Shawna Ervin-Gore:Please set the stage for the upcoming ZombieWorld series, Tree of Death. Where are we, who are we dealing with, and what the hell is going on?
Pat Mills:We're in London where the Major, Eustace and Rebecca Dean--three team members from the original series of ZombieWorld are investigating the Necronomicon Hyperborea [see below--ed.]. This might just have the solution to the horrors that have beset a world where the dead are on the rampage. Unfortunately, London is also the setting for Azzul Gotha's return. Gotha is the Hyperborean necromancer responsible for these apocalyptic events.
But help is at hand in the form of Taggart, the reincarnation of a Hyperborean barbarian warrior who fought Gotha 40,000 years ago. He's updated his armory since those days--notably with a magnum and a circular chain saw on the end of a chain.
SE:In case anybody hasn't read the first Zombie World series (Champion of the Worms), can you discuss the significance of Azzul Gotha? How did he get to be such a dangerous entity, and what is he trying to accomplish?
PM:Gotha was such a mean dude first time around, back in Hyperborea, he was kept in a state of living death--from which he is now released. His necromantic gas was responsible for the zombie plague. He has carried this out as an act of black magic--an offering to his worm gods.
SE:What sorts of powers does this guy have? And why does he need the help of a human high priestess?
PM:Gotha is the ultimate necromancer. In the first series it's established that he wants Rebecca Dean as his bride. The reasons for this are pursued in the sequel. The reasons for this are more profound than a stereotypical evil swine wanting to slaver over the heroine. Rebecca is vital to Gotha's ultimate plan and we discover how in number three.
SE:Who is going up against Azzul Gotha, and can you share a little of the history of this opposition?
PM:Taggart was just an ordinary guy running for the hills until he became possessed by the spirit of The Killcrop, his earlier incarnation. Then he developed his predecessor's unsavory and psychopathic taste for violence. He works with Rebecca to solve the mystery and tries to reassure her that he is normal.
"Come back, Rebecca. The Killcrop's not me. I'm a New Man. I've read The Celestine Prophecies!"
Understandably, given the carnage he's created, she's not convinced.
SE:A lot of the story revolves around the `good guys' mentioned above researching something called the Necronomicon Hyperborea. What is this, and how does it come to be so important?
PM:It's a Lovecraftian document concerning The Qlipoth--Demon Gods from beyond who are accessed via the Tree of Death, the reverse of the Qabalah--The Tree of Life. Gotha's plans are intimately connected with the Qlipoth.
SE:Everyone in these stories (Champion of the Worms and Tree of Death), mentions Hyperborea as an actual place . . . can you surmise where in the world this would have been at any time?
PM:Legends describe it as a Northern "lost land"--a similar concept to Atlantis. Some historians have considered Britain as a likely basis for Hyperborea. But it's more likely to be further north.
SE:And do you know if this part of the ZombieWorld mythology is based on anything from history? For example, the Major mentions the Jewish magical system, The Qabalah (Tree of Life), and that its power was reversed in Hyperborea as The Tree of Death . . . I don't know much about occult-ish stuff, so can you help me figure out where all this comes from? And if you're making it up, congratulations on being very thorough . . .
PM:I wish! No, the Tree of Death is authentic and so, too, are the Qlipoth. The way they are rendered is very much down to my interpretation of this extremely dark concept that sent a real chill through me when I first researched it.
SE:How did you get involved with ZombieWorld? Did you have an idea to start with, or did Scott get in touch with you specifically?
PM:I'd got to know Scott through Marshal Law, and he wanted Kevin O'Neill and I to do the ZombieWorld sequel. Unfortunately, Kevin was busy on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Alan Moore. So I suggested John Deadstock instead. I then floated a number of ideas with Scott, and Tree of Death gradually emerged from our discussions.
SE:Did you know John Deadstock before this? Have you worked with him before? From reading the script it seems as though you two have worked rather closely on this project . . .
PM:Yes--John is the ultimate horror artist . . . I defy anyone to show me an artist whose monsters are more grotesque, whose zombies have a more ghastly look in their eye. I've worked with John in the past on a horror story for the UK market (Nemesis the Warlock) and I knew his interpretation of Zombie World would be the darkest.
SE:Had you read the other Zombie World series?
PM:Yes--especially the first series. I think fans of that series and continuity buffs will be pleased with the way I've carefully followed on from it, pursuing themes and concepts that are first introduced there.
SE:It seems as though this would be a relatively fun project to work on, and you manage to work in a good amount of pretty ghastly humor . . . are you just naturally a smart-ass when it comes to everything, or do you think horror is an especially good fit for infusions of humor?
PM:John and I laugh like drains over the more appalling creatures we create. When we started the book, we researched with a day out down in the catacombs of a Victorian cemetery in London where you can actually touch the coffins all stacked on stone shelves. It was brilliant and a source of considerable amusement to John and myself as we thought of all the gross-out things that could happen--which we featured in Tree of Death #2. So yes, I guess horror and humor go together--for me anyway.
SE:Have you done much horror writing (I'm most familiar with Marshall Law)? And are you a horror fan?
PM:Yes--usually linked to other genres. Thus a Batman prestige format one off: Book of Shadows (out next month, I think), which I've written with a colleague. This features an occult group of humans who transform into demons and prey on lonely people. And there's Sha, a graphic novel trilogy I wrote for the French market now appearing in Heavy Metal. This covers reincarnation, witch burning and vengeful spirits returning from the dead.
I guess I must be a horror fan, but I would say my inspiration comes not from fiction but from research--ideally first hand. I'd rather walk around a catacomb for ideas than read about it in a book. Batman and Sha were also researched from real-life experiences .
SE:What do you like best about writing horror?
PM:Exorcising my own demons.
SE:What would you do if zombies actually existed and a pack of `em came after you?
PM:Reach for my notebook and scribble down the details for a story, before I ran like hell.