Writer Joshua Viola came to love the horror genre at an early age. But the problem was that Joshua could both draw and write. This led him to a career in art direction for video game publishers before he went full time into writing. Since then, he has established Hex Publishers and has worked with such talents as Bram Stoker Award winner Stephen Graham Jones. In fact. his recent book is a collaboration with Stephen entitled True Believer. This three-part tale focuses on how devoted fans fervently embrace a new character called Killr™. To celebrate their allegiance to this new horror character, they honor their fandom at the Colorado Festival of Horror with enthusiastic cosplay. And for someone, enthusiastic killing. Such is the world of True Believer.
Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with the multi-talented writer/artist to discuss his beginnings, his love of horror and his recent book True Believer, which is starting its Kickstarter campaign. So, let’s welcome Joshua Viola to GVN Talking Comics.
Horror Beginnings
GVN: Thank you for sharing a bit of your time with us Joshua. Since this is the first opportunity we have had to chat, let’s start with a bit of your beginnings. When did you take an interest in writing and when did you decide that horror was the genre that you wanted to embrace?
Joshua: Thanks for having me! I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, with a specific interest in storytelling around the 5th or 6th grade. During that time, I spent a lot of time crafting sequels to my favorite movies like Jurassic Park and Aliens. My attraction to horror was apparent from an early age. Growing up in a conservative family where most TV and movies were restricted only made it more enticing. My grandmother, who was pretty hip, introduced me to Ghostbusters, and I was hooked. It’s interesting to think that all these years later, I’d be writing a meta horror comic series with Stephen Graham Jones about slashers, cosplay, and fan conventions. Wild.
Art VS Writing
GVN: You have expanded your repertoire into not only writing and editing but also as an artist for video games and comic cover art. I have spoken to many writers whose first ambition was to be an artist. Was this the case for you or was writing your first love?
Joshua: For me, art and prose have always been intertwined. I’ve been doing both for as long as I can remember, crafting stories and illustrating them simultaneously. I began writing professionally around 2011, but my art career predates that pretty significantly. My first degree is in animation, and I’ve served as an art director for videogame companies. I was also a college instructor, teaching game art and design. After I met my husband, Aaron Lovett (I was his art director at the time), I started to reshape my process. His work was so good, it made sense to join forces. Ever since, I’ve shifted my focus more towards writing and publishing, while he contributes the art.
Awards
GVN: Sounds like a great match. Your writing has been recognized with many awards including the Colorado Book Awards, USA Best Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, International Book Awards, and Independent Publishers Book Awards. When you started, did you expect your work to be so readily accepted by both fans and critics or did you not have such lofty ambitions in the beginning? (You have certainly made a name for yourself in the genre.)
Joshua: I appreciate that, but I’m no Stephen Graham Jones, that’s for sure. How cool would it be to achieve his level of success? Thankfully he’s cool with working with me!
Winning awards and receiving positive reviews are certainly gratifying though, making all the effort worthwhile. However, I’ve also experienced my fair share of award losses and negative reviews. That’s part of the journey, and definitely not a bad thing. It’s crucial to listen to all perspectives and use what you’ve learned to (hopefully) enhance the next project. I just hope there are always a few people who find enjoyment in my projects. The most rewarding thing, without a doubt, is connecting with readers who have had an emotional response to my work.
True Believers
GVN: Your latest book True Believers is a three-issue mini-series that you co-wrote with Bram Stoker Award-winner Stephen Graham Jones with art by Ben Matsuya. A dark and grisly tale set at the actual Colorado Festival of Horror, taking advantage of the energy and ambiance that such conventions radiate. What inspired this story and how did your collaboration with Stephen come about?
Joshua: I’ve been involved in conventions for as long as I’ve been writing and creating art, so I’m intimately acquainted with that world. Being a writer and publisher, particularly in the horror genre, I thought it would be intriguing to weave a story within the convention setting. Given my recent focus on comics, I wanted to delve into a slasher series centered around cosplay and fandom in this medium. Since I’m a regular at the Colorado Festival of Horror, and friends with the founders, it felt natural to take a meta-approach and establish a comic within that backdrop.
