WEBVTT
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Hello boils and dudes.
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It's your old pal, Jacques Here, the voice of the cricketkeeper.
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And I want to welcome my good feel of the Horror Heels podcast.
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Is horror good for mental wellness?
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But of course it is! I delight in the delicious deaths of beautiful people on the silver screen.
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So get ready for a hell of a good time with my new fiends, Corey and Kendall, on the Horror Heels Podcast.
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Hey there, horror heliacs, it's Corey.
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Welcome back to Horror Heels, where we explore how horror helps us heal and connect in the most unexpected ways.
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Today we have an amazing guest, horror comic book writer Jim Oosley.
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He's the brilliant mind behind Butcher Queen Volume 2 Planet of the Dead, and if you're lucky enough to be at the Days of the Dead horror con in Chicago this weekend, you can meet Jim and grab a brand new copy.
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Trust me, you don't want to miss it.
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Now, full disclosure.
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I've had the pleasure of working with Jim back in my sketch comedy days with the nonprofits.
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He performed one of the most ridiculous sketches I ever wrote, Bye's it I! And let me tell you, he absolutely killed it.
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Jim is as funny as he is talented as a writer, and I know you're gonna love hearing his thoughts on horror, comics, and storytelling.
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So settle in because this is gonna be a fun one.
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Hey Jim, welcome to Horror Heels.
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Listeners, Jim is an Eisner Award-nominated horror comic book writer, but our history actually is on the flip side of that, going into the comedy world.
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We were in a sketch comedy troupe together a million years ago.
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That's actually how we met.
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But and something I think that Kendall and I believe is that like there is definitely some gray area between horror and comedy.
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I agree.
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Yeah.
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Jim, let's just go way, way back.
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Let's talk about where you where and how you first fell in love with horror.
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Yeah, there are there are a couple things.
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I remember being a kid and watching Chanel 11 in St.
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Louis.
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And on Saturdays, they would always show monster movies.
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They would show like, you know, Frankenstein or Abbott and Costellamy Frankenstein or Dracula, things like that.
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And it was the first time that I I watched something where I wanted to kind of like crawl into the television and wander around those great old sets, those pre-code universal horror films.
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And you know, when I was in grade school, I was really shy.
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You know, I stuttered.
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I was so shy.
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I think the the main thing that I automatically became attached to with a lot of those early horror films was that in each case, the protagonist or the antagonist, depending on your your point of view, they were always the odd man out.
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They were always the ones who were bullied in a sense, not allowed to be themselves or find themselves.
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And so I really found an automatic kinship with that.
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And then later when I was a teenager, when I was in high school, where I was also very I I remember I fell in with a group of kids who loved horror movies, and I actually worked with them at a local restaurant.
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And on Saturday nights, we would go back to somebody's house and rent some horror films.
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And I remember the first one that we rented was a nightmare on Elm Street.
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That really sealed the deal for me.
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You know, you always hear about how bad horror movies are, but it was also, you know, I I loved the craftsmanship.
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In a lot of cases, I I do love a lot of the acting that I found.
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And again, it was always about people who were put upon who um found different ways to deal with those circumstances.
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You know, and as I got older, of course, I you know fell in love with George Romero and his films, his commentary on society, which continues today with Jordan Peel and the like.
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So it's been a lifelong thing.
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And I felt the same way about comics as well.
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All the DC titles, Tomb of Dracula, all those early, like not early, but 70s DC titles, I I really loved for all those same reasons.
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Awesome.
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Let's talk a little bit about your foray into comic book writing.
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I'm just I'm I'm fascinated because I it's an art form that I uh adore, and I don't think I I don't think I have any other friends that do oh wow.
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So I was always in a lot of bands growing up.
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And I because no one else wanted to write the lyrics, I was always the one who said, you know, I'll do it.
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I'll you know, I'll I'll go ahead and do it.
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So I started doing that, which led to working with Playback, which I think you worked for also, a local music magazine, didn't you?
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I was associated with yeah, with playback focus.
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Yeah, yeah.
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And so from there I started writing my own stories.
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And there's actually, and whenever someone asked me about how I got into comics, I always tell them in St.
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Louis anyway, and I know a lot of other cities had this, but there's a great collective called Inc.
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Comics.
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What they do is they meet once a month and they they get a bunch of writers together and a bunch of artists together, and it's all ages.
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The the drinking is you can if you want to, you don't have to.
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But they it's just a night where we all get together to discuss comics, and they publish two anthologies a year, and they're themed anthologies, and they pair up artists with writers, and you go from there, and that's really how I learned about the the crap to writing comics, and it is quite a bit different than writing the screenplay.
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Those rules are quite a bit different, you know.
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But yeah, that's that's how I got started.
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Now, at this time, at this stage in your life, were you going to comic book conventions or horror conventions, pop culture conventions yet?
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I I grew up loving comics.
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So for me growing up, it was comics, movies, music, all fighting for my attention.
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You know, I didn't go like four times a year or anything, but there were more localized conventions like Arcon and just random sci-fi and horror conventions before they became these big lucrative franchises, essentially.
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Yeah, but I I did go to them and I I loved it.
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And I, you know, I think when you go to a comic book convention or a horror convention, the experience, you know, the fandom experience is so much different than it is on social media.
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I mean, on social media, it it's always the loudest people making the most noise, you know, causing the most trouble.
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But when you meet these folks and fans in real life that don't care about that stuff as much, the kindest people in the world.
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And I'll say, especially horror fans, they're amazing.
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They're so nice.
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And I made so many friends over the years already, it's it's pretty remarkable.
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Yeah, you know, that's something that I, you know, people seem to be surprised about when I talk about, you know, my love of horror, our love of horror, and just what it's like at these conventions.
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It's like, I mean, it is you're just around some of the chillest, coolest, nicest people.
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Yeah, you know, they might have 25 face tattoos and you know, uh a million piercings or whatever and six foot five, but they're just like that's like the sweetest guy you ever meet.
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And I see your pictures sometimes too.
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Yes, you know, I'd like to I I do my own little cosplay style.
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The conventions horror conventions are every every ton that he's going to leave, he opens the particular closet that has this collection of uh there's no other word to use but gaudy, uh and you know, suits.
