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Keith Davidsen Discusses REANIMATOR #1 for Dynamite

Writer Nancy Collins talks to Keith Davidsen about his new book at Dynamite.

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Nancy Collins, writer of Red Sonja: Vultures Circle #4, talks with writer Keith Davidsen about Reanimator #1, both on sale now!

NANCY COLLINS: Is your story a direct sequel to the Re-Animator movie series starring Jeffrey Combs?

KEITH DAVIDSEN: Ah, good question. Dynamite’s new Reanimator miniseries (written as one word, just like the classic Lovecraftian tale, Herbert West – Reanimator) is not affiliated with the movie series. Randy Valiente and I are exploring the character that had been originally introduced as a villainous figure in the “Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator” storyline from several years back, written by James Kuhoric. Our incarnation of Herbert West is set within the larger world of Dynamite’s shared universe, a mad scientist who has – in the past – brushed shoulders with supernatural entities, but now is wholly dedicated to his scientific pursuits.

NC: Were you a fan of the Re-Animator movies before taking on the scripting chores for the comic? Have you read the original story by H.P. Lovecraft?

KD: Truth to tell, my original fascination with Reanimator – and the larger Lovecraft library -- stemmed from my repeated exposure to the Re-Animator VHS box, seen in my local supermarket’s movie rental section when I was a kid. I used to break loose from my mother on our food-shopping trips, and scout the horror movie boxes for a forbidden thrill. The name Re-Animator resonated with me over and over, like Terminator or Predator, and although I never watched the Jeffrey Combs movie until much later in life, I did eventually find out what its basis was, and have been a Lovecraft fan ever since.

In preparation for writing the new Reanimator series, I read Lovecraftian tales over and over again. I’ve probably read Herbert West – Reanimator a hundred times. I’d also delved into The Call of Cthulhu, The Rats in the Walls, At the Mountains of Madness, The Outsider, and a few dozen other tales to get a better sense of all things Lovecraftian. I also poured over a series of fantastic Lovecraft documentaries and literary analyses.

The new series is a love letter to Lovecraft. If you’re a Lovecraftian purist, then you should immediately recognize that the series’ tone, as well as West’s personality and language, are meant to match those of the classic tale. If you’re a devoted fan of the movie series, then I’m crossing my fingers that your affection for the films encouraged you to seek out the source material, and you can appreciate a more classic approach to Lovecraft.

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NC: Can you tell those unfamiliar with Reanimator who the main characters are?

KD: Of the main cast, Dr. Herbert West will be the only returning cast member from previous appearances. Honoring his literary origin, the infamous Reanimator has one goal in life: to conquer death through scientific means, using a special resurrection formula of his own design. While his goal is to bring a dead person back to life perfectly, he still hasn’t mastered the process – and the resulting zombies are always violent and murderous. It’s this obsession that drives all the action of this series: his search for an assistant, his dealing zombie brain fluid as a narcotic to fund equipment and chemicals, everything.

An essential part of the Reanimator concept is the fact that he has an assistant that is simultaneously fascinated and horrified by West’s work. We’re introducing a new character, Susan Greene, who fills that role perfectly. She’s a young, bright-eyed pharmacologist who gets her thrills by placing herself in dangerous situations. This attraction to darkness stems from a tragedy in her personal life, and it’s Susan’s human story that is the heart of Reanimator.

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There’s a mystery about her past, and pursuing the loose threads of her life will threaten everything that she and Herbert West have built. We’re also introducing several new characters, and it seems that – while Herbert West has turned his back on the supernatural – those weird forces have not left his life completely. He’s going to become the target of very powerful rivals, some inspired on classic Lovecraft monsters, and others tied into Louisianan Voodoo.

NC: Why did you choose to set your story in New Orleans, as opposed to more traditional Lovecraftian locales such as Arkham, Dunwich, and Innsmouth?

KD: In the previous Dynamite Reanimator stories written by James Kuhoric and Ron Marz, West had been established with New England as his base of operations... but he’d also become a public menace and was hunted by authorities. He’s settled in a city far away from pursuers, a port city where he can acquire any number of medical and chemical resources.

From a storytelling standpoint, New Orleans was the perfect location to set a Reanimator tale. The city is very Old World, much like those in Lovecraft’s northeastern settings. It’s also notorious as a city of mystery and intrigue, murder and mayhem. Zombies are part of its culture, the legendary “undead” who are actually living, brainwashed victims of a mind-enslaving powder.

Also, Lovecraft himself placed a portion of The Call of Cthulhu in Louisiana, and the cult mentioned therein has ties to the Eldritch Krewe, a drug cartel introduced in the new series.

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NC: Would you describe Dr. Herbert West as the hero or the villain of the story?

KD: Oh, that’s for the reader to decide, although I suspect that the reader would root for him either way! Susan Greene is the moral heart of the story, so fans will want to empathize with her throughout the story. It’s through her eyes that we see West’s brilliance and mania. Ultimately, the mystery of her past will shed a new light on Herbert West, and how both Susan and the Reanimator respond to the coming revelations will color how the audience views the titular character.

Reanimator has a very dense plot – there’s a lot going on, it’s heavy with dialogue to set the mood, there’s a lot of background details in panels illustrated by Randy Valiente that will be very relevant to the story later on. Issue by issue, we hope to divulge more and more of Herbert West’s master stroke, and I guarantee that the end result will blow reader minds. Thanks in advance to all the curious comic fans daring enough to embark on this tale of terror with Dynamite!

Check out REANIMATOR #1 from Dynamite Comics, on sale now! Check out the rest of the preview below!

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