Stephen and I are friends and have collaborated for nearly a decade now. I’ve published many of his stories and his experimental one-off comic, My Hero. When I presented the rough concept for True Believers–a tale about a cosplayer so consumed by a character that they believe themselves to be the ultimate authority, with dire consequences–Stephen was enthusiastic and immediately expanded upon the idea. That’s when our slasher antagonist, Killr™, was born.
Artist Ben Matsuya
GVN: I had mentioned your artist, Ben Matsuya. Just judging from the initial preview, he did a great job on the book. How did you and Stephen get connected to this talented artist for this project and how much communication did you have with Ben during the creation process?
Joshua: Ben is an incredibly talented artist, and we’re fortunate to have him on board for this project. I initially discovered him online and brought him on to collaborate on the tie-in comics for the Unioverse videogame franchise I was co-writing with Angie Hodapp for Random Games. After wrapping that project, it was clear to me that Ben was the perfect fit for True Believers.
Ben and I are pretty much in constant contact through Slack and text (he’s based in Los Angeles, while Stephen and I are in Denver). Stephen participated in Zoom sessions and has exchanged emails with Ben. One exciting aspect of setting True Believers at the Colorado Festival of Horror is that we will all be coming together there from September 15-17. It’ll be great to finally meet Ben in person. We’ll be at the True Believers booth, promoting the project. If you’re in town then, drop by, say hello, and snap a photo with Killr™!
Kickstarter Campaign
GVN: That is so cool. I wish that were possible for me. But your fans will love it. You will also be bringing this series soon to a Kickstarter campaign. From what I have seen you are offering backers an exciting and eclectic choice of goodies to choose from, including a CD/ digital soundtrack for TRUE BELIEVERS, which is something different. How did you decide what to include on this soundtrack?
Joshua: My writing journey has included multiple collaborative ventures in the realm of music. One standout partnership has been with Klayton (Celldweller/Scandroid/Circle of Dust). Our relationship runs deep; his label published my debut novel, The Bane of Yoto, and we used his tracks for the accompanying comic app. He later hired me to pen a novel inspired by his discography. During that creative process, he scored an original album to accompany the book.
After I launched Hex Publishers, I acquired licenses for his music and other artists on his label for the soundtracks of books like Cyber World: Tales of Humanity’s Tomorrow and the Denver Moon series. When the notion of bringing True Believers to Kickstarter emerged, I knew another soundtrack was in order. While I was working on True Believers, I was listening to some of Klayton’s horror-inspired tracks to get me in the mood. This prompted me to reach out to him once again and license music for the comic, which includes an array of horror-themed covers like “Cry Little Sister” from The Lost Boys, the iconic Halloween theme, and Michael Jackson’s legendary “Thriller,” among others. And we’ve got other great artists like PYLOT, Cantervice, Young Medicine, and Essenger. There’s also an original track by The All Things.
Upcoming Projects
GVN: I can’t imagine that offering not being highly coveted. Not to mention the latex mask you are creating for the campaign. It all looks so cool. Thank you again for your time, Joshua. Before I let you go, I want to give you the chance to promote any other projects you might have in the future, either elsewhere or from your publishing house at Hex Publishers.
Joshua: Thanks again for having me! This was fun.
Next year is shaping up to be quite busy, though I can’t divulge too many details at the moment. On the cryptic side of things, there’s a novella that I co-authored with Shirley Jackson Award nominee Sean Eads, set to be released by a respected horror publisher. Additionally, Sean and I have a collection of short stories coming out from another esteemed horror publisher, with a foreword by Stephen and an afterword by USA Today bestseller Carter Wilson. Alongside Sean and Ben, we’re also collaborating on another horror comic series as a tie-in for a well-known haunted attraction. It also looks like I’ll be publishing another comic book videogame tie-in for a new shooter franchise. Hopefully I’ll be able to share more about all of that soon.
As for a project I can elaborate on a bit more, there’s another collaboration with Klayton in the works. This time around, he hired me (and Sean) to craft a cyberpunk novella inspired by his Scandroid discography. He recently released the first single related to it, titled “Waste My Time,” which you can listen to here. It’s amazing.
That is awesome and we appreciate the link. Be sure to check out the Kickstarter for True Believers, which you can find here. This looks (and sounds) like it will be an exciting campaign, and the story for True Believers starts with a bang…or a SLASH!
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.