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It just but it makes me feel good because I know he's really gonna enjoy himself and that others will um recognize his artistic side.
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Well, literally yesterday I just put an artist on Etsy who does custom blazers, and I'm gonna get the horror heels logo like all over some uh some lasers to wear to the cons, you know.
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Because I am a shameless that's great, that's so awesome.
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Yeah.
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Um I think Dragon Con was probably the first like eye-opening experience going to that um in college, like the you know, 24-hour day party, people dressed up, you know, every anything goes kind of experience from like, whoa, this is not what I expected at all, and I love it.
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That's awesome.
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Yeah, I've never, you know, I've never been a cosplayer, but I always loved watching cosplayers.
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I think the closest I came to cosplaying was being Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons at different times for Halloween.
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Yes.
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Well, that's something that you and Kendall definitely have in common is uh Kendall's w grew up as as his, you know, as a kid, he was a huge kiss dude.
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Which is surprising considering his Southern Baptist upbringing.
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Yeah.
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Actually, it it makes total sense considering his Southern Baptist upbringing.
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Yeah.
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No.
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Yeah.
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My father would buy buy the albums and bring them home and say, can we not talk about this with your mother?
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I mean, you know, it's just one of those things, you know.
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That's great though.
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That sounds like a pretty cool dad.
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That's great.
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Oh, he he was amazing.
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That's awesome.
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That's pretty cool.
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Ace's one of my favorite interviews I've ever done.
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He's just like, he's no holds barred, like he'll just he'll just lets it all out.
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Yeah, he that dude has no filter whatsoever.
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Yeah, I got to meet him uh at the uh event that Gene Sennens was doing, actually.
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And you know, he's he is as spacey as delightfully so, as as you hear about for sure.
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It's funny.
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I remember seeing you post about that.
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Can you talk about that just for a couple minutes?
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Because I'm fascinated.
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You know, I like I like those those span interaction events, and this was like a small little group of people, right?
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Oh, yeah.
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So that was the uh the Gene Simmons vault experience, is what it was.
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And and what it was was a um you get this you get this vault that's got this huge coffee table book and like 12 CDs of unreleased music and demos and really cool stuff.
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But the fun part too was he actually gives it to you.
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So we went to this place, I forgot the name of the place.
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It used to be uh a club called Plush, if you remember that place in St.
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Louis, but it was on the fourth floor.
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But yeah, it was about it was a small amount of people because it was a really expensive thing, something I would normally never splurge on, but I I did on this.
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Yeah, he came in, he um he did like an acoustic thing with a friend of his question and answer.
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Then Ace came in and they did an acoustic thing.
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Gene would walk around with like order and serve people ordered and stuff, and it was catered, and then you got 10 minutes, 10 or 15 minutes with them in the back room where he gives you your vols and you talk about it, you just hang out for a while.
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And Ace was there also.
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For a somebody who grew up as a KISS band, it was just just an incredible experience, and they were both so nice.
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That was the best part.
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Wow, awesome.
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Sorry for the little little sidebar there, but I just rem when we were talking about KISS, I remembered that and I was like, oh, this just this well, you know, like a really cool fan of it.
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Yeah, actually, it's it's it's the thing is this kind of tied back to her because I remember when I was a kid, the first time I saw a picture of them was on my cousin Terry's wall, her bedroom wall.
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And this was like that's so long after they first came out.
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And she had these black and white pictures on her wall, and I was like, What the fuck is this?
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This is some scary shit.
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And I did not like it.
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But then I got into it because I saw that the movie Kiss Meets the Fam at the Park, where they fought like animatronic Frankenstein and Dracula and Wolfman, and it kind of tied everything together for me in a way, you know.
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That's very cool.
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And speaking of that, now I I want to say you were in a production of uh Kiss Meets the Phantom, right?
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Where Magic uh Magic Smoking Web.
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I was, yeah.
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Yeah.
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I uh I played The Star Child.
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Yo, it was yeah, it was a really fun show.
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And I um I interviewed Paul Stanley later after that show and told him that we had done that show.
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And he goes, Well, hope they had fun.
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All right, so let's get back to um horror comics and let's talk a little bit about your title.
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Oh, thanks.
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Yeah, I have a couple self-published comics.
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They were The Rough and Tumble that I wrote with my friend Oscar Madrid, and um a horror anthology called The Dead Palace that I wrote on my own.
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Ben Sawyer did the artwork.
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Ben Sawyer took the Dead Palace to San Diego Comic Con and was pitching it to various publishers.
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And uh Red Five got a copy of it and uh really liked it, but they wanted to uh see if they could make it into a series, like the Dead Palace series.
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And because of the uh the very length of the stories, which was by design, it didn't really work as a monthly title.
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They said, Well, do you have anything that you can pitch us from the book that you would like to further explore as a series?
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And I said, Oh yeah, definitely.
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And they said, Well, we'll meet again next week and you can tell us about it.
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So I had a week to come up with the story and the series that I I really didn't have an idea of.
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I did that and we pitched it to them and they liked it, and we we did the first Butcher Queen series, which is Butcher Queen Black Star City.
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That's the volume one, and then we did uh Butcher Queen Planet of the Dead, and that that collection finally comes out in Trade Paperback in November, which is really good news.
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After that, I did the Atonement Bell, which was uh probably my my most personal project, the one I feel the most kind of emotional and tied to.
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And uh it just meant so much to me, and and the fact that it resonated with people is is so rewarding and it's so nice because I love I love when people have questions about it.
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Or I just did a book club recently here at Apotheosis Comics in St.
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Louis, and they had a bunch of great questions, and we we talked about it, and I loved the whole experience so much.
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And Tyler B.
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Ruff was the artist on that as well.
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Yeah, I mean that definitely I could definitely tell by um by reading it that this was like, oh, this is definitely a very personal, personal thing for you.
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Can you just talk a little bit about the origins of the story and and yeah, how you developed it?
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Yeah, for sure.
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So the whole origin of the story, it I I I wrote a screenplay called The Angels of Warwick.
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And it was kind of a it was more of a tone poem than a screenplay in a way.
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It was very, very personal, and it was so personal that it didn't really communicate a story as as such.
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So I put it away for a few years.
