Today sees the release of The Harvester #1, the first issue in a brand new series from Legendary Comics. It's being written by Brandon Seifert, who should be no stranger to Daily Dead readers, as we've covered his work on the Witch Doctor and Hellraiser comic book series.
With The Harvester, Seifert tackles a new kind of hero that's more like a supernatural urban legend than he is Superman. During our interview, I learned about how researching Bloody Mary helped with developing The Harvester, working with Eric Battle, and his plan for the character over the first ten issues:
In the first issue of The Harvester, you do a really great job of playing up the urban legend angle of the character. Can you talk about what went into creating your own urban legend with The Harvester?
Brandon Seifert: Most people view The Harvester as an urban legend. There are different stories about him under different names that have been told through the decades in a number of countries. There have been witnesses of things he's done in the past and it's been passed down like a game of telephone through the years. He's regarded by people who pay attention as a boogeyman.
When I started on the project, I did do a bunch of research into urban legends, specifically supernatural legends about specific figures. Bloody Mary was one of the big ones I researched. Her name can be different, her origin changes in a lot of different stories, and so does specifics about how you summon her. I researched anything I could get my hands on because I really like to include things that exist in the real world. It adds a lot of detail and I think it's more believable than details you make up.
The look of The Harvester and the series itself has a very distinct visual style. What was the creative process like for putting this book together?
Brandon Seifert: Initially, it was me and Thomas [Tull]. At first, it was a lot of him explaining the ideas for the character and overall world. That turned into me going away for a while and coming back with my own ideas, and it took us a long time to secure Eric [Battle] as the artist. By the time he signed on, I actually had written ten scripts. We talked to some other artists, but he's the one that really came through. He's a really good fit for it. I knew Eric was totally the guy for the job when we first see The Harvester [in issue #1]. The angle he did it from and the dynamic was just fantastic.
You mentioned that you have written ten scripts. Is that a single story arc? Do you have more issues planned?
Brandon Seifert: The ten issues are divided into two story arcs that tell one overarching story. It's very much a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. The Harvester is never going to completely understand why he does what he's doing or where the order are coming from, and his mission will never be finished. This isn't a situation where he lives happily ever after when the ten issues are done. I'm quite happy with the ending I've written, but there are certainly unresolved plot threads and the potential to keep it going. It's set up as a continuing series.
For those who pick up issue #1 right away, can you give our readers a tease of what they can see in issue #2 and beyond?
Brandon Seifert: We have a lot of very graphic violence coming up, with The Harvester wreaking havoc on people that really deserve it, along with some that don't and we're going to get into how he feels about that. He's been around for decades and we're going to get into him in historical time periods. Issue #2 also introduces the villain of the series, who is very much this Lex Luthor-type. The Harvester is based on physical supernatural strength and the villain is very much a self-made human character, whose ability is mental. The first issue is really introducing everyone to The Harvester and issue #2 is where things start to get complicated.
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About The Harvester
About Brandon Seifert
Brandon Seifert is a comics writer who achieved instant acclaim and success for his writing debut Witch Doctor (co-created with artist Lukas Ketner), which started as a successful self-published comic before exploding for Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment imprint at Image Comics. Seifert also co-created Spirit of the Law (MonkeyBrain Comics) and has written Doctor Who (IDW Publishing),Hellraiser: The Road Below, and Hellraiser: The Dark Watch (co-written with Clive Barker). Seifert is a native of Fairbanks, Alaska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
About Eric Battle
Philadelphia native Eric Battle is an artist with a portfolio of illustration work from children's books to horror novels. Battle has worked with both DC and Marvel Comics, creating pencils for Spider-Man, Batman, Aquama
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