The talented team at Oni Press recently resurrected EC Comics after nearly seven decades with the debut issue of Epitaphs from the Abyss, and they're continuing to breathe new life into the iconic EC Comics name with the recent publication of Cruel Universe #1, the first issue of a new cosmic horror series featuring “The Champion” by Matt Kindt & Kano, “Solo Shift” by Corinna Bechko & Caitlin Yarsky, “Drink Up!” by Chris Condon & Jonathan Case, and “Priceless” by Ben H. Winters & Artyom Topilin.
To celebrate the release of Cruel Universe #1, Daily Dead recently caught up with writer Corinna Bechko to discuss her story "Solo Shift," including teaming up with artist Caitlin Yarsky to bring the story's claustrophobic scares to life, working with Oni Press editor-in-chief Sierra Hahn, and her excitement for her new graphic novel The Space Between, which she created with artist Danny Luckert.
You can read our full Q&A with Corinna below, be sure to check out our previous Q&As with Ben H. Winters and J. Holtham, and in case you missed it, we exclusively revealed the covers and creative teams for Epitaphs from the Abyss #5 and Cruel Universe #4!
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us, Corinna, and congratulations on your story in Cruel Universe #1, the new cosmic sci-fi horror series from Oni Press’ exciting resurrection of EC Comics. How did the opportunity to take part in this historic first issue of Cruel Universe come about?
Corinna Bechko: Thank you! My EC Comics editor Sierra Hahn had worked with me on my new OGN The Space Between in the early stages, so she knew about my great love of horror and science fiction. She’s absolutely stellar at her job (and as a human) so I jumped at the chance to work with her again on such an epic rebirth.
What can you tell us about your Cruel Universe story “Solo Shift,” and what has it been like to see your prose paired with the amazing artwork by Caitlin Yarsky?
Corinna Bechko: It’s a wicked tale combining a locked room mystery with the tendency to keep making the same mistakes. After all, you can’t get away from yourself no matter how far you travel, even in space. Fortunately, Caitlin understood this and concocted a heaping helping of claustrophobic dread that ramps up the tension in every scene. In short pieces like this it’s important to make the most of every panel and that’s exactly what she masterfully does.
Were you a fan of EC Comics before working on Cruel Universe? Do you have any favorite memories of reading EC Comics?
Corinna Bechko: I was! I always admired how many twists those short tales could engineer in just a couple of pages. Not to mention the audacity of so many of them! My favorite memory was reading a dusty reprint in St. Mark’s Comics long, long ago when the shop was still on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Somehow that was the perfect setting.
Do you have ideas for future EC Comics stories that you’d love to tell if given the opportunity?
Corinna Bechko: I certainly do! I love both the format and the genre. These are the kinds of stories I’d write even if no one was reading them.
With the first issue of Cruel Universe out now, what other projects do you have coming up that you can tease for our readers?
Corinna Bechko: I’m really excited for folks to see my new OGN The Space Between, created with artist Danny Luckert. It’s a sci-fi story set on a generation ship as each generation experiences a new revolution and romance. Creating it was a true labor of love and I hope folks will check it out. Especially if you’ve ever wondered about the viability of cats, chickens, or geckos in space.
Thank you very much for your time, Corinna!
Corinna Bechko: Thank you, and thanks for reading!
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From the Press Release: "Following in the blood-stained footsteps of EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1, CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 welcomes cosmic annihilation August 7th with four bizarre tales of time and space, packed with strange extraterrestrial entities, malevolent scientists, and terrifying technological catastrophes: “THE CHAMPION” by Matt Kindt & Kano, “SOLO SHIFT” by Corinna Bechko & Caitlin Yarsky, “DRINK UP!” by Chris Condon & Jonathan Case, “PRICELESS” by Ben H. Winters & Artyom Topilin"
Cover by Greg Smallwood
Cover by J.H. Williams III:
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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