Broken Frontier

Following up on yesterday’s chat, Brian Pulido is back again with an Inside Look on Chucky #2, the most popular tiny slasher of all slashers.

The solicitation for the issue reads:

More madness with everyone’s favorite murderous doll! Chucky’s quest for blood has taken him to Detective Mike Norris and is now leading him to an adult Andy Barclay… but this time, Andy’s got some secrets of his own that may prove deadly to Chucky… Will the tables get turned? The slaughter continues!

In the first issue, I had Chucky go back to his roots – and his old killing grounds – as the Lakeshore killer. Back then, he was bad old Charles Lee Ray and his murder method of choice was strangling.

In this storyline, Chucky is trying to find his mojo. He’s been through a lot. What’s he want out of life? Above all, he’d like to get out his damned doll body, but that doesn’t seem possible at the moment, so he decides to punish the last people who thwarted him. That includes Detective Barry Preston.

In the second issue, Chucky find his true purpose. While it would be a piece of cake to murder Jade and Jessie, the couple from Bride of Chucky, he realizes he’d get a lot more satisfaction out of dissecting their lives, THEN killing them.

I guess you can call this a “coming of age” story!

PAGE 1

Chucky is a BIG terror in a SMALL package, so I asked Josh to hit the reader with a big, fat close up on our “star”. I see this story as a “love letter” to Chucky fans, so I wanna give ‘em what they want: lots of Chucky, lots of the time.

Being that Chucky sees himself as a ladies man, I thought his “sugar tits” comment was kinda sweet.

Another goal for me, though it is an unconscious one, is to channel Brad Doriff’s voice as Chucky. It’s important for me that the readers believe they are hearing Chucky as they’ve come to know him.

PAGE 2

Shawna Preston is trying to keep Chucky away from Barry so she heads downstairs. Shawna actually shows a lot of balls in this story. Think about it. If there ever was a possibility of an insane, murderous doll coming after you or yours, you might want to take a few shooting lessons. So that’s what she did.

Chucky is in a romantic mood, hence his lines. I see Chucky as having a chip on his shoulder about a lot of things. First, he’s a damn doll. Second, he’s never been grouped with the great serial killers of our time. That really pisses him off.

In terms of direction to Josh, I’ll set a scene (angle, lighting, mood), but it’s up to him to use it. Got to hand it to him, he’s got a good eye for this horror stuff.

PAGE 3

I love the juxtaposition of a totally serious situation – Chucky intends to murder Barry and Shawna – and Chucky’s irreverent world view. I have a lot of experience with those type of characters (take Evil Ernie and Freddie for example) and have a blast with them.

As I was writing this scene, Chucky’s dialogue just spilled out. It seemed perfectly natural (in it’s own twisted way). In his mind, this is a date with Shawna – with Barry in the way.

People ask me if I have tortured dreams or spend a lot of time thinking about death and destruction, and actually, no I don’t. I simply go to my office and do what I do. That it entails lots of murder and mayhem, well, it’s a living!

PAGE 4

Chucky learns that al his sweet talk ain’t working for Shawna.

I really dig setting up readers for one expectation, then hitting with something they don’t expect. This page sets that up (to pay off on page 6).

Josh does a great job making this page cinematic.

On an unrelated topic, a reviewer criticized me for having Chucky use his trusty kitchen knife as his main weapon in issue #1. Since I see Chucky trying to get back to basics, I also see him using his knife. A knife is a very intimate object to murder someone with. It requires you to be close, hear their breathing, feel their blood on you. Think of Chucky using his kitchen knife like he’s going “home” to a warm trusty friend.

But on the other side of the coin…

PAGE 5

Chucky likes to use outlandish weapons to get the job done. He feels slighted by Shawna. To overcome her rejection, he breaks out a BIG tool (right out of the Home Depot catalogue I might add).

The low angle in panel 1 gives Chucky a commanding feel.

Chucky is a tough adversary. Bullets don’t do squat – as Barry learns.

PAGE 6

Chucky kills Barry first to make Shawna pay for rejected him. It’s like Chucky is stuck in adolescence.

Panel 1 is an instance where Shawna’s expression tells us all we need to know about what is happening to Barry.

So by now the reader imagines that Shawna is trapped in the basement with Chucky. Toward the end of the page, we introduce a panic room – and the possibility of escape.

Too bad she won’t get much of a chance to use it.

PAGE 7

Now here is Chucky’s pay off. After all the exotic weapons he reverts to his trusty kitchen knife. It’s almost like the two of them are one. He sees the knife as an extension of himself.

We also are reminded of the depths of Chucky’s depravity.

Even though I understand the reader may “root” for Chucky, I like to take his actions extra far so the reader has to question thier allegiance to him. I like to remind the reader that Chucky is actually the bad guy and rooting for him may not be the correct side of the issue.

That’s how I feel watching the Sopranos. I tend to like the characters until I’m reminded how depraved and sociopathic some of them are.

Keep an eye out for #2. Things only get worse for our “heroes”. I can personally guarantee that Chucky goes more and more bananas with each issue and I’m betting readers will not be able to guess where the story is heading.

Strap in for a horrifying good time!

For more info on Brian Pulido, visit:
www.BrianPulido.com
www.LadyDeathUniverse.com