In September, Double Take will unleash ten premiere issues of ten separate series within their Ultimate Night of the Living Dead comic book universe. To give readers an idea of what to expect upon re-entering the world of George A. Romero's classic film, we caught up with Double Take's Bill Jemas, who discussed expanding Romero's world, familiar faces that may pop up, and much more.
What inspired Double Take to further explore the world of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead with ten new comic book series?
Bill Jemas: The original 1968 film is in the public domain and rife with possibilities for exploration. The scene is set, the characters well-developed and the opportunity was just too good. We tried several other universes and when we landed here, finally, all the artists' work started coming together. There is something about the film that people get behind.
Will the setting for all ten series be rural Pennsylvania in the late 1960s, or will we see zombies invade new regions and time periods?
Bill Jemas: For these first 10 stories we stay firmly in rural western Pennsylvania and we may drift outward as the universe progresses. Stay tuned!
From police officers to the nuclear family unit to a stranded radio DJ, these new Ultimate NOTLD series look at the zombie uprising through the eyes of a wide range of eclectic characters. You have ten series set in the same universe. How much (if at all) can readers expect these characters to intersect?
Bill Jemas: That’s part of the fun of a collective universe. There will be crossover, and part of the trick is making sure you don’t have the same person in a few different places at the same time. Look out for the easter eggs.
What have been the most difficult and most rewarding parts of creating new stories in Romero’s beloved NOTLD universe?
Bill Jemas: The same answer for both—maintaining the vision of the film while expanding the universe. It’s a real challenge, but things have come together nicely
All ten series seem to take place in the early stages of the zombie uprising. Do all of the stories begin around the same time—right before the living dead threat bares its teeth for the first time?
Bill Jemas: We’ve been meticulous about timelines with the books. Right down to date and time stamping the pages. The first books all take place over the first few days of the uprising and as we move into the 2nd, 3rd and 4th books we move forward in time.
In terms of style and storytelling, in what ways did the 2T team set out to make each series both similar and different from one another?
Bill Jemas: That’s interesting, the stories we are telling are all true stories. We are taking our background story of a zombie invasion and infusing them with a true-story soundtrack. Many of our writers are from The Moth Radio Hour—an NPR show and top 10 podcast. These are award-winning oral story tellers that are giving voice to our characters and make them far more relatable. The perspective of the individual books makes them inherently different. Barbara’s perspective is far different than that of Dr. Grimes.
Soul follows Ben—another character from Romero’s film—after he’s shot in the head. What was your team’s experience breathing new life into this iconic character and what can readers look forward to seeing in Ben’s continued storyline?
Bill Jemas: Ben’s story is unique. I can’t spoil the fun, but it is one of my favorite concepts we are setting out on.
Will any of the Ultimate NOTLD series follow any of the other original characters in addition to Ben, Barbara, and Johnny?
Bill Jemas: As I alluded to, Dr. Grimes—a relative bit part in the film—has his own book, Slab, and we see Chief McClelland show up in both Soul and Honor. Other characters show up across multiple books as well.
The news media was an important element of the original NOTLD. What role will the media and spread of information (in a pre-Internet era) have in 2T’s Ultimate NOTLD series?
Bill Jemas: We have a concept we like to refer to as “Jets, Pets and TV Sets” that allows the reader to experience the world the same way our characters do. Radios and TVs are shown consistently through the books so the reader has all the information the character does. Lots of easter eggs to look out for.
There’s some fun comedy mixed in with the living dead mayhem, particularly in the respective first issues of Remote and Rise. Overall, what tone did your team strive to incorporate in these stories?
Bill Jemas: We wanted to create a realistic tone, and people are funny, even in times of great stress and fear. Plus, it’s comics, after all. They don’t call them “The Funny Pages” for no reason!
The first issues of all ten series are slated for a September 16th release and I understand that all of the series are set to be ongoing. About how many issues are currently planned out for each series and how often can we expect to see new issues released after the first batch?
Bill Jemas: We have plans for at least 6 issues each and most, if not all will be ongoing.
Will we see things from the zombies’ points of view in any of these series or future Ultimate NOTLD projects?
Bill Jemas: That’s a very interesting question. It’s also one I can’t answer. ☺
How did your time at Marvel impact how you’ve approached launching Double Take with this ambitious Kickstarter?
Bill Jemas: Well, the Kickstarter is being used largely as a pre-sales tool and a way to get the word out about our books. We won’t be reprinting any of the 1st issues and that’s a fun way to make the books collectible. My time at Marvel showed me just how much untapped creative talent there is in comics and how important it is to harness that.
What would you tell diehard NOTLD fans who are hesitant to read these new takes on Romero’s living dead world?
Bill Jemas: There has never been an attempt to expand the world created in that film to such an exponential degree. We take the groundwork and create a true universe.
You’ve hinted that 2T will release a new set of first issues in 2016 and that they will also take place in the NOTLD universe. Can you give a little tease of the characters and situations those comics could explore?
Bill Jemas: Same universe, for sure. Stay tuned!
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To learn more and read preview pages from select issues of Ultimate Night of the Living Dead, visit:
You can also learn more about Double Take's Ultimate Night of the Living Dead by visiting:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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