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It's like, uh, I'll I'll worry about that later.
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But then after the second Butcher Queen series, I was thinking about my next thing and I was like, I think my whole problem with that screenplay in that story was that it should be a graphic novel.
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That seems like the medium that it would work best in, you know.
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And so I I I tore it up the screenplay, I kept a couple of character names, maybe, but I I started from scratch, and a lot of the things that inspired it were was basically living in St.
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Louis.
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And I if this gets boring, please let me and I'll I'll just shut up.
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No, no, please, you know, no, we're good.
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We're all things.
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So if when you grew up in St.
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Louis, and this is why I I said it in St.
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Louis, is there's such a sharp racial divide in St.
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Louis, and uh a lot of times these people are in the same place, and it's something that feels like it's never going to go away, no matter what.
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And and that feeling of like confusion, because it's so it's so dumb and hopelessness kind of inspired a lot of atonement bell.
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There's a really great book that was published by Walter Johnson a few years ago called The Broken Heart of America, and it talks about St.
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Louis as being the start of so many of the racial problems we see in the country today.
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And uh it's a fascinating book.
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If you've never read it, I give it a shot, it's fantastic.
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What folly pushed me to to sort of focus on the story in the personal way that I did was I went to um you know a Catholic rant school, a Catholic high school, you know, because of the miracle of social media, miracle of social media, I was able to reconnect with a lot of these folks and um became so disillusioned and so disappointed on how they had fallen in to this evangelical conservative nonsense, you know, where um listen to the Bible, but also ignore the Bible, you know, because we want our prejudices reinforced.
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And I and I lost a lot of friends over it.
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I was, you know, because I I don't keep quiet about that stuff.
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I you know, I I never have.
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I I don't like it, and I'll I'll bite that stuff tooth and nail until the day that I die.
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Um and that includes LGBT, you know, prejudice.
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If you if you call it virtual signal virtue signaling, that's fine, but it you know, not my dojo.
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You know what I mean?
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That's I have no basis for it.
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So that's really what fueled a lot of the story.
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At the same time, you know, a lot of the horror stuff that I like does have something to say about society and our our place in it and how we can make it better, but it also never forgets to be fun, the good stuff anyway.
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And uh, you know, you look at like get out, or you look at Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, things like that.
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They they definitely have something to say, but they're also a lot of fun.
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So that was really that was sort of like the thread I was trying to to weave, you know, in making a a fun story that says something.
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Just as you were talking, like people under the stairs just jumped into my mind, and you're Wes Craven has always had something to say, you know.
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He was but but he made it fun.
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Right, exactly.
00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.519
And that's the key to it.
00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:31.759
And the But I think that probably is the reason why I was um really drawn to Atonement Bells, because you know, I grew up in St.
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:37.519
Louis too and experienced the the same cultural um divides that you're talking about.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:51.599
And it's interesting because you know, Kendall and I spent nine years in the Bay Area, um, literally right next to Oakland, and Oakland, California is one of my favorite places in the world because it's every every culture, you know, is there.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:57.200
It's I mean, it's we we lived in a bubble for nine years, honestly, but it was a it was a beautiful bubble to live in.
00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.400
And now we're back on the other other coast.
00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:05.599
And I will say that New England probably has some of the same cultural divides that you know we experienced in St.
00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:06.559
Louis for sure.
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:20.319
Yeah, it it's sadly, you know, it's so disheartening, but you know, what because you're a writer as well, and and one thing that one benefit of having artistic abilities and creative impulses is that we can illuminate the pain, right?
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:27.759
You know, we can we can make these visceral statements about things that bother us and hopefully make people happy as well.
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:40.079
You know, I I think that like artists in general, whether you're an actor or writer or a painter, whatever, you can't trivialize or minimize your importance to the to the world, you know.
00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:47.279
I know that like when I wake up every day, the first thing that I think of is what can I what can I make today that'll make that somebody can enjoy?
00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:54.319
And sometimes it's a stupid haiku that I put online, which I'm sure you see, you know, or whatever, you know, but at least it's something.
00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:54.880
At least it's a good one.
00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:56.640
Oh, thank you.
00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:57.359
Thank you.
00:18:57.599 --> 00:18:58.880
I gotta send you a book.
00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:03.599
Please, and yeah, and you know, we would be honored if you would write a haiku about this uh interview experience.
00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.359
Absolutely, I will, yeah.
00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:09.759
It's I you know it's a good toilet read, my haiku book is.
00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:16.559
Going back to horror conventions, I think just what we were talking about, the this cultural divide, disappears at the horror conventions.
00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:19.039
And you know, they're all over the country now, they're in every state.
00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:32.960
And I don't care where you are, you when you're in a horror convention, you know, you you don't you don't realize, you know, you don't know what part of the country you're in because that it's everybody is welcome there and and nobody nobody's gonna put up with people people's prejudices, you know, cultural prejudices.
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.039
That is that is not tolerated at a horror convention.
00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:39.200
I think the world will be a better place if more people went to these conventions.
00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.880
You're you're absolutely right about that.
00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:46.799
And you know, I'll tell you one thing from from doing conventions since you know getting with a publisher and having having books out.
00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:55.519
The main thing that I love about conventions is those times when someone comes up to your table and they don't necessarily want to buy anything.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:22.400
They don't necessarily have any kind of agenda, they just want to tell you about the things they love, you know, and it could be somebody like sometimes it's someone who's very socially awkward, maybe, but they just want somebody to talk to and share their joy with, and just to be able to be there and listen to them and to engage with them and make their make part of the experience better of that day is the best thing in the world to me.
00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.160
Really, is it's the best.
00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:32.160
I mean, that is that is literally why we're you know doing this podcast is because you know, and Kendall had been pestering me, we gotta do a horror podcast.
00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:34.799
I'm like, ugh, there's a million of them.
00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.799
Yeah, what's what's ours?
00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:51.440
And that was that what I had that moment at a convention, you know, a couple of months ago where it was like I could see a young man in duress, and when as soon as somebody started engaging with him, like that all went away, and he had a friend and he had a huge smile on his face.
00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:59.440
And it's I mean, that's a place to go where you can feel comfortable striking up a conversation with anybody, and it's just and you do.
