Built on a foundation of successful and highly collectible soundtrack reissues, the debut issue from Waxwork Records’ House of Waxwork comic book series has quickly established itself as one of the most sought-after treats this Halloween season. A showcase of paperback scares, movie poster aesthetics, and a devilish “host” character (The Die-Rector), House of Waxwork oozes with nostalgic nods to both EC Comics and VHS horror. Waxwork also carves out a niche selling point for themselves by pairing up the comic with an original 7-inch soundtrack which will both immerse and entertain the reader. With issue one out now in both stores and online, Daily Dead caught up with Kevin Bergeron, co-owner of Waxwork Records, to chat about the past, present, and future of the Waxwork comic brand.
After establishing Waxwork as one of the premier soundtrack record labels, what made you want to branch off into comics? Was this always your intention?
Kevin Bergeron: To be honest, when we started Waxwork in 2013, we never thought that we would venture into the world of publishing. From the beginning, it was crucial that we set ourselves apart , and I believe we did that. But, there was always this need to try and do something that no one else was doing. Then, on a trip to Seattle in 2015, the idea of a comic paired with a soundtrack on vinyl to the stories literally just hit me and I couldn’t let it go. It seemed like such a natural extension to what we were already doing and when we got back to New Orleans, we started working on it immediately.
What influences helped shape House of Waxwork?
Kevin Bergeron: We definitely looked to the classic horror anthology series such as The Vault of Horror and the old Creepy comics, although it was important that we didn’t emulate that style. We wanted House of Waxwork to feel modern like our vinyl reissues. Influences of ours are definitely Bernie Wrightson and Alan Moore, and with regard to contemporary illustrators working today, Francesco Francavilla is in a league of his own.
With House of Waxwork showcasing the work of some of the best in the industry, how did you go about choosing the right artists and writers for the project?
Kevin Bergeron: Because of the record label, we were lucky that we knew writers and artists that we wanted to work with. People also dig this idea of the comic with the music, so we have a lot of creatives reaching out who want to contribute. Donny Cates, who’s been doing a lot of great stuff lately, has a story in House of Waxwork Issue 2. There is no shortage of talent out there.
Does Waxwork have direct input in regards to concepts and story ideas?
Kevin Bergeron: To an extent, definitely more so with House of Waxwork than on Poser, which is a new creator-owned series we’re doing by Matt Miner and Clay McCormack. For the most part, if we like a pitch and decide to move forward, then we kind of stay out of the way.
You briefly made mention of the accompanying music. Can you talk about the process behind the creation of the read-along 7-inch? Did you have musicians in mind?
Kevin Bergeron: I knew that I wanted the accompanying 7” EP from the start. The idea for the original anthology was to have stories based off of licensed properties with tracks from the film score on the EP. Suzy, my partner and Waxwork co-owner, really wanted to do original stories with original music so that’s the risk we took. I come from a musical background, so this was an opportunity for me to make music again. Rami Sharkey and I wrote the House of Waxwork theme song. We’ve worked with a group of really talented artists such as Douglas Pipes, Sean Yseult, Jonathan Snipes, and Creeper. Essentially, they read the stories and get to work making music.
Will the read-along record be a trademark of all future Waxwork comic releases?
Kevin Bergeron: Yeah, right now the only thing in the works are books with accompanying soundtracks.
Besides the upcoming Poser release and more issues of House of Waxwork, what does the future hold for Waxwork Comics?
Kevin Bergeron: Right now we want to focus on creating original content. We’ve also tossed around the idea of developing a series for kids.
---------
Peace to Kevin Bergeron for taking the time to talk with us. House of Waxwork is available now through Waxwork Records.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
