Richard: What is "Awakening" all about?

Nick: The short version – AWAKENING is a zombie noir that may not even involve zombies, taking place in a city that seems to be slowly marching towards the apocalypse. Big thanks to Thomas for that one.

To get a little deeper, AWAKENING takes a done-to-death (ha!) premise and re-examines it in both purpose and execution in order to refine and explore specific societal conflicts. Characters first have to come to grips with what seems to be happening in Park Falls, attempt to find a cause for the situation, and seek out a way to stop it, all while the city slowly feels the pressure of the mounting crisis over the course of a full year.

Richard: Why do you like writing a horror story?

Nick: It’s funny, I think ASP terming the series “existential horror” fits the bill nicely. I think real horror examines certain aspects of society via certain verbal and visual cues that aren’t available in other genres, something that I enjoy playing with. There’s something to be said for giving certain perceived evils, vices, etc. a physical manifestation and horror offers that in a very visceral way, particularly when you’re talking about a visual medium like comics.

Richard: Who are Derrick Peters and Cynthia Ford?

Nick: Derrick is an ex-detective for the Park Falls police department, having retired early from the force. He spends his days doing P.I. work and mostly keeping to himself. At the opening of issue one he encounters Cynthia Ford, well known as the town crazy and somebody with whom he shares a history.

Cynthia is rambling to him, going on about having information on the series of murders and missing persons happening around the city. When he asks her point blank what she knows, Derrick is surprised to hear one word: Zombies.

Our story unfolds from there, with Derrick seeking out evidence based on Cynthia’s information though never truly buying into the accusation. For the first two issues, two months of our story, he remains unconvinced even after forming a partnership with federally-sent scientist Dr. Daniel Howe and attack survivor Sandra LaFayette. It isn’t until directly encountering something he can’t explain that he begins to question what may truly be happening in his city.

Richard: After 10 issues would you like to see this series continue?

Nick: Hmmm…. That’s a tough one to answer because we’ve all become very attached to our cast but I think this is one series that finishes the way it should. There’s something to be said for a nice, solid ending sometimes.

Richard: How does it feel to have "Awakening" nominated for 4 Eagle Awards?

Nick: It’s absolutely unreal. I mean, look at some of the names and books we’re up against! To think that fans hold the book in the same esteem as Y: THE LAST MAN, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, myself even nominated with Jason Aaron and a host of other really talented folks for Favourite Newcomer Writer – that sort of thing is amazing. Just being nominated is such a huge source of pride for all of us, I think. All this with only three issues out and the best still yet to come!

Richard: Why do people like reading about or watching movies about zombies?

Nick: There’s something to be said for the basic zombie mold – the idea of survival against insurmountable odds, forming bonds in small groups with the inevitable asshole always getting a good guy killed. It’s fun to watch, to think about which template you might fit into in those situations.

On a more scholarly note, there are almost always undercurrents of socially relevant commentary laced throughout zombie stories – I think a lot of people key into that sort of thing, more so than they’re given credit for.

Richard: How did you end up creating "Kat Man"?

Nick: Wow! I appreciate you bringing this up – KAT MAN holds a very special place in my heart.

At 7 years old, KAT MAN was born of too many Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons, a love for comics, ignoring Mr. Mackey, my third grade teacher, and stapling together some oversized index cards. I believe there were two absolutely hideous issues before I realized that writer/artist would never be a badge I’d wear.

I wish I still had those – they’d probably be worth a mint now on the interweb market. Kids dig the vintage stuff.

Richard: What else have you worked on?

Nick: So far nothing that’s been released – there are two projects lined up right now for sure but nothing I can really mention yet.

Richard: What do you have planned next?

Nick: Lots! In addition to the two projects yet to be announced I have TONS of others in various stages of development, from initial conceptual work to projects already being pitched or in submission. Alex and I have at least three projects to choose from as our follow-up piece to AWAKENING, one a callback to some good ol’ fashioned noir stories of the ‘40’s and another focused on the sci-fi explosion and rampant paranoia of the 50’s, not to mention a third playing a bit in the gothic horror sandbox. I also have three other projects I’m already involved in with some other great artists too, all either being pitched around or being prepared to show off.

More on all of those soon enough…

Richard: Where does your inspiration come from?

Nick: A lot of it starts with me seeing something in the news, talking to a friend, or any number of other random events that starts the “What If…?” spark. Sometimes it’s something simple, say seeing something in the news and wondering “What if that was because of…” and it steamrolls. Sometimes it’s more complicated and that “What if…?” spark catches on something from years ago that’s brought to the forefront by something else. Basically I draw inspiration from any and every thing and one I can. Nothing is sacred, nothing is safe… LOOK OUT JAZMA! YOU’RE NEXT!

Richard: How did you end up at Archaia Studios Press?

Nick: Should’ve taken the left at Albuquerque? Seriously folks, you’re great.

We met with Mr. Mark Smylie himself while trying to solicit feedback on our unfinished pitch for AWAKENING – four character sketches, a finished first page without lettering, and an incredibly verbose cover letter and outline for the series – it was an awful pitch package, but then again it wasn’t planned to be one so I guess we get a pass. Apparently he really keyed into what we had because it was right there that he got down on bended knee and asked us to marry him. Obviously Alex and I were flattered but declined. After dusting himself off, Mark unofficially edited our first issue over the summer of ‘06, then offering us a lovely opportunity to publish the book with ASP.

Seriously, it was not at all the “norm” for ending up at a publisher but I think Alex and I couldn’t have been luckier. Mark Smylie, Joe Illidge, and the entire ASP crew are great folks to work with and it’s been a great home for AWAKENING.

Richard: Which comics besides "Awakening" would you recommend?

Nick: I’m HUGELY excited about Jeff Smith’s RASL and Terry Moore’s ECHO. Great stuff from, for me, amazingly inspirational creators. If we’re going to reach back to my personal faves, everyone should have read/be reading Y: THE LAST MAN, PERHAPANAUTS, Alan Moore’s SWAMP THING, FELL, James Robinson’s STARMAN, and so many others. I could seriously turn this into the Amazon shopping list from hell but I think those are all great starts.

Richard: How can someone contact you?

Nick: Hmmm… I guess that depends on what they’re looking for. If it’s love, I’m afraid I’m taken. But, if it’s just to shoot the ****, talk shop, or anything along those lines you can e-mail me at Nick.Tapalansky@gmail.com . If you want to send some love for the book, feel free to visit us on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/AwakeningComic or drop an e-mail to AwakeningComic@gmail.com .

Richard: Any last words of wisdom?

Nick: Look out for Stan Lee – that man has hobos buried under his house, all of whom he sucked the energy out of to maintain his youthful and powerful form.