s past is the Important Man who took away her brother. Now Jacey has David, who sometimes transforms into a terrifying beast. Together, they’ve found a way to live–and to hunt, sniffing out men who prey on the vulnerable. But Jacey and David are about to run into the Important Man again.

From Paul Cornell (Wolverine, Doctor Who, Elementary) and Sally Cantirino (Human Remains; Door to Door, Night by Night; Last Song, We Have To Go Back) comes a haunting story about the monsters that walk beside us all, and sometimes lurk within.

Collects the complete six-issue series.

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Praise:

“Really looking forward to it.”   – Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, American Gods, Anansi Boys, Good Omens, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and more)

Named one of “The Best Comic Books and Graphic Novels of 2021” – Thrillist

“Like many of the best horror stories, I Walk With Monsters forces us to ask what it really means to be a monster, and whether it’s ever possible to escape from the realm of the monstrous. Equal parts character study and gory thrillride, this comic left me both disturbed and desperately eager to see where the story goes next.” – Charlie Jane Anders (All The Birds in the Sky; Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Lambda Literary Awards)

‘Tender and terrifying, deeply horrible and deeply human, ‘I Walk With Monsters’ is Cornell at his finest- and his finest is very dark indeed. Which is surprising, because he seems like such a nice man.’ – Louise Penny  Award-winning author (Armand Gamache murder mystery series), State of Terror (with Hillary Rodham Clinton), columnist, journalist, and screenwriter

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Sample Page:

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Interview with Paul Cornell & Sally Cantirino:

PAUL CORNELL – I WALK WITH MONSTERS – writer

1. What Winter holidays do you celebrate in December and January … and how do you celebrate them?

We celebrate Christmas, with hampers and dark beer and chocolate oranges, but mainly, since my wife is a vicar in the Church of England, she celebrates by getting completely exhausted with Christingle, Midnight Mass, etc.  This year she’s had to move Nine Lessons and Carols so as not to clash with the World Cup Final.  It’s all go here at the holidays, let me tell you.

2. What traditions are old family traditions?

Our son leaves out a mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph by the chimney, and gets a stocking full of presents.  We decorate as well.  The halls get decked.

3. What traditions are ones that YOU’VE started?

We take our son to the local Arboretum, where every year they have a gorgeous festive trail of lighting effects and bouncy young actors playing elves.

4. What sort of activities during the holidays are your favorites?

I love seeing our son get excited on Christmas Eve.

5. What activities do you like the least?

Because of my own past, I’m not one for big Christmas meals with extended family, so I duck out of those as soon as I can.

7. What are your favorite holiday memories from adulthood?

I love festive gatherings with friends, either in the real world or on Zoom.  So many great parties.  And there are various writers’ get-togethers I go to every year, some of which are dear to my heart.

8. What are your favorite holiday foods?

I love mince pies, and those sandwiches made up of all the bits of Christmas lunch that are left over.

9. What makes these Winter holidays so special for you?

It’s the winter feast, the light in the heart of darkness, and that’s a very numinous thing for me.

10. Anything else you’d like to talk about that is holiday-related?

Every year I do the 12 Blogs of Christmas on my website, paulcornell.com, where, from the 13th December, I post a new piece every day.  Check it out!

The Winter Holidays and with Paul’s characters

1. How do your book’s characters celebrate the holidays? Do they celebrate with family & friends?

There aren’t really any left for them to celebrate with, and if there were they wouldn’t want to see them all.  Of course, the found family father and daughter combo at the heart of this book have each other, and I’m sure they celebrate beside their tents, out there in the woods somewhere.  I have a feeling David sneaks into a midnight mass somewhere, shaped like a dog, but doesn’t stay to the end.

1. What do they eat?

Whatever they can afford or steal or scavenge.  I think a ‘dog’ running off with a turkey would be hard to intercept.

1. What do you think they’d like to do?

Probably something that didn’t remind them too much of the past.  David would try to give Jacey some sort of celebration, and she’d go along with it ‘just to make him happy’ but secretly appreciating it.  There would definitely be presents.

2. If your book’s characters visited during the holidays, how would you celebrate with them?

I’d really want to take care of them, so lots of food and the opportunity to talk.  I’d make sure Jacey knew where all the exits were and that she could leave whenever she wanted to.  It would actually take a lot of effort to make those two comfortable, but I’m there for that therapy.

3. Would your character like to say anything to readers for holiday cheer?

David: ‘I just want to say sorry.  Or not.  You know, I do what I do to… terrible men… to make sure what happened to her doesn’t happen to-‘

Jacey: ‘It’s meant to be a festive greeting, asshole!  Can we not mention that we can kill serial killers?!  That’s not really very… holly and candy canes and whatever else… people… do.’

David: ‘We do that stuff too.  You get all that stuff.’

Jacey: ‘I don’t want to talk about that.  You just tell them… happy holidays or whatever.’

David: ‘Happy holidays from all of us… out here.’

Jacey:  ‘We had to clean up for this?’

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SALLY CANTIRINO – I WALK WITH MONSTERS – artist

The Winter Holidays and with Sally’s characters

1.   How do your book’s characters celebrate the holidays?

I don’t imagine Jacey growing up celebrating Christmas. David might have celebrated Christmas or Hanukkah (or both, depending on his family’s background! We don’t really discover that much in the series).  I feel like they would be the type to say “we’re not celebrating, we’re not doing gifts” and then end up giving each other a gift anyway. Maybe they’d hunker down at a movie theatre for the day and sneak into as many movies in a row as they could, and order an extravagant amount of take-out that night. On New Years Eve they’d get some fireworks and shoot them off at midnight.

2.   If your book’s characters visited during the holidays, how would you celebrate with them?

I would make a big, home-cooked meal of winter comfort foods, and send them back out into the world with hand-knit gifts to keep them warm.

3.   Would your character like to say anything to readers for holiday cheer?

Sometimes the family you make is better than the family you’re born into- spend the holidays with whoever makes you feel the most loved and cherished.

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About Paul Cornell:

Paul Cornell has written episodes of Elementary, DoctorWho, Primeval, Robin Hood and many other TV series, including his own children’s show, Wavelength. He’s worked for every major comics company, including his creator-owned series I Walk With Monsters for The Vault, The Modern Frankenstein for Magma, Saucer State for IDW and This Damned Band for Dark Horse, and runs for Marvel and DC on Batman and Robin, Wolverine and Young Avengers. He’s the writer of the Lychford rural fantasy novellas from Tor.com Publishing. He’s won the BSFA Award for his short fiction, an Eagle Award for his comics, a Hugo Award for his podcast and shares in a Writer’s Guild Award for his Doctor Who. He’s the co-host of Hammer House of Podcast.

Hometown: Gloucestershire, UK

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

About Sally Cantirino:

Sally Cantirino is a comic artist and illustrator currently based in New Jersey. She has been self-publishing comics and zines since she was a teenager. Her recent comics work includes I Walk With Monsters and Human Remains for Vault Comics,  “The Final Girls”, “Last Song”, and “We Have To Go Back”. She has also done artwork for World Champ Game Co and bands like La Dispute and Murder By Death.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads

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