BCP Interview – John Arcudi talks DEAD INSIDE

Posted on December 19, 2016 in Interviews

Cover to issue #1 – CLICK TO ENLARGE

For our latest interview, we were thrilled to be able to sit down and have a quick chat with writer John Arcudi (RUMBLE) about his new crime thriller Dead Inside, which goes on sale this Wednesday from Dark Horse Comics.

And, rather than try and describe the premise of the series ourselves, we figured we’d let John sum it up for you in a nutshell.

JOHN ARCUDI: Linda Caruso is Sheriff’s Dept. Detective who has been to Jail Crimes Investigations. When a murder takes place in a prison in her jurisdiction, what seems to be an open and shut case turns out to open far more than can be shut.

BIG COMIC PAGE: So, what was it about the world of Jail Crimes investigations that appealed to you as a writer?

JA: Not a lot of other people have written about it. that’s always appealing.

BCP: Tell us a little about Detective Linda Caruso. What’s her story?

JA: A former Deputy who was good at her job and was promoted to Detective. Turned out she wasn’t really so good at the job of Detective. The resulting tension and misery ruins her life and leaves her in JCD where — in this story — she’s been exiled. She’s not happy, but maybe she will be…

BCP: How much does the fact that Linda’s a woman in such a violent, male-dominated environment play into the story?

JA: Not that much. She’s a cop doing her job, and while being a detective hasn’t worked out for her, she can certainly hold her own. There are, of course, some elements of the story that play off her being a woman working with men, but they aren’t specific to her being a police officer, or to working in a prison environment. At least not in any large sort of way.

BCP: What kind of research did you do in order to help make the series feel as authentic as it undoubtedly does?

JA: Not much is out there on JCD units, but I did my best.

BCP: Did your approach towards the scripting of this series differ any from your work on the likes of B.P.R.D, given its more grounded and, dare I say, more character-focused style?

JA: I just do the best I can on any story I write. I don’t think about working differently for subject matter, but I will try to tailor my scripts for an artist so that I can play to his/her strengths. But then every story is its own tale, so arguably every script is approached differently. not that I see it that way, but that may be how it is.

BCP: What does artist Toni Fejzula bring to the series?

JA: He can draw like a motherfucker! What more can any comics writer ask?

BCP: How much impact on the character design and aesthetic of the series did you have? Did you have a particular aesthetic in mind, or did you just sit back and let Toni do his thing?

JA: I gave him reference, we talked about things I was thinking about when I conceived and started writing the story, but let’s face it; Toni’s in charge and killing it!

BCP: And finally, what would you say to someone who was on the fence about picking up DEAD INSIDE to help convince them?

JA: Interesting choice of words… I don’t know, it’s a gorgeous book. And it’s really more about being a human being than it is about being an inmate, or a detective, or a deputy, or a warden. But it’s about all those things too! Where else you gonna find that?

DEAD INSIDE #1 goes on sale December 21st from Dark Horse Comics.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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