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    GVN Talking Comics Interview Creator Nick Cagnetti For Oni Press ‘Spirit of the Shadows’

    Promotional graphic for a "Talking Comics Interview" with creator Nick Cagnetti about Oni Press's "Spirit of the Shadows," featuring comic art and a headshot of Cagnetti.

    Back in July of 2023, we had the pleasure of speaking to talented comic creator Nick Cagnetti. This was for his signature book, Pink Lemonade. A series that spoke to me with reflections of an earlier age of comics. “With vestiges of Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, and a Golden Age comic vibe. When comic characters were virtuous and strived for the betterment of society and the world at large.”

    His latest series carries on this legacy with “Spirit of the Shadows” released by Oni Press.

    Once, Erik Leroux was a mortal musician, selflessly devoted to his music and his true love, Katrina . . . until his sudden death plunged his soul into the carnival-like torments of the Spirit World beyond our own. Now, reborn as a phantom with fleeting memories of his life among the living, and forever cursed to bear the arcane costume his corpse wore to the grave, Erik will claw his way back from the infernal planes to uncover the mysteries of his own life . . . and avenge the dark sins that transformed him into the SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS!

    In advance of the release of this exciting and vibrant new series, we caught up again with Nick to discuss his past work (including Pink Lemonade) and his current endeavor with co-creator Daniel Ziegler. So, let’s welcome back Nick Cagnetti to GVN Talking Comics.

    Inspiration for Spirit of the Shadows

    GVN: Thank you again for visiting with us today, Nick. It has been a while since we last spoke (2023 to be exact) about the TPB edition of Pink Lemonade. Now, you are teaming with co-writer Daniel Ziegler and Oni Press for the five-issue series Spirit of the Shadows. What initially inspired Daniel and your concept for Spirit of the Shadows, and how did the idea evolve from its origins to the final series?

    NICK: Spirit of the Shadows has a crazy history for Daniel and I. It started as a short film concept he had in college before we turned into a comic and then a live-action short film, and then he kept refining the concepts further in the years following. When I was finishing up Pink Lemonade we really started talking about what a new Spirit comic would look like after we’d both grown in our crafts. Pretty quickly we found the big hooks that made it fresh for us! The character’s always been classic monster-adjacent, but we pushed more into supernatural, somewhat superheroic territory. We were very aware that this would be the world-at-large being introduced to the character for the first time so we wanted to make it unforgettable!

    Influences of Pink Lemonade of this Series

    GVN: I was a big fan of your aforementioned series, Pink Lemonade, especially the artwork. How did your experiences working on that book influence the artistic style and perhaps your visual storytelling choices in Spirit of the Shadows?

    NICK: Pink Lemonade really opened me up to the point where I feel like I could tackle the next project with more confidence in my approach. Like some things in Pink Lemonade artistically were just figured out as I went along, but for this, all the changing styles and techniques were baked into the story even tighter. I think the storytelling choices should be really clear and engaging for people.

    Working Process with Daniel Ziegler

    GVN: This is not your first rodeo working with Daniel. Can you describe your collaboration process with co-writer Daniel Ziegler—how do you approach plot, character development, and world-building together, and has it become easier as you have grown used to each other’s methods?

    NICK: Oh yeah, we’ve worked together on so much over the years! Including that earlier iteration of Spirit of the Shadows as a comic I mentioned prior. I think things like that really led to us having a laser focus on what we wanted to do with this book. We were talking through all the elements from start to finish. Daniel worked with sticky notes and meticulously scripted out the whole thing and we’d keep fine-tuning even from there.

    Comic book cover of "Spirit of the Shadows No. 1" featuring a ghostly figure in a top hat and suit playing a violin, surrounded by green energy, with the creators' names at the bottom.

    A comic page shows a woman and man reuniting in a surreal, colorful landscape. They embrace and kiss, but two angry figures interrupt as one yells "Not so fast!. A colorful comic book scene shows a grinning skeletal character in a checkered suit and hat, surrounded by swirling energy and shocked onlookers. A skeletal figure in a hat and cape introduces himself as Dandori to a frightened man in a psychedelic, colorful landscape, discussing costume choices and the concept of death. A bearded man in a hat visits a graveyard, mourns by a grave, notices wanted and missing person posters, and walks through a city street at night. A man in a top hat enters a gated path toward a large, eerie mansion labeled “Crescent Manor” at night; a sign reads, “Beware the spirit of the shadows.”. A comic page shows a masked figure in a top hat reading a book as energy swirls; surreal events unfold, leading to a vision of people behind glass and a talking cartoonish robot. A comic book page shows Lord Albert Tremain at a party speaking to a woman in a blue dress, with guests socializing in the background. Comic page showing a dramatic conversation between several people; a musical motif, emotions, and a supernatural event with a piano smashing through a wall are depicted. A costumed figure tries to retrieve a pizza box from a large, monstrous creature, who growls and rips the box apart amid a chaotic, colorful background. A comic book scene featuring a caped figure in a white hat and mask walking through a surreal, colorful landscape, holding a red book and speaking wistfully about someone named Katrina.

    Combining Contrasting Genres

    GVN: Spirit of the Shadows combines superhero elements with horror and supernatural themes, which seem to fit your interests perfectly. As you develop the story and the art, how do you balance the contrasting elements of these two genres both visually and narratively?

    NICK: I think some of it is as simple as leaning into the idiosyncrasies because it ends up just making for an interesting blend. Part of the fun to me is making things that feel unexpected and just not typically what you’d associate from just hearing about the thing or from what people are used to from certain genres.

    Working with Oni Press

    GVN: What was it like working with Oni Press again? Were they the only publisher you pitched Spirit of the Shadows to, and how did their editorial support shape the development of the project?

    NICK: We didn’t really pitch it to anywhere else, it was something just from quick conversations they were already on board with and excited about so that just made sense to us. They get what we’re doing and that’s a great spot to be when they just try to facilitate what we’re going for.

    Possible Expansions for Spirit of the Shadows

    GVN: If Spirit of the Shadows is as well-received as I believe it might be, do you have any ideas to extend the story, or was it designed to be a self-contained saga in those five issues?

    NICK: Our intention was to craft a really satisfying and comprehensive five issue saga where you can re-read it and get totally different meanings out of it the next time. Just something really neat and tidy! But by the end of it there most certainly is room for more stories in the world that can make it take different shapes.

    Future Projects

    GVN: Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your day, Nick. Before we wrap up, I’d like to give you the opportunity to tell our readers more about “Spirit of the Shadows” and any other upcoming projects you have in the pipeline.

    NICK: It’s a book that balances zany things like a ghost guy blasting monsters with musical notes from his ghost violin while also being a deep emotional journey! I’ve got a cool new short story in the works with Zack Quaintance returning to our Responsibili-Teen character. Beyond that, some big top secret stuff in the works!

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