00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:06.480
I mean, you're yeah, a lot of times you're standing in line, so you might as well have a conversation with somebody about your shared love of horror, you know.
00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:07.920
And that's so that's why we're doing this.
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:09.039
Yeah, totally.
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:11.200
I I've never had a bad experience at a convention.
00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:13.440
Everybody's always so nice.
00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:14.799
I hope that continues.
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:25.519
I love being part of that that uh experience where you're you're making somebody feel good about who they are and and they're excited about what you're doing, and it's just the best feeling of the world.
00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.319
It it really is what it's all about, you know.
00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:31.119
Absolutely, for sure, for sure.
00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:32.640
So uh I'm gonna put you on the spot.
00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.920
Who do you who should we have on as guests on horror heels?
00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.319
Who would you like some great some great gits?
00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.200
Oh gosh.
00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:40.400
Well, uh there are a couple.
00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:44.559
I I would say um Colin Bunn would be a really good one.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:53.119
He's a horror comic writer who's very popular, very popular guy, also very uh very sweet guy, very informed and interesting.
00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:55.920
He's one of my favorites actually as a reader, as a fan.
00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.599
There's also Eric Stanze, who who you might know.
00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:00.079
He's a St.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.759
Louis-based filmmaker.
00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:11.920
He runs uh Wicked Pixel and writes and directs his own films, and Jeff Wettding, who uh is a Nashville-based filmmaker who uh does the same thing.
00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:16.640
I have worked with both those guys as an actor, so just up front.
00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:30.880
But for working with them, I know how how nice they are and how intelligent they are as people, you know, and they would also have a lot of a lot to offer in the way of uh uh the alien elements and capabilities of horror, for sure.
00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:40.640
One of the things we're definitely going to do with our website and social media is you know talk about we love indie horror, we love all horror, but we we love mainstream, we love indie, we love the old stuff.
00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:45.519
What jumps into your head immediately when you think about something you've seen recently that that really gotcha?
00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:52.000
Well, there's a uh there's a series right now, a comic series by James Tinian called The Deviant.
00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:55.839
That one is really, really super engrossing and super interesting.
00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.119
And if I gave you any information about it, it would kind of ruin it for you.
00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:01.359
But I think you guys would both really, really enjoy it.
00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:07.039
I think I might have seen something on my, you know, because of course my algorithm is full of uh deviancy.
00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:11.200
If you only badge it.
00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.559
No, but it's it's really good.
00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:16.880
So anything you can tease that you're working on now that we might be seeing?
00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:20.079
Yeah, well, I'm I'm actually working on a new comic series.
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:27.759
I I can't talk about much about it now, except that like most of my work it deals with the dynamics of family.
00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:33.519
And this one is kind of focused on my mom a little bit, memories of her and things of that nature.
00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:39.359
I I just feel silly talking about something as I'm working on it just because what are the changes?
00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:40.160
You know.
00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:49.680
But I'm working on a couple projects now, a couple screenplays actually, both horror, with a couple of filmmakers that I've I never thought I'd get I would get a chance to work with.
00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:54.319
And I'm hoping to I have something to announce about that soon.
00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:56.640
So but I am working.
00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:58.240
Awesome.
00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:02.720
Jim, you're one of the first names I thought of when you know we decided to do this podcast.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:06.400
I I knew that you would be awesome, and uh and you were.
00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:09.039
So thank you for coming on and and uh you know sharing with us.
00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:10.319
Thanks so much for inviting me.
00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:15.119
I I I I love you know doing stuff like this, especially if it's a friend.
00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:18.240
And uh it's it's so nice to meet you, Kendall, as well.
00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:20.559
It was really neat to see both of you guys.
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:22.240
Yeah, you too.
00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:24.960
What a great conversation with Jim Oosley.
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:28.319
It was so awesome to catch up and dive into his creative process.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:33.119
And don't forget, if you're in Chicago this weekend for Days of the Dead, stop by and see Jim.
00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:38.960
Pick up a copy of Butcher Queen Volume 2 Planet of the Dead, and tell him where our heels sent you.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:50.640
A quick note for our regular listeners, we actually recorded this episode in the spring before we started asking all our guests our signature final question: who is your favorite final person in a horror movie?
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:52.720
But we're not gonna let Jim off the hook.
00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:59.039
His pick, and one that I love, especially as we're getting into the holiday season, is Jess from Bob Clark's Black Christmas.
00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:02.160
It's a deep cut and a fantastic choice.
00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:07.279
Thanks for tuning in, and if you like this episode, make sure to subscribe and leave us a review.
00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.759
And as always, when someone asks, is horror good for our mental wellness?
00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.640
You answer, of course it is.
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:21.119
The Horror Heals Podcast is produced and presented by How the Cow Ate the Cabbage LLC.
00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:13.679
Hello boils and dudes.
00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:19.280
It's your old pal, Jacques Here, the voice of the cricketkeeper.
00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:26.160
And I want to welcome my good feel of the Horror Heels podcast.
00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.199
Is horror good for mental wellness?
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:38.719
But of course it is! I delight in the delicious deaths of beautiful people on the silver screen.
00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:52.399
So get ready for a hell of a good time with my new fiends, Corey and Kendall, on the Horror Heels Podcast.
00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:03.280
Hey there, horror heliacs, it's Corey.
00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:09.920
Welcome back to Horror Heels, where we explore how horror helps us heal and connect in the most unexpected ways.
00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:14.560
Today we have an amazing guest, horror comic book writer Jim Oosley.
00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:25.120
He's the brilliant mind behind Butcher Queen Volume 2 Planet of the Dead, and if you're lucky enough to be at the Days of the Dead horror con in Chicago this weekend, you can meet Jim and grab a brand new copy.
00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:27.120
Trust me, you don't want to miss it.
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Now, full disclosure.
00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:33.439
I've had the pleasure of working with Jim back in my sketch comedy days with the nonprofits.
00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:40.879
He performed one of the most ridiculous sketches I ever wrote, Bye's it I! And let me tell you, he absolutely killed it.
00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:47.680
Jim is as funny as he is talented as a writer, and I know you're gonna love hearing his thoughts on horror, comics, and storytelling.
00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:50.000
So settle in because this is gonna be a fun one.
