Paul Allor is a comic book writer best known for their work on properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (for which they received national recognition for their work in developing the Death Ranger, a non-binary villain in the Power Rangers universe). They’ve also developed a number of creator-owned comic books, including Monstro Mechanica, Past the Last Mountain and the award-winning queer monster love story Hollow Heart.
Now, Paul along with artist Juan Romera and editor Claire Napier have created the first of a series of one-shot comics, entitled Pink Midnight Presents: The Butterfly House. Now in its Zoop Campaign, this first book depicts a silent descent into one person’s nightmare, as the protagonist enters the titular Butterfly House. In time, they soon discover that they may never be able to leave. The Butterfly House is a deeply personal story for Paul, serving as a part existential horror story, and part allegory for Paul’s own discovery of their gender identity.
Recently, we were able to sit down with Paul to discuss their comic beginnings, their work on established properties and their creator owned projects, including The Butterfly House. So, let’s welcome writer Paul Allor to GVN’s Talking Comics.
Origins
GVN: Thank you for your time, Paul. Since this is my first opportunity to talk to you, let’s start out with a bit of creative background. What was it about comics that intrigued you and whose work motivated you to pursue that field?
PA: I love the collaborative aspect of comics, the way that replacing any member of the creative team results in a completely different book. It’s about finding and crafting a unified vision. Plus, you know – comics are just fun as hell, and emotional, visceral, brutal, beautiful. They’re whatever you want them to be.
Working on Iconic Properties
GVN: You have written and worked on some iconic material. From Power Rangers to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and something that caught MY eye, Star Trek (huge Star Trek fan). When it comes to working on such projects, how much thought goes into what fans are looking for when it comes to these characters, or do you basically follow your own creative muse?
PA: Good question, and the answer is neither, haha. This might sound bad, but… I don’t really think about what fans are looking for (“obviously!” some of my detractors on certain properties are now saying). But I also don’t just follow my own creative muse. Rather, I look at the heart of the property – what people love about it, what brings them back, the absolute fundamentals of tone, of the world, of the characters and their dynamics and relationships, and work to craft as good a story I can, while not violating those fundamentals. I think that’s the best way to give the fans something they’ll love and appreciate.
Creator Owned Properties
GVN: In addition to working on mainstream titles, you have also worked on your own creator owned projects, such as Hollow Heart for Vault Comics, Monstro Mechanica for AfterShock Comics, Tet for IDW Publishing and Past the Last Mountain for CEX Publishing. If given the choice, do you have a preference between writing your own books or working on established characters or does it depend on the characters involved?
PA: I love doing both, for quite different reasons. Creator-owned books give you more freedom, in story, in theme, in tone, in everything. But the limitations of licensed work can often force you to move outside your comfort zone, to problem solve in unusual ways, to work to tell the best story you can within the restrictions placed upon you. And doing that makes you a stronger writer and gives you new tools to use in your creator-owned work.
Acceptance
GVN: That is a GREAT answer, and the mention of the benefits certainly rings true. If all of that creativity wasn’t enough, you also have championed queer representation in comics, and have been recognized for co-creating some of the first queer characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the G.I. Joe franchises. As your work is being more recognized and acclaimed for that representation, have you been at all surprised by the fans’ reactions to it, whether in the mainstream books or your own creations?
PA: I’ve mostly been surprised at the level of support, especially for queer characters who fall a little outside the traditional expectation that queer characters will be… you know… the sassy sidekick, or the paragon of morality and virtue. There are certain little boxes that queer characters are often expected to exist within. So, when I help to develop a character like the Death Ranger in MMPR, and the response is just overwhelming, both in its positivity and intensity, that really shows the need for diverse characters that are also allowed to be diverse in terms of their role in the story, how much of a disaster they are, and how they navigate these fictional worlds.
The Butterfly House
GVN: You have just started a Zoop Campaign for the first of a planned series of weird, one-shot comic books. The first entitled: Pink Midnight Presents: The Butterfly House that you did along with artist Juan Romera and editor Claire Napier. If you would, please tell our readers what “The Butterfly House” is about and what the story means to you?
PA: The Butterfly House is a weird, slipstream. Horror-adjacent story that’s also an allegory for gender identity. I wrote it shortly after I came out as non-binary a few years ago, and it’s a story that really bubbled up from somewhere deep inside of me, begging to be told. That sounds both corny and melodramatic, but it’s also completely true.
That doesn’t really speak to the plot at all, because part of the joy of this story is discovering what it’s about. Someone walks into the titular butterfly house. They are overwhelmed by the beauty they find inside. And then… horrific things start to happen.
The Butterfly House is also the first issue of Pink Midnight Presents, a planned series of weird, one-shot comics from Juan, Claire and I, all done in Juan’s gorgeous black-and-white art.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Working with Juan Romera
GVN: As I mentioned, you have partnered with talented artist Juan Romera for The Butterfly House. Had you worked with Juan before and if not, what was it about his art that you feel matched up with your story?
PA: I’ve been working with Juan, off and on, for over twelve years now! We’ve done several shorts together, and we did a mini-series, Strange Nation, which is available in the “Past Works Digital Bundle” through the campaign.
Pink Midnight Presents really came from me looking at Juan’s black and white art, and admiring his ability to draw things that are equal parts beautiful and creepy and emotionally captivating, and going, “yeah, I want to write some stories very specifically for that!”
Partnering with Zoop
GVN: When it came time for choosing a crowd funding source, why did you partner with Zoop as opposed to the other options available? (Besides the fact that Jordan and Eric are great at what they do)
PA: Jordan and Eric are great at what they do – oh, you already said that. That really is a huge part of it! They’ve created a fantastic platform and have worked so closely with Claire and Juan and I every step of the way. And – let’s be honest, this is a weird book. It’s a book that there’s a market for – a big market – but it’s not the kind of book you’re going to find in a lot of comics shops, because it’s not the kind of book most publishers are going to take a risk on. But Jordan and Eric were completely on board from day one. They believe in this project and they’re helping us to make it a reality. And we’re already talking about future issues of Pink Midnight Presents and other future projects as well.
Following Paul and the Creative Team
GVN: Thanks again for a bit of your time, Paul. Before I let you go, tell our fans once more about The Butterfly House and where can fans follow you on social media and the web.
PA: You can find me on twitter at @PaulAllor, Juan at @juanromera and Claire at @illusclaire. We’re also all on Instagram, where Juan and Claire post about comics and I mostly put-up pictures of my dog. And Claire also has a great TikTok account, @clairenapierok where she drops amazing editorial advice about storytelling, character design and so much more. Claire also has a Zoop campaign for her own comic launching on Valentine’s Day, so check that out!
As for the Butterfly House: if you like gorgeous art, queer fiction, weird, horror-adjacent stories that operate on dream logic, or butterflies, this is the story for you. If you don’t like any of those things, this is still the story for you. I don’t make the rules, that’s just how it is. We have a ton of great incentives that you can check out on zoop.gg/c/thebutterflyhouse, including a gorgeous variant cover from watercolor artist Jody Edwards, art prints and original pages, an incredibly cool and gory enamel pin, a comic book script critique from me, and so much more!
It’s a wonderful story that we’re all so incredibly proud of.
Be sure to check out the Zoop links above to visit and explore all that Paul, Juan and Claire and The Butterfly House has to offer. It is close to meeting its funding goal and I’m sure would appreciate your support.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first 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 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.