“The year is 2188 and Jack the Ripper has returned to London.” — RIPPERLAND Q&A with Steve Orlando and John Harris Dunning

"The year is 2188 and Jack the Ripper has returned to London." Published by Dark Horse Comics and heading to comic book shops on January 22nd is Ripperland, from writers Steve Orlando and John Harris, who joined us for our latest Q&A. From initial concept to working with Alessandro Oliveri, we discuss everything about the making of this new series, which they describe as "FROM HELL meets WESTWORLD."

How did your collaboration on Ripperland come about, and what was the inspiration for the series?

Steve Orlando: It all started with coffee on the high line, at New York Comic Con some years back! John had already put out some kick ass books in the UK, and wondered what we might write together for an American publisher.  I challenged John with a few parameters for what I thought might catch on, and before I knew it, we were developing RIPPERLAND. We wanted to create a book that let us play on perceptions between our two cultures, and also let us develop a dialogue through our leads that brought to life the timber of our own conversations and kvetching. John understood the assignment! And once we got the pitch together, working with Arancia Studios got us to working with Alessandro Oliveri, without whom this book wouldn’t just not be the same, but wouldn’t exist. Three creators, three countries, one book that’s unlike anything else out there!  

John Harris Dunning: I’ve admired Steve’s work for ages, so when we got chatting and he suggested a team-up, I jumped at it. He was keen for it to be something Anglo-centric and being a big fan of Jack the Ripper and the Victorian era generally, I immediately went there. Of course, our story takes place in the near future, so it’s a kind of skewed Victoriana. We’re both interested in culture and politics, and this allowed us to play with perceptions and misconceptions of America and England in a satirical way. I grew up on queer horror fiction by the likes of Poppy Z. Brite and Clive Barker. There’s lots of sex and gore in their work. I like to think I’m keeping that tradition alive.

What research did you two do into the Jack The Ripper killings? Did you learn anything that surprised you? Any thoughts on who the real Jack The Ripper is?

SO: John already knew quite a bit – and actually, when it comes to how the killings are presented in the book, we were in some ways dealing with not the reality and researched-based version but the version Americans would assume. After all, the world of RIPPERLAND isn’t accurate to Victorian England, it’s a stereotypical version played up for the theme park’s audience—the USA. 

JHD: I was big into the Ripper killings as a kid, so I’ve read loads about them. No one will ever solve the mystery. The murders may well not even be the work of one person, but reading about it provides a kind of holographic entry point to explore one of British history’s most fascinating periods. The killings and how they were executed and investigated reveals so much socially and politically about the Victorian era. Jack the Ripper was really a tabloid newspaper confection, the first serial killer superstar, manufactured to sell papers. The fact that the Ripper appeared in this period, during the first big wave of industrialization and the ensuing mass migration into cities is significant. People were uprooted from their local communities and isolated, made to do dehumanizing work in inhuman conditions. It was the birth of urban living, with all its attendant miracles and horrors. That’s why Jack the Ripper remains such a potent symbol. He’s the dark side of the modern man.

What can you tell us about 2188's Victorian-era London? Aside from the murders, is it a place we'd want to visit?

SO: We hinted at this above, but 2188’s London is not wholly historically accurate—it’s a vision of the time through the lens of how Americans see English culture. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone is Dick Van Dyke in MARY POPPINS. But it means certain aspects are played up, exaggerated, or emboldened. The seedy underbellies get seedier, the jargon gets thicker, and every English citizen working as an actor (which is everyone in the country—it’s the only job that exists), is probably taking the longest drag in the world off their cigs when they go ff shift. It’s an entire nation reworked as an immersive, heightened Victorian experience. 

JHD: Depends what kind of a tourist you are. Would you like to have trawled the opium dens of 1920s Shanghai? Or the jazz clubs of the Harlem Renaissance? Then you’ll love our London! Social unrest and discontent often spawn the most vital nightlife and culture. This futuristic London also offers its (mostly American) visitors the novelty of no technology, and the anonymity that brings. Then there’s the “delights” of an impoverished and desperate populace to prey upon. But the old city has somehow retained its dignity; a beauty remains under the flaking face-paint and gaudy rouge. It’s sleazy and compelling.

How has your collaboration been with Alessandro Oliveri to bring this world to life?

SO: Alessandro made this book what it is—made it a reality. Now, of course, that’s always true about any artistic collaborator. But here, it means more. His vision for the world, and for our leads, reverberated in a way that helped us get to know these characters better. Once he came on, the story began feeding itself in the best kind of ouroboric fashion.

JHD: He’s very impressive. Alessandro brings boundless enthusiasm and an enormous imagination and rigor to the table. He’s blown us both away with his attention to detail and the scope of his meticulous world-building. He’s one thousand percent invested in Ripperland, and it’s so exciting to see a talent like this manifesting on the page.

What can you tell us about the characters responsible for catching this new Jack The Ripper? 

SO: Fogg and Holden are working together across a massive divide, both literal and cultural. Holden is a tarnished FBI agent looking to polish his reputation. He considers himself a real professional. Fogg has lived in England his entire life. He plays the role of a policeman—but when everyone’s method acting all the time, is there any difference between acting like he’s police and being police? Due to the realities of their homes, Fogg and Holden have very different styles—Holden lives in the modern world, whereas Fogg has only Victorian-era technology at his disposal. As such, Fogg has learned to be more of a deductive type, analyzing, using human contacts, working very hands-on. Holden is used to high-tech CSI information and data. The meeting of the two in the middle of these realities is, really, the only thing that can stem the carnage in the UK.

JHD: American Special Agent Jesse Holden and British Police Detective Edwin Fogg are both flawed characters, unsure of what it is they’re looking for. The irony is that by being plunged into this life-threating situation, they’re offered an opportunity to live in an entirely different way, a better way. Both are honorable men trying to do the right thing in a corrupt world. Steve and I had such fun playing with British and American stereotypes here, from language to behavioral cliches. I hope our readers enjoy Jesse and Edwin’s interplay as much as we enjoyed writing it.

Can you give our readers a tease of what they can expect over the 4-issue series?

SO: Blood and elegance, the perfect combo! This really is FROM HELL meets WESTWORLD—expect a touch of satire, a touch of violence, and a touch of speculative fiction. But what we’ve also got beneath the flash, style, and gorgeous art is the story of two people bridging a massive divide to rustle up a bit of justice.

JHD: They can expect to be immersed in a world that’s as alluring as it is terrifying. There’s thrills and gore aplenty, and at the center of it all, when you wipe away the blood, a heart. I’m going to miss spending time with Jesse and Edwin – until next time!

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A whodunnit in a city trapped in its own past

Dark Horse Comics presents a new horror comic series called Ripperland, which finds gore spatters and unlikely romance blossoming in a future Victorian London. This series is co-written by Steve Orlando (Martian Manhunter, Marauders) and John Harris Dunning (Summer Shadows, Wiper), with art and cover art by Alessandro Oliveri, colors by Francesca Vivaldi (Bettie Page), and letters by Fabio Amelia (Assassin's Creed).

The year is 2188, and Jack the Ripper has returned to London. For the last century, a shattered post-Brexit England has operated as a massive Victorian theme park in exchange for American military and financial protection. But when an American mogul’s grandson is killed in the heart of London, the delicate status quo is threatened.

Is the killer a brilliant maniac? Americans taking advantage of their superior technology? Or the English Underground Resistance, wishing to throw off the yoke of American oppression and re-join the modern world? American Special Agent Jesse Holden and local British Police Detective Edwin Fogg must overcome their clashing ideologies in order to find the truth in the foggy streets of 22nd Century London.