00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:52.239
Hey Jim, welcome to Horror Heels.
00:01:52.400 --> 00:02:02.079
Listeners, Jim is an Eisner Award-nominated horror comic book writer, but our history actually is on the flip side of that, going into the comedy world.
00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:06.719
We were in a sketch comedy troupe together a million years ago.
00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:08.719
That's actually how we met.
00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:15.919
But and something I think that Kendall and I believe is that like there is definitely some gray area between horror and comedy.
00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:17.039
I agree.
00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:17.919
Yeah.
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:19.759
Jim, let's just go way, way back.
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.759
Let's talk about where you where and how you first fell in love with horror.
00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:25.759
Yeah, there are there are a couple things.
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I remember being a kid and watching Chanel 11 in St.
00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:30.639
Louis.
00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:33.120
And on Saturdays, they would always show monster movies.
00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:39.599
They would show like, you know, Frankenstein or Abbott and Costellamy Frankenstein or Dracula, things like that.
00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:52.479
And it was the first time that I I watched something where I wanted to kind of like crawl into the television and wander around those great old sets, those pre-code universal horror films.
00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:56.240
And you know, when I was in grade school, I was really shy.
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You know, I stuttered.
00:02:57.759 --> 00:02:58.639
I was so shy.
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I think the the main thing that I automatically became attached to with a lot of those early horror films was that in each case, the protagonist or the antagonist, depending on your your point of view, they were always the odd man out.
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:21.680
They were always the ones who were bullied in a sense, not allowed to be themselves or find themselves.
00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:25.199
And so I really found an automatic kinship with that.
00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:35.919
And then later when I was a teenager, when I was in high school, where I was also very I I remember I fell in with a group of kids who loved horror movies, and I actually worked with them at a local restaurant.
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.439
And on Saturday nights, we would go back to somebody's house and rent some horror films.
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And I remember the first one that we rented was a nightmare on Elm Street.
00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:47.919
That really sealed the deal for me.
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You know, you always hear about how bad horror movies are, but it was also, you know, I I loved the craftsmanship.
00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:58.240
In a lot of cases, I I do love a lot of the acting that I found.
00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:05.840
And again, it was always about people who were put upon who um found different ways to deal with those circumstances.
00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:15.680
You know, and as I got older, of course, I you know fell in love with George Romero and his films, his commentary on society, which continues today with Jordan Peel and the like.
00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:17.120
So it's been a lifelong thing.
00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:19.360
And I felt the same way about comics as well.
00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:28.000
All the DC titles, Tomb of Dracula, all those early, like not early, but 70s DC titles, I I really loved for all those same reasons.
00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:28.560
Awesome.
00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:32.399
Let's talk a little bit about your foray into comic book writing.
00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:40.399
I'm just I'm I'm fascinated because I it's an art form that I uh adore, and I don't think I I don't think I have any other friends that do oh wow.
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So I was always in a lot of bands growing up.
00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:50.560
And I because no one else wanted to write the lyrics, I was always the one who said, you know, I'll do it.
00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:52.079
I'll you know, I'll I'll go ahead and do it.
00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:59.680
So I started doing that, which led to working with Playback, which I think you worked for also, a local music magazine, didn't you?
00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:01.680
I was associated with yeah, with playback focus.
00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:02.319
Yeah, yeah.
00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.199
And so from there I started writing my own stories.
00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:10.240
And there's actually, and whenever someone asked me about how I got into comics, I always tell them in St.
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:14.639
Louis anyway, and I know a lot of other cities had this, but there's a great collective called Inc.
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:15.680
Comics.
00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:22.480
What they do is they meet once a month and they they get a bunch of writers together and a bunch of artists together, and it's all ages.
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The the drinking is you can if you want to, you don't have to.
00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:43.759
But they it's just a night where we all get together to discuss comics, and they publish two anthologies a year, and they're themed anthologies, and they pair up artists with writers, and you go from there, and that's really how I learned about the the crap to writing comics, and it is quite a bit different than writing the screenplay.
00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:45.759
Those rules are quite a bit different, you know.
00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:47.920
But yeah, that's that's how I got started.
00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:54.959
Now, at this time, at this stage in your life, were you going to comic book conventions or horror conventions, pop culture conventions yet?
00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:57.439
I I grew up loving comics.
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So for me growing up, it was comics, movies, music, all fighting for my attention.
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You know, I didn't go like four times a year or anything, but there were more localized conventions like Arcon and just random sci-fi and horror conventions before they became these big lucrative franchises, essentially.
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Yeah, but I I did go to them and I I loved it.
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And I, you know, I think when you go to a comic book convention or a horror convention, the experience, you know, the fandom experience is so much different than it is on social media.
00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:38.079
I mean, on social media, it it's always the loudest people making the most noise, you know, causing the most trouble.
00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:44.240
But when you meet these folks and fans in real life that don't care about that stuff as much, the kindest people in the world.
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And I'll say, especially horror fans, they're amazing.
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They're so nice.
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And I made so many friends over the years already, it's it's pretty remarkable.
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Yeah, you know, that's something that I, you know, people seem to be surprised about when I talk about, you know, my love of horror, our love of horror, and just what it's like at these conventions.
00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:07.680
It's like, I mean, it is you're just around some of the chillest, coolest, nicest people.
00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:17.279
Yeah, you know, they might have 25 face tattoos and you know, uh a million piercings or whatever and six foot five, but they're just like that's like the sweetest guy you ever meet.
00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:19.519
And I see your pictures sometimes too.
00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:25.120
Yes, you know, I'd like to I I do my own little cosplay style.
00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:46.399
The conventions horror conventions are every every ton that he's going to leave, he opens the particular closet that has this collection of uh there's no other word to use but gaudy, uh and you know, suits.
00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:55.519
It just but it makes me feel good because I know he's really gonna enjoy himself and that others will um recognize his artistic side.
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Well, literally yesterday I just put an artist on Etsy who does custom blazers, and I'm gonna get the horror heels logo like all over some uh some lasers to wear to the cons, you know.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:10.160
Because I am a shameless that's great, that's so awesome.
00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:10.480
Yeah.
00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:25.360
Um I think Dragon Con was probably the first like eye-opening experience going to that um in college, like the you know, 24-hour day party, people dressed up, you know, every anything goes kind of experience from like, whoa, this is not what I expected at all, and I love it.
00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:26.000
That's awesome.
00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:30.480
Yeah, I've never, you know, I've never been a cosplayer, but I always loved watching cosplayers.
00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:36.879
I think the closest I came to cosplaying was being Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons at different times for Halloween.
00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:37.840
Yes.
00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:44.960
Well, that's something that you and Kendall definitely have in common is uh Kendall's w grew up as as his, you know, as a kid, he was a huge kiss dude.
00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.440
Which is surprising considering his Southern Baptist upbringing.
00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:49.759
Yeah.
00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.840
Actually, it it makes total sense considering his Southern Baptist upbringing.
00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:54.559
Yeah.
00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:55.039
No.
00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:57.279
Yeah.
00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:03.600
My father would buy buy the albums and bring them home and say, can we not talk about this with your mother?
00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:06.000
I mean, you know, it's just one of those things, you know.
00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:06.720
That's great though.
00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:08.240
That sounds like a pretty cool dad.
00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:08.799
That's great.
00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:10.559
Oh, he he was amazing.
00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:11.360
That's awesome.
00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:11.919
That's pretty cool.
00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.240
Ace's one of my favorite interviews I've ever done.
00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:17.519
He's just like, he's no holds barred, like he'll just he'll just lets it all out.
00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:20.240
Yeah, he that dude has no filter whatsoever.
00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:25.360
Yeah, I got to meet him uh at the uh event that Gene Sennens was doing, actually.
00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:32.879
And you know, he's he is as spacey as delightfully so, as as you hear about for sure.
00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.000
It's funny.
00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:36.399
I remember seeing you post about that.
00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:37.919
Can you talk about that just for a couple minutes?
00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:38.559
Because I'm fascinated.
00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:43.200
You know, I like I like those those span interaction events, and this was like a small little group of people, right?
00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:43.759
Oh, yeah.
00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:47.600
So that was the uh the Gene Simmons vault experience, is what it was.
00:09:47.679 --> 00:10:00.559
And and what it was was a um you get this you get this vault that's got this huge coffee table book and like 12 CDs of unreleased music and demos and really cool stuff.
00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.600
But the fun part too was he actually gives it to you.
00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.320
So we went to this place, I forgot the name of the place.
00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.600
It used to be uh a club called Plush, if you remember that place in St.
00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:11.200
Louis, but it was on the fourth floor.
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:19.440
But yeah, it was about it was a small amount of people because it was a really expensive thing, something I would normally never splurge on, but I I did on this.
00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:25.279
Yeah, he came in, he um he did like an acoustic thing with a friend of his question and answer.
00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:27.919
Then Ace came in and they did an acoustic thing.
00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:42.320
Gene would walk around with like order and serve people ordered and stuff, and it was catered, and then you got 10 minutes, 10 or 15 minutes with them in the back room where he gives you your vols and you talk about it, you just hang out for a while.
00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:43.759
And Ace was there also.
00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:51.120
For a somebody who grew up as a KISS band, it was just just an incredible experience, and they were both so nice.
00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:52.240
That was the best part.
00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:53.759
Wow, awesome.
00:10:53.919 --> 00:11:00.480
Sorry for the little little sidebar there, but I just rem when we were talking about KISS, I remembered that and I was like, oh, this just this well, you know, like a really cool fan of it.
00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:10.159
Yeah, actually, it's it's it's the thing is this kind of tied back to her because I remember when I was a kid, the first time I saw a picture of them was on my cousin Terry's wall, her bedroom wall.
00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.440
And this was like that's so long after they first came out.
00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:18.639
And she had these black and white pictures on her wall, and I was like, What the fuck is this?
00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:20.320
This is some scary shit.
00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:21.600
And I did not like it.
00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:32.879
But then I got into it because I saw that the movie Kiss Meets the Fam at the Park, where they fought like animatronic Frankenstein and Dracula and Wolfman, and it kind of tied everything together for me in a way, you know.
00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:34.159
That's very cool.
00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:40.159
And speaking of that, now I I want to say you were in a production of uh Kiss Meets the Phantom, right?
00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:42.159
Where Magic uh Magic Smoking Web.
00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:43.120
I was, yeah.
00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:43.519
Yeah.
00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:45.759
I uh I played The Star Child.
00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.279
Yo, it was yeah, it was a really fun show.
00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:55.039
And I um I interviewed Paul Stanley later after that show and told him that we had done that show.
00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:57.759
And he goes, Well, hope they had fun.
00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:06.399
All right, so let's get back to um horror comics and let's talk a little bit about your title.
00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:07.039
Oh, thanks.
00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:09.200
Yeah, I have a couple self-published comics.
00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:16.720
They were The Rough and Tumble that I wrote with my friend Oscar Madrid, and um a horror anthology called The Dead Palace that I wrote on my own.
00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:18.159
Ben Sawyer did the artwork.
00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:24.080
Ben Sawyer took the Dead Palace to San Diego Comic Con and was pitching it to various publishers.
00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:33.600
And uh Red Five got a copy of it and uh really liked it, but they wanted to uh see if they could make it into a series, like the Dead Palace series.
00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:40.080
And because of the uh the very length of the stories, which was by design, it didn't really work as a monthly title.
00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:45.840
They said, Well, do you have anything that you can pitch us from the book that you would like to further explore as a series?
00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:47.440
And I said, Oh yeah, definitely.
00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.320
And they said, Well, we'll meet again next week and you can tell us about it.
00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:55.600
So I had a week to come up with the story and the series that I I really didn't have an idea of.
00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:03.120
I did that and we pitched it to them and they liked it, and we we did the first Butcher Queen series, which is Butcher Queen Black Star City.
00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:13.600
That's the volume one, and then we did uh Butcher Queen Planet of the Dead, and that that collection finally comes out in Trade Paperback in November, which is really good news.
00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:23.440
After that, I did the Atonement Bell, which was uh probably my my most personal project, the one I feel the most kind of emotional and tied to.
00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:33.200
And uh it just meant so much to me, and and the fact that it resonated with people is is so rewarding and it's so nice because I love I love when people have questions about it.
