IDW Publishing presents Scarenthood, a new thrilling horror series just in time for Halloween! Readers looking for a fun and comedic new horror adventure, this four issue mini- series takes you on a ghost- hunting journey unlike any other. From writer and artist Nick Roche comes Scarenthood a humorous yet chilling tale that is today’s Goonies but with adults!
“What would scare you the most: fighting demons… or letting your kids down?” Scarenthood is what happens when the Goonies meets housewives and single fatherhood in the ultimate team up against the paranormal all before nap time. A group of parents including our protagonist Cormac come face to face with an ancient evil while their children are away on a field trip. Uptight and work- obsessed Cormac reluctantly takes a dare to enter a “supposedly haunted” section beneath the old Church Hall. Proving that adults can play games too, Cormac takes the challenge but sometimes arrogance can literally come back to haunt you. Shocked and in disbelief Cormac sees something haunting that unearths a decades old mystery about a little boy that went missing, while also unleashing something dark.
Weird things start happening like loss of time, it’s suddenly 10 hours later but it only felt like minutes have passed, is it possible that there are different dimensions? Did something follow Cormac home from the old creepy Church? Find out in Scarenthood coming soon!! Below, creator Nich Roche delves further into the series and discusses why he chose to focus on adult protagonist over children, the inspiration of this ghost tale and capturing the voices of normal people in not so normal situations.
- Nick, you have done some work in the sci-fi genre with your art on IDW’S “Transformers” series. What inspired the story for Scarenthood ?
I knew I wanted to start putting together my own creator-owned work, especially after so many years working on Transformers projects and superhero stuff with Marvel. I assumed that when I got the chance to strike out on my own, there’d be robots and capes a-plenty. But once my little girl started going to pre-school about five years ago , and I was forced out of my artist’s hovel and into the world of school gate smalltalk, I started to wonder what my mornings would be like if I had them to myself, and had more options that talking about local house prices with the other parents. When I hit on the idea of parents who go ghost-hunting, but are constrained by having to be back in time to collect their kids, SCARENTHOOD came together.
- Do you have a particular genre that you prefer to write? Or draw ?
I think given a preference, I enjoy drawing stuff that’s a bit more fantastical – you spend less time using reference photos when you’re inventing sci-fi backgrounds or hideous creatures. But Scarenthood was a nice challenge in balancing my cartoony style with settings that are rooted in real life, and had to have some sense of believability. Writing-wise, I’m pretty easy to please. I love working in a shared established universe as I did when writing Transformers – there’s something very satisfying about the push-and-pull of making a story new and all your own, while also making sure it slots into the wider universe. But I loved writing in my local vernacular with SCARENTHOOD, capturing the voices of normal people dealing with not-normal things.
- Did you draw any inspiration from any real people when writing the characters Flynno, Cormac, Jen and Rhona?
Well, if I did, I’m not going to admit it HERE, am I…?! Yeah, I’ve stolen a few flavours from people I know. Oddly, I had it written before we moved to our current home, and the parents we’ve made friends with since arriving actually mirror the characters I’d written, so that reassured me that I was onto something believable with the personality types in the book. (Sadly, I think I might be the Flynno of my group…)
- I really like that this series takes the parents on a journey instead of the children, did you originally always have these protagonists in mind?
Yeah, very much so. I have found when I’ve set the scene to friends, they assume that the kids will be the stars of the show, and are always a little taken-aback when I say that it’s about the parents who have to fit their mystery-solving around their kids’ schedules. It’s all part of writing what you know, and as I’d led a very sheltered life drawing giant robots and avoiding interacting with the outside world, becoming a dad and being thrust into that side of things ended up being the most profound experience of my life. Or at least one that I can exploit for my job.
- What type of readers do you think would enjoy this series?
Only the most intelligent and attractive need apply. And by picking up Scarenthood, you become both those things. So everyone wins.
I’m hoping that my Transformers readers give it a shot. I always worked hard to bring emotional depth and character to those stories, and if anyone enjoyed my stuff there, I think they’ll dig SCARENTHOOD. You don’t need to have kids in your life to ‘get’ the book either – it speaks to the thwarted adults in all of us who yearn for the days when they could do something more frivolous and reckless. Comics-wise, it’s maybe a cross between the mystery of Locke And Key and the sitcom happenings of Giant Days – my favourite example of horror/comedy that balances its tone and does it with killer dialogue is Shaun Of The Dead, and SCARENTHOOD certainly matches that for profanity.
- Do you see this just being a mini- series or do you have any plans to continue the story with possible spin-offs or one shots?
I’m hoping the series does well enough to warrant a continuation, preferable in the form of returning mini-series. It was definitely conceived as a longer tale. But for now, issues #1-4 tell a (mostly) complete tale of some grown ups disturbing something they shouldn’t have and trying to fight evil while looking after their kids, and if people like it, we’ll see more.
Nick gives readers a spell-binding journey that encompasses adult humor, profanity and fear. This fun adventurous team-up is the perfect balance of horror and comedy and a great read for adults. Scarenthood features a fun cartoon style with vibrant colors by Chris O’Halloran (Immortal Hulk, Ice Cream Man) that is on par with the quirky tale. It challenges the characters beliefs and offers them an exciting new adventure away from the work desk and kitchen. Check your local comic shop to order a copy of the new series coming this November!
Scarenthood #1 will be available with two cover variations for retailers and fans to enjoy: Cover A by Nick Roche, and a Retailer Incentive edition by Declan Shalvey (Moon Knight).
For information on how to acquire copies of the Scarenthood comic books, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.
Gotham Geek Girl 