We Kill the Dead Comic Is a Love Letter to Slasher Genre

Josh Millican |

Jun 1, 2015

Writer John Lepper describes his upcoming horror comic We Kill the Dead as “a love letter to the slasher genre.” We Kill The Dead is being illustrated by Bryan Revell with lettering by Alex Giles.

Even while the comic is in production, it’s already guaranteed a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for an incredible reason: WKTD will feature cameos from over 15 different slashers from real horror movies, combining more separately owned characters into a single tome ever! Slashers currently confirmed to appear in WKTD include:

Thorn (Slasher House, Legacy of Thorn), Dollman (Methodic), Gurdy (100 Tears), Porkchop (Porkchop 1-3), Black Knight (Dead of Knight), BBK (Gutterballs), Billy (Billy Club), Crinoline Head (Crinoline Head, Dorchester’s Revenge), Bonesetter (The Bonesetter, The Bonesetter Returns), Jonah (Jonah Lives), Verden Fell (FrightWorld), Jack-O (Jack-O), Stitches (Stitches), Blood Widow (Blood Widow), Evil Highlander (Redwood Massacre), Mary Mattock (Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet), and Charlie (High Beams).

Rumor has it WKTD will also feature an “A-List” slasher who cannot be named at this point as a condition of inclusion.

If this sounds like a project you’d like to be a part of, visit their Indiegogo page and read about some of the amazing perks the producers are offering here. Also stay up-to-date on WKTD news and updates by liking their Facebook Page here.

Synopsis:
In a parallel reality, the Supernatural Special Tactics Bureau (SSTB), a secret government agency, is on a mission to destroy “thano-sapiens” (undead killers like Jason and Freddy). The first part in a planned trilogy, WKTD follows Joanna, a survivor of a thano-sapien attack in college, who joins the SSTB just as Jack the Ripper returns as a demonic being intent on creating an undead army.

I was lucky enough to connect with writer John Lepper recently to discuss his inspirations, motivations, and processes as he bring this project to fruition. Enjoy!

Dread Central: Where did you come up with the idea for WKTD?

John Lepper: I thought up the idea back in high school. I was thinking up ideas for horror movies and came up with this one where an old guy named Nathan fights Jack the Ripper. Nathan was a former member of a special government agency that fights slashers, but he retired. Jack, in this, was a body jumper who could possess people who came into contact with items that used to belong to him. Nathan had once defeated him and then Jack returns and Nathan had to be called out of retirement. That was the root of the idea right there: a government agency and Jack the Ripper.

DC: One of the most interesting aspects of your comic is the “cameos.” How did the “cameos” come about?

JL: The idea all along was to give a feeling of a real shared slasher universe. This was going to be achieved strictly through references to big name slashers sprinkled throughout the story. But, one of my friends, MJ Dixon, is the creator of a shared slasher movie universe of his own, including Slasher House, Legacy of Thorn, and the forthcoming Cleaver: Rise of the Killer Clown and Hollower. He and I share a lot of ideas on slashers and I asked him if he’d like to have Thorn appear in the comic in a small cameo. He loved the idea! Then it occurred to me, “Why stop there?” At a certain point I decided to go for broke and actually get some A listers. I tried to get Chucky, Maniac Cop, and a few others. We actually DID land one REALLY big one and I am so stoked for it! I can’t say who it is due to terms of use, but people are going to love it!

DC: What inspired you to write WKTD?

JL: I’ve always loved slasher movies. My road to horror obsession began when my father showed me the original Halloween when I was a teenager. I instantly fell in love with the genre. Slashers are like a cross between my two favorite genres: horror and superheroes. Strange powers, secret origins, garish costumes, the list goes on. And another subgenre I have always LOVED is military vs. the supernatural, like Dog Soldiers or Outpost.

DC: WKTD has been described as “a love letter to the slasher genre.” Explain.

JL: Because it IS the slasher genre. All of the slashers exist in this one world. There’s going to be gore, violence, action, laughs, and more, just like slasher films. I’m getting away from the killer focusing pursuing coeds as the main plot, but you see that that is the background against which this agency operates. This is a world where dolls come to life and kill people, where summer camps carry death curses, where Halloween can be deadly, and where you might want to think twice before you fall asleep!

DC: When WKTD is finished, what’s next on your agenda?

JL: More! WKTD is not just this one story; I plan to make this a whole franchise! I have a general idea for a sequel that fans of Cthulhu are going to LOVE, and a few spinoff comics are in the works, including some colab works. And, did I ever tell you how much I love the Dollman from Methodic? Yeah, he is the only crossover who has a major part in the plot, a subplot all his own, to be accurate. Well, we are hoping to work with Chris Notarile to bring to life his Dollman comic book down the road. After that? Sky’s the limit. I’d love to see Jo and Cooper team up with Cassie Hack or Ash down the road or cross paths with tons of other slashers!

DC: Anything else you want our readers to know?

JL: This comic is the result of a decade of thinking, a plot that has evolved constantly to get to where it is now. It was going to be a movie, but to make this level of insanity into a film would carry a multi-million dollar budget price tag and I’d have to give up creative control to some big studio somewhere. That ain’t happening. This is my baby and it is the baby of every slasher fan. So many people want to see all of these slashers exist side-by-side. I’m going to make it happen. BUT I need people’s help to do it. We are running our Indiegogo now to cover publishing costs. I am paying for art out of pocket, but to make this happen in a timely manner, we need help with printing 5,000 copies each of four issues. So, we’re offering insanely awesome perks to folks who give us a hand!

DC: Good luck and keep us informed on your progress!

Lepper was also kind enough to provide us with a slew of sample art, which is included for your perusal below.