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:37.519
Or I just did a book club recently here at Apotheosis Comics in St.
00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:43.200
Louis, and they had a bunch of great questions, and we we talked about it, and I loved the whole experience so much.
00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:44.159
And Tyler B.
00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:45.840
Ruff was the artist on that as well.
00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:53.279
Yeah, I mean that definitely I could definitely tell by um by reading it that this was like, oh, this is definitely a very personal, personal thing for you.
00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:57.840
Can you just talk a little bit about the origins of the story and and yeah, how you developed it?
00:13:58.080 --> 00:13:58.639
Yeah, for sure.
00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:04.799
So the whole origin of the story, it I I I wrote a screenplay called The Angels of Warwick.
00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.519
And it was kind of a it was more of a tone poem than a screenplay in a way.
00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:16.480
It was very, very personal, and it was so personal that it didn't really communicate a story as as such.
00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:18.720
So I put it away for a few years.
00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:21.279
It's like, uh, I'll I'll worry about that later.
00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:31.759
But then after the second Butcher Queen series, I was thinking about my next thing and I was like, I think my whole problem with that screenplay in that story was that it should be a graphic novel.
00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:35.440
That seems like the medium that it would work best in, you know.
00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:47.039
And so I I I tore it up the screenplay, I kept a couple of character names, maybe, but I I started from scratch, and a lot of the things that inspired it were was basically living in St.
00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:47.519
Louis.
00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.600
And I if this gets boring, please let me and I'll I'll just shut up.
00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:54.240
No, no, please, you know, no, we're good.
00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:55.440
We're all things.
00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:57.440
So if when you grew up in St.
00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.000
Louis, and this is why I I said it in St.
00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:04.480
Louis, is there's such a sharp racial divide in St.
00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:15.600
Louis, and uh a lot of times these people are in the same place, and it's something that feels like it's never going to go away, no matter what.
00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:24.799
And and that feeling of like confusion, because it's so it's so dumb and hopelessness kind of inspired a lot of atonement bell.
00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:32.320
There's a really great book that was published by Walter Johnson a few years ago called The Broken Heart of America, and it talks about St.
00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:39.759
Louis as being the start of so many of the racial problems we see in the country today.
00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:41.200
And uh it's a fascinating book.
00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.000
If you've never read it, I give it a shot, it's fantastic.
00:15:44.240 --> 00:16:21.840
What folly pushed me to to sort of focus on the story in the personal way that I did was I went to um you know a Catholic rant school, a Catholic high school, you know, because of the miracle of social media, miracle of social media, I was able to reconnect with a lot of these folks and um became so disillusioned and so disappointed on how they had fallen in to this evangelical conservative nonsense, you know, where um listen to the Bible, but also ignore the Bible, you know, because we want our prejudices reinforced.
00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:23.679
And I and I lost a lot of friends over it.
00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.639
I was, you know, because I I don't keep quiet about that stuff.
00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:28.320
I you know, I I never have.
00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:33.360
I I don't like it, and I'll I'll bite that stuff tooth and nail until the day that I die.
00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:36.159
Um and that includes LGBT, you know, prejudice.
00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:42.559
If you if you call it virtual signal virtue signaling, that's fine, but it you know, not my dojo.
00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:43.440
You know what I mean?
00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:45.519
That's I have no basis for it.
00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:47.919
So that's really what fueled a lot of the story.
00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:59.440
At the same time, you know, a lot of the horror stuff that I like does have something to say about society and our our place in it and how we can make it better, but it also never forgets to be fun, the good stuff anyway.
00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:05.200
And uh, you know, you look at like get out, or you look at Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, things like that.
00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:09.200
They they definitely have something to say, but they're also a lot of fun.
00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:16.640
So that was really that was sort of like the thread I was trying to to weave, you know, in making a a fun story that says something.
00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:22.240
Just as you were talking, like people under the stairs just jumped into my mind, and you're Wes Craven has always had something to say, you know.
00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:23.599
He was but but he made it fun.
00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:24.400
Right, exactly.
00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.519
And that's the key to it.
00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:31.759
And the But I think that probably is the reason why I was um really drawn to Atonement Bells, because you know, I grew up in St.
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:37.519
Louis too and experienced the the same cultural um divides that you're talking about.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:51.599
And it's interesting because you know, Kendall and I spent nine years in the Bay Area, um, literally right next to Oakland, and Oakland, California is one of my favorite places in the world because it's every every culture, you know, is there.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:57.200
It's I mean, it's we we lived in a bubble for nine years, honestly, but it was a it was a beautiful bubble to live in.
00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.400
And now we're back on the other other coast.
00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:05.599
And I will say that New England probably has some of the same cultural divides that you know we experienced in St.
00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:06.559
Louis for sure.
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:20.319
Yeah, it it's sadly, you know, it's so disheartening, but you know, what because you're a writer as well, and and one thing that one benefit of having artistic abilities and creative impulses is that we can illuminate the pain, right?
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:27.759
You know, we can we can make these visceral statements about things that bother us and hopefully make people happy as well.
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:40.079
You know, I I think that like artists in general, whether you're an actor or writer or a painter, whatever, you can't trivialize or minimize your importance to the to the world, you know.
00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:47.279
I know that like when I wake up every day, the first thing that I think of is what can I what can I make today that'll make that somebody can enjoy?
00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:54.319
And sometimes it's a stupid haiku that I put online, which I'm sure you see, you know, or whatever, you know, but at least it's something.
00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:54.880
At least it's a good one.
00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:56.640
Oh, thank you.
00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:57.359
Thank you.
00:18:57.599 --> 00:18:58.880
I gotta send you a book.
00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:03.599
Please, and yeah, and you know, we would be honored if you would write a haiku about this uh interview experience.
00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.359
Absolutely, I will, yeah.
00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:09.759
It's I you know it's a good toilet read, my haiku book is.
00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:16.559
Going back to horror conventions, I think just what we were talking about, the this cultural divide, disappears at the horror conventions.
00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:19.039
And you know, they're all over the country now, they're in every state.
00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:32.960
And I don't care where you are, you when you're in a horror convention, you know, you you don't you don't realize, you know, you don't know what part of the country you're in because that it's everybody is welcome there and and nobody nobody's gonna put up with people people's prejudices, you know, cultural prejudices.
