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    GVN Talking Comics Interview: Ben H. Winters For The Oni Press Hardcover Edition of ‘Benjamin’

    A promo image for a GMN interview with writer Ben H. Winters features the "Benjamin" book cover, a photo of Winters, and artwork from the book on a starry background.

    Ben H. Winters has a knack for stories that get under your skin in the best possible way, and the new hardcover edition of Benjamin puts that unease front and center. It’s a sharp, unsettling character study wrapped in Winters’ trademark blend of tension, empathy, and off‑kilter humor—now packaged for readers who want the definitive version on their shelf.

    We caught up with Ben to dig into why Benjamin still hits so hard, what it’s like revisiting a story built on moral gray zones, and how he crafts narratives that linger long after you close the book.

    Making Deals with the Devil

    GVN: Thanks once again for spending some time with us, Ben. We last talked in May of last year about, coincidentally enough, Benjamin. It was that interview that you graced me with one of my favorite answers to a question when referring to how “Benjamin” came about… “I met Oni Publisher Hunter Gorinson at a crossroads at midnight on a full moon night, and he offered me the opportunity to write a three-issue prestige series in exchange for my immortal soul. I said I would need to talk it over with my lawyer, but he said there was no time for that.” Now that some time has passed, did you get the best of that deal?

    BW: I mean it’s hard to say. On the one hand, the comic turned out so well, and now the hardcover edition has come out it’s clear that Hunter and his team do incredible work and I’m lucky to be working with them. On the other hand, when the Day of Judgement arrives and my eternal soul is sent to the fiery pits, and I spend all eternity roasting and trembling in awe at my own immortal damnation, I might have to re-evaluate.

    Readers’ Takeaway from Benjamin

    GVN: As you created this saga, what central questions about identity, morality, or society were you hoping readers would wrestle with, or did YOU wrestle with?

    BW: Well, one can’t really get into all that without sounding sort of pretentious, and also kinda taking away from the main point of the thing, which is that it’s a fun and funny mystery-adventure story, ya know?

    Character Evolution

    GVN: As you developed the storyline, which character changed the most from your early drafts to the final version?

    BW: What a fun question! The scientist, Dr. Tyra Midlamb, who we meet in the second issue, out in the desert—she definitely was originally imagined as a man, Dr. Tyler Midlamb. I can’t recall exactly why that changed, maybe because I said to myself at some point, boy, this story has a lot of dudes in it. I’m glad, because she’s one of my favorite characters.

    A colorful cosmic scene with swirling stars and nebulae, several speech bubbles with dialogue, and large yellow sound effects reading "SHRICK-SHRICK BUZZZZ.

    A man wakes up startled in bed at night, rattled by a buzzing sound and loud knocking, with swirling, distorted visions surrounding his thoughts.

    A man with a reddish beard anxiously looks at his reflection in a cracked mirror as loud onomatopoeic words like "POUND," "SHRICK-SHRICK," "DYING," and "CREAK" appear around him.

    A man in a cowboy hat and tank top bursts into a room, followed by two people. He angrily addresses a green-skinned man who stands by an easel painting.

    A bearded man confronts another man outside and inside an "Astro Lodge Motel," expressing frustration and demanding respect in a tense conversation. A man stands on a sidewalk with a jacket in hand, looking up. Another person jogs nearby. Bold text reads "BENJAMIN" at the bottom of the image. A man in a FF! OFF! hat argues with another man over a device, then hits him with a skateboard, breaking it, while both stand outside by bushes and a fence. A man with a bloody face lies on the ground speaking as two people in suits stand nearby discussing his condition and evidence, with a cityscape in the background. Three men sit in a diner booth, talking over plates of food and coffee. One man pours coffee, another gestures while explaining, and a third listens intently. Two men sit in a diner talking; one gestures while the other listens. Later, one man shakes hands with a third person arriving at the booth. A woman and girl leave the diner in the background.

    Capturing Himself in Benjamin

    GVN: The main character, Benjamin, is a complex protagonist. The most challenging aspect of writing him was capturing his multifaceted nature. Do you see parts of yourself in any of the characters, or are they intentionally distanced from your own experiences?

    BW: I think most authors will tell you there’s some part of them in all of their characters. I don’t know if that’s true or not but there is DEFINITELY plenty of me in Benjamin. And not just his name. Just for starters, I, too, am a cranky middle aged man trying to figure out my purpose in life, and trying to balance my burning desire to make great art with the basic human drive to live a life worth living. If it’s working for either of us, I suppose only time will tell.

    Interpretations of the Story

    GVN: When it comes to readers’ reactions to Benjamin, have they interpreted the book in ways you didn’t expect? And what’s the most meaningful response you’ve received so far?

    BW: I am pleased with how many people find the book to be legitimately moving, or psychologically rich. Obviously I WANT it to be, and I THINK that it is, but I sort of thought it would be mostly received as a goofy romp, kind of a sci-fi Big Lebowski. I am honored every time someone is like, whoa, this made me think.

    Future Projects

    GVN: Thank you again, Ben. Before we conclude, I’d like you to share any upcoming projects you have.

    BW: Aw, thanks. I am working on a new comic series, called THE EGO KNIFE, that is NOT a sequel to BENJAMIN except that in some ways, metaphysically perhaps, it is a sequel to BENJAMIN. And I’m busy with the Hollywood stuff, writing a pilot for Amazon I’d love to see make it to air, so knock on wood for me if you’re near some.

    Oni Press’s Hardcover Edition of Ben H. Winters “Benjamin” comes to book stores on March 10th.

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