Oni Press ‘ESTUARY: A GHOST STORY #1’
Every so often, a comic comes along that doesn’t just tell a ghost story—it lingers like one. ESTUARY: A GHOST STORY #1 is that kind of book. With its eerie Southern Gothic atmosphere, emotional undercurrents, and a sense of dread that seeps in like rising tidewater, writers D.B. Andry and Tim Daniel craft a haunting debut that feels both intimate and mythic.
Oni Press has long been known for its bold, character‑driven genre books, and Estuary fits right into that lineage. It’s a story about grief, memory, and the things we carry with us long after they should have let us go. The team of Andry, Daniel, and Mann House creates an unmistakable voice and ominous vision—quietly unsettling, deeply human, and impossible to shake.
Today, we’re thrilled to sit down with D.B. Andry to talk about the origins of Estuary, the ghosts that shaped it, and the emotional truths lurking beneath its supernatural surface.
Let’s wade in.
Storytelling Beginnings
GVN: Thank you for sharing a bit of your day, David. Since this is our first opportunity to visit, let’s start with your creative beginnings. When you look back at your earliest creative impulses, what were the first stories or images that made you think, “I want to make something like this”?
D.B. I think my earliest stories came from long Wednesday and Sunday mornings, sitting in church and daydreaming. Especially for Estuary, being raised Catholic and having to go to church twice a week, gave me plenty of opportunity to think about religion, spirits, the supernatural, and bend them into my own ideas and stories. Estuary is that ghost story I wanted to tell when sitting around a fire when camping, something to scare my sister, something that people would ask: “That’s not real, is it?”
Emotional Undercurrents
GVN: You’ve spoken before about the emotional undercurrents in your work. Do you feel those instincts were present even in your earliest attempts at storytelling, or did they develop as both you and your writing matured?
D.B. Well, my very first comic script, which became my first self published comic, was a relationship drama. No horror, no sci-fi, just a very personal, emotional story between two people. So I always try to keep that level of grounded, emotional connection no matter how high concept the story is. I think that’s what people respond to, even if they don’t realize it.
The “Seed” for Estuary
GVN: So, let’s talk about Estuary. The story feels deeply personal in its emotional tone. What was the seed of this story, and why did it need to be a ghost story rather than another genre?
D.B. Estuary started with the desire to tell a ghost story, in fact, “Ghost Story” was the original title as Tim Daniel and I were developing what would become Estuary. And at the time, we also wanted to go back to my roots and tell a relationship drama. Those two ideas just melded together so perfectly, a relationship and a haunting. Once we had that, we set it in a fictitious Mission along the California coast close to Monterey Bay, used our shared history of a religious upbringing and Estuary was born.
Environment as Character
GVN: The setting in Estuary feels almost sentient—alive, watchful. How early in the process did the environment become a character in its own right?
D.B. Very early! And I think you’re right, the setting is a character. Tim and I have both spent a lot of time along the California coast, Monterey, Bodega Bay. It has a very specific feel, a specific smell, sounds, visuals. Estuary would not feel the same in any other location, it was a massive source of inspiration once we set in on the West Coast of California. Maan House has really nailed the mood of this area, the misty dark, the foggy twilights.
The Challenge of Letting Go
GVN: Ghost stories often hinge on what characters can’t let go of (see The Sixth Sense or Ghost). What does “haunting” mean to you in the context of Estuary?
D.B. That is an excellent point! You are definitely going to see that in Estuary, characters who can’t let go of the past, of their personal histories, of tradition, of what they thought their lives would be.
Tim Daniel
GVN: You are working with your frequent collaborator, Tim Daniel. Over time, you and Daniel have developed a long creative shorthand. How did that shared language shape the earliest conversations about Estuary?
D.B. I said “ghost story”, Tim said “YES!”. I know when Tim immediately says yes, we have something. We have a shared history of how we were raised, where we have lived, what kind of stories interest us and what type of stories we want to tell. Estuary was one of our works that came very quickly, we were on the same path immediately from the beginning. When Tim gets excited, I get excited.
Capturing the Whole Story in One Image
GVN: When it comes to Tim’s contribution, what’s something he brought to the book—visually or conceptually—that surprised you or shifted your understanding of the story?
D.B. The amazing thing about Tim, is that he’s not just a terrific writer, a generous collaborator, but he’s a fantastic artist in his own right. The cover that you can see for issue 1 (cover C) was the image that Tim came up with when we first started working on Estuary. The story is all there, on that cover. When Tim can do that, when he can capture the whole story, all the vibes, in a single image, I know we’re good. He has the whole picture and he can lay out a clear path that I can use as a guide as I work on my part of the writing process. I think it made just a smooth handoff to Maan and Steve Canon on colors because they could see exactly what we were going for in that one image Tim created.
Hopes for the Reader
GVN: By the time they are finished, what do you hope readers feel lingering after they close the final page?
D.B. I hope they love the characters, Maris and Hunt. I hope they feel a sense of closure but also hope for the future. I don’t like hopeless stories, even with all the terrible things that inspired Estuary, with the awful things that are going on every day in the real world, I would like to leave a sliver of hope, a belief in a better world.
Talking Craft
GVN: Thanks again, David. Before I let you go, here’s a closing hypothetical question. If you could spend an afternoon talking craft with any creator (like you) known for atmospheric storytelling, who’s your pick?
D.B. I think because this story, on my part, was inspired by Midnight Mass (and I’m looking at the signed poster of Midnight Mass that Tim created and got signed for me) I’d like to hang out with Mike Flanagan and pick his brain. I think he’s a master at doing what I try to do, give you an emotional core in the middle of an interesting and entertaining story.
As Oni Press’ ESTUARY: A GHOST STORY #1 prepares to make its way into readers’ hands, it’s clear that D.B. Andry, Tim Daniel, Mann House, and Steve Canon aren’t just telling a ghost story—they are crafting an emotional tide that pulls you under before you even realize you’re drifting. The blend of Southern Gothic mood, personal hauntings, and quiet humanity makes this debut feel like something that will linger long after the final page.
Huge thanks once again to D.B. Andry for taking the time to wade into the haunting depths with us. If this first issue is any indication, Estuary is a book that will stay with readers in all the best, most unsettling ways. Be sure to check it out when it hits on April 8th.
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.