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.039
That is that is not tolerated at a horror convention.
00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:39.200
I think the world will be a better place if more people went to these conventions.
00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.880
You're you're absolutely right about that.
00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:46.799
And you know, I'll tell you one thing from from doing conventions since you know getting with a publisher and having having books out.
00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:55.519
The main thing that I love about conventions is those times when someone comes up to your table and they don't necessarily want to buy anything.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:22.400
They don't necessarily have any kind of agenda, they just want to tell you about the things they love, you know, and it could be somebody like sometimes it's someone who's very socially awkward, maybe, but they just want somebody to talk to and share their joy with, and just to be able to be there and listen to them and to engage with them and make their make part of the experience better of that day is the best thing in the world to me.
00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.160
Really, is it's the best.
00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:32.160
I mean, that is that is literally why we're you know doing this podcast is because you know, and Kendall had been pestering me, we gotta do a horror podcast.
00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:34.799
I'm like, ugh, there's a million of them.
00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.799
Yeah, what's what's ours?
00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:51.440
And that was that what I had that moment at a convention, you know, a couple of months ago where it was like I could see a young man in duress, and when as soon as somebody started engaging with him, like that all went away, and he had a friend and he had a huge smile on his face.
00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:59.440
And it's I mean, that's a place to go where you can feel comfortable striking up a conversation with anybody, and it's just and you do.
00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:06.480
I mean, you're yeah, a lot of times you're standing in line, so you might as well have a conversation with somebody about your shared love of horror, you know.
00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:07.920
And that's so that's why we're doing this.
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:09.039
Yeah, totally.
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:11.200
I I've never had a bad experience at a convention.
00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:13.440
Everybody's always so nice.
00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:14.799
I hope that continues.
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:25.519
I love being part of that that uh experience where you're you're making somebody feel good about who they are and and they're excited about what you're doing, and it's just the best feeling of the world.
00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.319
It it really is what it's all about, you know.
00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:31.119
Absolutely, for sure, for sure.
00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:32.640
So uh I'm gonna put you on the spot.
00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.920
Who do you who should we have on as guests on horror heels?
00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.319
Who would you like some great some great gits?
00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.200
Oh gosh.
00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:40.400
Well, uh there are a couple.
00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:44.559
I I would say um Colin Bunn would be a really good one.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:53.119
He's a horror comic writer who's very popular, very popular guy, also very uh very sweet guy, very informed and interesting.
00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:55.920
He's one of my favorites actually as a reader, as a fan.
00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.599
There's also Eric Stanze, who who you might know.
00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:00.079
He's a St.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.759
Louis-based filmmaker.
00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:11.920
He runs uh Wicked Pixel and writes and directs his own films, and Jeff Wettding, who uh is a Nashville-based filmmaker who uh does the same thing.
00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:16.640
I have worked with both those guys as an actor, so just up front.
00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:30.880
But for working with them, I know how how nice they are and how intelligent they are as people, you know, and they would also have a lot of a lot to offer in the way of uh uh the alien elements and capabilities of horror, for sure.
00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:40.640
One of the things we're definitely going to do with our website and social media is you know talk about we love indie horror, we love all horror, but we we love mainstream, we love indie, we love the old stuff.
00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:45.519
What jumps into your head immediately when you think about something you've seen recently that that really gotcha?
00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:52.000
Well, there's a uh there's a series right now, a comic series by James Tinian called The Deviant.
00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:55.839
That one is really, really super engrossing and super interesting.
00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.119
And if I gave you any information about it, it would kind of ruin it for you.
00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:01.359
But I think you guys would both really, really enjoy it.
00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:07.039
I think I might have seen something on my, you know, because of course my algorithm is full of uh deviancy.
00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:11.200
If you only badge it.
00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.559
No, but it's it's really good.
00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:16.880
So anything you can tease that you're working on now that we might be seeing?
00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:20.079
Yeah, well, I'm I'm actually working on a new comic series.
00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:27.759
I I can't talk about much about it now, except that like most of my work it deals with the dynamics of family.
00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:33.519
And this one is kind of focused on my mom a little bit, memories of her and things of that nature.
00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:39.359
I I just feel silly talking about something as I'm working on it just because what are the changes?
00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:40.160
You know.
00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:49.680
But I'm working on a couple projects now, a couple screenplays actually, both horror, with a couple of filmmakers that I've I never thought I'd get I would get a chance to work with.
00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:54.319
And I'm hoping to I have something to announce about that soon.
00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:56.640
So but I am working.
00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:58.240
Awesome.
00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:02.720
Jim, you're one of the first names I thought of when you know we decided to do this podcast.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:06.400
I I knew that you would be awesome, and uh and you were.
00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:09.039
So thank you for coming on and and uh you know sharing with us.
00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:10.319
Thanks so much for inviting me.
00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:15.119
I I I I love you know doing stuff like this, especially if it's a friend.
00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:18.240
And uh it's it's so nice to meet you, Kendall, as well.
00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:20.559
It was really neat to see both of you guys.
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:22.240
Yeah, you too.
00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:24.960
What a great conversation with Jim Oosley.
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:28.319
It was so awesome to catch up and dive into his creative process.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:33.119
And don't forget, if you're in Chicago this weekend for Days of the Dead, stop by and see Jim.
00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:38.960
Pick up a copy of Butcher Queen Volume 2 Planet of the Dead, and tell him where our heels sent you.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:50.640
A quick note for our regular listeners, we actually recorded this episode in the spring before we started asking all our guests our signature final question: who is your favorite final person in a horror movie?
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:52.720
But we're not gonna let Jim off the hook.
00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:59.039
His pick, and one that I love, especially as we're getting into the holiday season, is Jess from Bob Clark's Black Christmas.
00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:02.160
It's a deep cut and a fantastic choice.
00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:07.279
Thanks for tuning in, and if you like this episode, make sure to subscribe and leave us a review.
00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.759
And as always, when someone asks, is horror good for our mental wellness?
00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.640
You answer, of course it is.
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:21.119
The Horror Heals Podcast is produced and presented by How the Cow Ate the Cabbage LLC.
