Last week we had the pleasure of announcing the exclusive arrival of gHosts on GlobalComix, a major Halloween crossover by a group of entertainment industry veterans and horror creators.
Today we're kicking off a series of interviews with the creative team behind gHosts, starting with Shannon Eric Denton, who is also the founder Monster Forge Productions.
You can start reading gHosts #1 here. Get your downloadable PDF to support the creative team for only $0.99.
GlobalComix: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.
Shannon Eric Denton: First off, I'm the founder of the development company Monster Forge Productions. We launched during the pandemic to bring audiences fun, scary, spooky stories in comics, film, games, and toys made by the creators we love and admire.
I have been fortunate in my career to work as a writer/director/artist in film/comics/games/toys. The awesome folks on this project are similar in that we like to craft stories and the "how" isn't a blocker but an opportunity to play in different mediums.
GlobalComix: What drew you to this project? What did you enjoy the most about it?
Shannon Eric Denton: Oh, as the gang may tell you this was one of my wacky schemes to get a bunch of friends together on a project. I was on the phone all day with many of the group who didn't necessarily all know each other but I knew everyone. I wanted to make my friends' circle even smaller. The "how" took me a minute to crack but once I had the idea it was really easy to round everyone up.
Again, I love everyone involved in this project and it's sheer joy getting to make something with your Halloween-loving friends. It's the closest I could get to my idea of what this career would be like back when we were all trick-or-treating age. I started at Image Comics before moving over to work with Stan Lee and the gang on Marvel animation and the thing I love most about both of those groups is all these years later, still friends with everyone. So this project is really about capturing that energy that comes from collaboration with folks you admire.
GlobalComix: What would you say is the aspect of creating comics that you enjoy most?
Shannon Eric Denton: I grew up reading them so getting to make them is really a constant fulfilment of a lifelong dream. It's a rapid collaboration, that when you get to do with creatives like those on the project, is sheer joy. Seeing those pages come in from David Hartman was invigorating for all of us. So again, getting to make something together is the best.
GlobalComix: Do you have a dream IP that you’d like to do a project for?
Shannon Eric Denton: I am super fortunate that I have now worked on every IP I grew up loving. I'm the most excited about all the upcoming stuff we're making at Monster Forge. We're ready to get more of our stories out there!
GlobalComix: What about horror comics do you love the most?
Shannon Eric Denton: That your adrenaline gets rolling. That you're not crazy that there's a lot of darkness in the world. That there are others out there seeing the world with an eye towards the dark as well and they are making their concerns heard. I'm a fan of anything Cullen writes. Dastmalchian's Count Crowley has been a sheer joy. Rodney's killing it with Killadelphia and Nita Hawes.
Tim Seeley's Hack/Slash. Francesco Francavilla's work. Anything Tom Mandrake or Kelley Jones. Kevin Grevioux! Todd McFarlane's SPAWN! Sandy over at Storm King has been rocking it for 10 years now in comics so shout out to her and her team! ...and I'm sure I'm going to leave out a million folks so apologies. All the David Hartman art! We have a bunch coming up so stay tuned!
GlobalComix: Was there an issue that made the most impact on you as a writer?
Shannon Eric Denton: I think Frank Miller's DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. I broke in as a professional comics artist less than a decade later so my brain was entirely illustration focused. It was seeing one of my art idols take the reins of the story when it dawned on me I wanted both.
GlobalComix: Do you think that projects like this, with so many collaborators, would be something you want to do again in the future?
Shannon Eric Denton: You mean is there a Monster Forge Halloween Special #2 in the works? Absolutely! (among other things) When I broke into the business there were "Image/Dark Horse" crossovers and characters appearing in each other's books all the time and I LOVED that. But really those were creator to creator collaborations.
As the companies have grown and become more corporate it's harder for them to pull off. Rodney, Todd, and Erik are doing it now in his Killadelphia and it's fantastic! Dastmalchian and Niles did it with Count Crowley/Cal McDonald! Again, I'm joyous in collaboration so I have a lot more coming in 2024 with as many folks as I can wrangle.
GlobalComix: You’ve also worked as a Storyboard artist on so many well-known shows and films. How does your past work there help you as a comic writer now?
Shannon Eric Denton: Story Artist starts with the word story. It's the most important part whether you've drawn it or typed it. When I'm directing or storyboarding or writing, we're allotted only so many minutes in a TV show or movie and you learn where things have the most impact.
People need to follow what's happening for them to care where and when you want them to. I've been doing this for a long time and I'm only just scratching the surface of what can be done. So glad I'm getting to do it with so many talented, and most importantly, nice people. Happy Halloween, everyone!
Happy Halloween to you too, Shannon! We can't wait to see what Monster Forge Productions has in store next. If you're curious as well, you can follow them on GlobalComix for update notifications.
Here are some links to social media profiles where you can follow Shannon and Monster Forge: