Hello y’all—
Welcome to the fifth installment of The Purloined Letters, the reader correspondence feature of Southern Gothic! We have had SUCH a blast chatting with our readers in the old-fashioned letters page format. In exchanging messages this week, Ezequiel and I both expressed feeling a little melancholy to sit down with this last batch of letters ahead of the Southern Gothic finale next month.
There’s something very unique about the comics letters page. Long before Twitter, Reddit, and other social media, the letters page created a place for consumers and fans to speak directly to the creators working on their favorite stories. I’ve been thinking about the rhetorical power of the letters page for much of my professional life, but only in working on Southern Gothic have I felt its impact on my work. I can say without a doubt that Southern Gothic will end up being much better because of the interactions I had with readers throughout the creation of the comic.
As always, thank you. We know we are competing with a lot of other stuff out there for your attention and it has never been lost on us that you are doing us a solid by spending some time with us and our comic each month.
The entire Southern Gothic team is looking forward to sharing the final chapter of this story with you in March. But until then, we’re equally excited to answer your questions. So let’s dive in to the mailbag!
Ben and Ezequiel–
I look forward to Southern Gothic every month. I picked up the ashcan this summer and then started reading online. I love James Baldwin but as I’ve continued reading I especially want to shout out two characters who have stolen my heart: Truman and Zora. It was really great seeing them both shine in the last chapter [chapter 17].
My favorite page is the one that moves from Zora’s memory of Haiti to 1955 when she takes on Hoover. The art and color is so perfect!
I didn’t expect to like Truman Capote at all. Are you watching the show [Feud: Capote vs. The Swans on FX]? I had never heard of Babe Paley until Southern Gothic so it was cool to see more about her relationship with Truman on there. In Southern Gothic Truman comes across as much more likable than in the movies and other things I’ve seen. Is that on purpose?
I love how you manage to balance lighthearted humor with deeper introspection. Thank you for creating such a captivating and thought-provoking story. I can't wait to see where it takes us next!
Sincerely,
Olivia H., Charlotte, NC
Ben: Thank you for your message, Olivia! You would not BELIEVE how many folks have said that they first engaged with Southern Gothic because of James Baldwin! And let me tell you: Baldwin and Poe are by FAR the most popular “Literary Heroes” in our merch department. I hope that we convey our love and respect for Mr. Baldwin in chapter 17!
It’s exciting to hear that Zora and Truman have “stolen your heart.” It’s kismet when characters surprise us– especially with their charms. Writing the character based on Zora was a blast– she surprised me a LOT in the final stretch! I may have mentioned it here before, but I watched the absolutely wonderful two-part episode of PBS’ American Experience called Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space in early 2023. That documentary greatly inspired Zora’s arc in Southern Gothic– particularly some key moments I can’t wait for you to see in the final chapter! And I agree: the way Ezequiel transitioned between Haiti and 1955 with Zora’s flashback is a real masterstroke of visual storytelling! The line and color work in that sequence blew my mind when I first saw the finished art!
Ezequiel: Thanks for your kind words on the art of that page! It’s one of my favourites too. I think the color turned out really well.
Ben: Now about Truman. First of all, I love that we were able to introduce you to Babe Paley. I wrote Ezequiel last week and was like, “Is Feud: Capote vs. The Swans airing in Spain right now? Our readers have QUESTIONS!” Haha! In addition to Olivia, thanks to Jackson P. from Durham, NC and Cindy L. from Blacksburg, VA for writing to ask for our hot takes on Feud!
I’m glad that you think Truman comes off a little more sympathetic in Southern Gothic than he does in Feud. As more than one critic has pointed out (J. Bryan Lowder’s Slate piece comes to mind), Feud seems to hate Truman Capote! Haha.
Ezequiel: I haven't had the chance to watch Feud yet, but as I told Ben, ever since I drew Southern Gothic, I've been interested in any series or movie featuring "our" characters!"
Ben: Oh TOTALLY! I’ve only had a chance to watch the first episode (and I think there will be four or five out by the time we post). It was fun and I definitely want to pick it back up when I get a chance. Tom Hollander does a solid Capote, though I was sort of taken out of it when he looks very much the same in 1955 and he does in the 70s– but that’s not his fault. Naomi Watts sells me on Babe Paley and Diane Lane owns every scene as Slim Keith. It’s a gorgeous show to look at; major kudos to everyone involved in the production design.
I haven’t read Capote’s Women, though my husband (and New Futurists Publisher!) Jon Cochran HAS and he says, “The book gives you a sense of why these society women were attracted to Capote in the first place and you better understand the sense of betrayal they felt when he aired their dirty laundry.”
At the end of the day, the historical record strongly suggests that Truman was a total brat. Narcissistic. Petty. But he was also a very damaged person. I love Gerald Clark’s classic biography of Capote. For me, it’s one of those page-turners that provides context and color for Capote’s enfant terrible antics. In Southern Gothic, I wanted to channel the self-obsessed narcissist, but also the perpetually abandoned kid, the bullied sissy, and the insecure artist compulsively trying to impress his peers. That’s all a long way of saying, I was conscious of how Capote is often characterized in stories where he appears as a character and I DID want to offer my sympathy for the little devil!
We appreciate your kind words and support, Olivia! And we very much hope to stick the landing next month with Chapter 18!
Illiterati! ⚰️⚰️⚰️
I did _not_ see that one coming.
When a character mentioned the Illiterati in an earlier issue I thought it was just clever wordplay. I didn’t think you’d actually make a secret society of dead writers? Ghost writers? What do they prefer to be called?
I recognized Cervantes and Julian of Norwich from your org chart. And a little googling educated me on Qu Yuan. But I couldn’t find anything about Niben. Is she based on a real person? (I loved her clap back at Capote’s racist ass.)
You’ve got me on the edge of my seat to see who is hiding under those redactions.
Oliver C., Lubbock, TX
BB: Hi Oliver! We didn’t mean to kill you with the Illiterati!
Okay, so can I tell you: I’d never thought about the phrase “ghost writers” in the context of Southern Gothic. So much comedic potential! Why didn’t Poe appear on a flaming motorcycle a la Nick Cage in 2007!? But to answer your first question, I believe they prefer to be called “story people,” Oliver.
Ben: And thank you for nerding out over the Illiterati org chart! Yes, Cervantes, Julian of Norwich, and Qu Yuan are all based on historical figures. Niben is an original character, not based on a specific person. I imagined the leader of the North American Illiterati as an Indigenous woman who long predates colonial contact. Ezequiel’s design brings Niben to life so perfectly.
And a little behind-the-scenes story you didn’t ask for: Niben’s original name in the script was “Catori.” But the day before I sent the finished art featuring Niben’s first appearance to Reinhard for lettering, my dollbabies got an update. What are my dollbabies you might be asking? Why that’s what I call Marvel Future Fight, the mobile game I’ve been playing for EIGHT years. Future Fight and I have been THROUGH some shit, y’all! Anyway, there was an update for my dollbabies featuring characters from season 2 of Marvel’s What If? on Disney+ including this wicked cool original character:
Ben: Kahhori was just too close to Catori for comfort. I ain’t trying to get sued by Disney! Thus, she became Niben.
Elinor from Greensboro also asked if we would be revealing the other members of the Illiterati. All I can say is: read on, gentle readers! And if you don’t get the answers you’re seeking in Southern Gothic, other projects in the pipeline may prove more illuminating… Oh, but I’ve said too much!
Thanks for your message!
Ben–
I’m getting caught up on your comic. I just have to say, bell hooks seems like a weird choice for your cast. I understand how you could make a case for including Randall Kenan and Toni Morrison in a comic called “Southern Gothic,” but why bell hooks?
Glenda L., Greenville, SC
Ben: Hi Glenda! I appreciate your message. If you’re getting caught up on the comic, then you’re probably coming to understand that weird choices are kind of my brand.
But seriously, I appreciate the question about bell hooks. After a couple of years fielding inquiries from readers about what we mean when we say “Southern Gothic” and why certain authors appear in the story and others don’t, I’m afraid my answer is still very unscientific.
With the 1950’s cast, I actively set out to engage the genre concept of “southern gothic.” But let me define the jargon: when I say “southern gothic” I’m talking about a text that is set in or inspired by the American South, featuring grotesque, disturbing, or menacing depictions of sites of cultural inflammation such as poverty, violence, and social alienation. Quite a mouthful.
Some characters in the ‘50s cast are commonly associated with the genre: Carson, Truman, Tennessee, Flannery, and Faulkner, for instance. Some folks like Zora, Poe, Kenan, and Morrison are frequently included in the conversation when we expand our consideration beyond the mid-20th century. Ultimately, like most genre descriptions, I find “southern gothic” baggy and capacious. So for instance, what is more “southern gothic” than slavery narratives like those by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs? They are grotesque, set at least partially in the South, and plumb the depths of human depravity.
So sometimes it’s easier for me to describe what is not “southern gothic” in Southern Gothic! Shirley Jackson: draws on the gothic tradition like WHOA... but she’s not Southern. Why is she in the cast? I really dig her work! I don’t have a better answer. I’m a fan and thought a character based on Shirley could do some interesting narrative work alongside other 1950’s contemporaries.
With the 2000 cast, Randall Kenan and Toni Morrison were in the script from the first draft. Get this: at one point the 2000 team consisted of SIX characters! Rookie mistake. I realized the action got lost with the sprawling cast. I will also reveal that Louise Erdrich was a tough one to cut. Her character had an entire side plot! And until the penultimate draft, Octavia Butler was in the bell hooks role.
So why did I go with bell hooks? Partially, I’m going to go with my Shirley Jackson rule: because I really admire her. I loved being able to celebrate a Black Appalachian woman and a revolutionary American philosopher. And in the final chapter, bell hooks does something that surprised me as a writer. As in: by putting a character based on bell hooks in the story, the narrative took a turn that I didn’t anticipate. I think bell’s actions in chapter 18 wouldn’t have happened if I’d been writing another character and I definitely think the story is better and frankly less conventional than the drafts that didn’t include her.
That was an incredibly long response to your question, Olivia. I hope that I do right by bell hooks (and all of her admirers) in our comic! And I also hope that Southern Gothic continues to make people question the boundaries of the genre that inspired it.
Do you have any advice for someone trying to break into comics about balancing time between creating and promoting? How many conventions do you go to each year? How do you balance time between working and marketing? Are there parts of making comics that you don’t enjoy and how do you make yourself do it?
anonymous
Ben: Thanks to this anonymous reader for asking these business questions. I immediately broke into a flop sweat.
Great questions but I will be the first to say I’m not the best person to ask MANY of these!
I am terrible at balancing creation and promotion. Though much of my professional life has found me working in marketing, I am actively bad at making time to market my own stuff. I know there are some other creators who read The New Futurists, so please sound off in the comments. How do you structure your time to balance creative work with marketing?
As for conventions, again I am not the best person to ask. I had to limit our convention appearances in 2023 due to a lot of personal responsibilities that made it hard for me to travel. I’m optimistic that the New Futurists will be out and about more in 2024 (stay tuned!). But every creator will tell you it’s a delicate balance between attending conventions to promote your work, network with fellow creators, and meet fans on the one hand– and getting the work done on the other hand. The work has to come first! I count on working most weekends to meet various New Futurists deadlines, so traveling for a convention has to be a very calculated choice. I would say, don’t spread yourself too thin and prioritize quality of experience over quantity of appearances when considering attending conventions.
Oh your last question is a really good one! I am loath to complain about any part of making comics because it is genuinely a labor of love– and totally magical. Not to sound precious, but there’s nothing quite like the experience of watching a comic come to life as Ezequiel, Rafael, Reinhard, and I send files back and forth to build something better than any one of us could have created alone. But the part I enjoy the least: the lettering script.
Nothing inspires procrastination in me like the thought of doing a lettering script. So, for those wondering what exactly I’m talking about, let me break it down. I write an “artist’s script” for Ezequiel. That’s the base material he uses to lay out and execute the art on each page. When Ezequiel is finished with the line work, those pages go to Rafael for color flats. The color flats then go back to Ezequiel for final colors. The art with final colors then goes to Reinhard for letters. BUT, before I send the art for letters, I have to go back to the script and do some revisions.
As I’ve mentioned before, Ezequiel often punches up the script via visual storytelling choices. For instance, sometimes he will expand action I describe happening in one panel to two panels. Or maybe he composes a different “camera angle” than I mention in the script and suddenly the dialogue overwhelms the scene. Also, this is my last opportunity to workshop dialogue, make sure my prose is clear, and add any text I didn’t envision in the artist script. Oh and sound effects! I rarely think about sound effects until I see the final art! So the lettering script is where I confront my sins. Haha!
Seriously, I would say on average, the lettering script only takes about 45 minutes to an hour to crank out. But for some reason, it is like pulling teeth for me! My guess is that it requires some very practical editing and revision– and practicality is so de trop for me.
New Futurists–
Congratulations on Southern Gothic! Can’t wait to see how it wraps up.
Question– Ben, you identify as an X-men fan, wondering if you thought about SG as a team book and how you balance a really big cast? And for Ezequiel– a lot of these scenes have a big cast of characters in them. Beyond who is talking in each panel, how do you decide who to show us in those scenes with lots of people in them?
Hope you guys keep it up. I’ve enjoyed your work on this comic.
Daniel F., Chevy Chase, MD
Ben: Great to hear from you, Daniel! I can’t wait to see how Southern Gothic wraps up, either!
Thank you for shouting out my defining fandom– the X-Men! Oh honey, the X-men are about to have a YEAR! The return of the beloved 90s cartoon with X-Men ‘97 in March, the highly anticipated Deadpool and Wolverine MCU film in July, not to mention the absolutely rollicking work being done in the “Fall of X” era of the X-Men comics! What a time to be a stan! Also, I’m very excited to have all of this media to try to foist on the kids in my life!
But to answer your question– yes, I definitely thought about Southern Gothic as a team book when writing it. And again, for those readers not stewed in comics jargon, a “team book” like X-Men or Justice League is contrasted with a “solo book” like Wolverine or Wonder Woman that largely focuses on the titular protagonist. In fact, before I ever wrote Southern Gothic, I pulled a few single issues of team comics that I really loved and diagrammed their structure. For instance, I remember digging into an early issue of The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra to diagram how many pages each plot received, how different plots were interwoven for narrative effect, and how to navigate shifts in time and setting. I highly recommend this sort of diagramming exercise for writers looking for strategies to juggle multiple plots and a large cast of characters.
Ezequiel: Good question! Sometimes it's complicated to know where to focus; many times I have Ben's help in the script, he specifies which character is more important in the scene. Anyway, in future projects, I hope our cast will be somewhat smaller than that of Southern Gothic! Haha!
Ben: Y’all, there were some moments in the final chapter when I definitely felt like I should apologize to Ezequiel! Haha! I was essentially like, “No pressure, but every character we’ve ever seen in this comic appears in this panel— George Pérez-style!” I promise to do better, Ezequiel!
I’m getting a little misty thinking about the end of Southern Gothic. We’re looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up!
I have two questions for you. Do you have any recommendations for comics to read for people who like your comic? I honestly haven’t read many other comics or graphic novels, but I’m open to suggestions. Second question is do you have a Southern Gothic reading list? Do you have a list of books that are referenced in the comic or a recommendation for books you would consider to be “southern gothic?”
Thank you!
David and Charlotte S., San Francisco, CA
Ben: We appreciate your readership and support, David and Charlotte!
Thank you for your questions! Lord have mercy, these recommendation questions always send me into a TIZZY. I want to shout-out roughly one million comics.
If you’re looking for comics that share some vibes with Southern Gothic, I’ll hit you with three books that immediately come to mind– and please forgive me if I’ve recommended some of these before:
The Manhattan Projects (by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra from Image Comics): Long-time readers know I’m a Hickman devotee. The premise for this comic is that the historical Manhattan Project was a pretext for some decidedly sci-fi antics. Characters based on everyone from Oppenheimer and Einstein to an A.I. FDR appear in this story. It’s a hoot.
The Department of Truth (by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds from Image Comics): I know I’ve mentioned this book here before as it greatly impacted the development of Southern Gothic. The overall premise of the book is that collective belief alters reality and in the age of mass disinformation causes some devastating problems. Check out the first collected edition: issue #3 is one of the most finely- crafted single issues of a comic I’ve ever read.
Providence (by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows from Avatar Press): A lot of readers have drawn parallels between Southern Gothic and Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen– and I get it! LoEG definitely inspired SG. But the Alan Moore book that really stuck in my noggin as I was working on our comic is Providence, a gorgeous and grotesque story that explores the Lovecraft mythos and H.P. Lovecraft, himself.
Hopefully there’s something in there to keep you reading comics! Don’t give up– they’re good for you!
Now as for a “southern gothic” reading list… Whoo boy. I’ve genuinely been mulling this question for DAYS. Haha! How to best answer? No one needs to suffer through my unpacking all the references in Southern Gothic! So how about some recommended reading to explore the “southern gothic” genre and a number of the authors featured as characters in the comic? I guarantee you I will be futzing with this list until the second this post goes live! That’s how much I care about the topic. So thank you for the fun questions and for giving me a list to obsess over!
Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (1764)
The OG self-described gothic novel provides a foundation for understanding “gothic” elements.
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839)
Poe channels the Gothic tradition, bringing it into an American idiom.
H.P. Lovecraft, “Supernatural Horror in Literature” (1927)
Lovecraft provides his analysis of the horror genre in an essay that gives insight into the development of genres such as “weird fiction” from the gothic tradition.
William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! (1936)
This is my favorite Faulkner novel and is packed to the brim with elements that would become hallmarks of southern gothic fiction– particularly the decay of a White Southern family.
Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948)
I do not like this book. In fact, I think it is actively BAD. But I also think it’s a very valuable text for thinking about the stereotypes that coalesce in the “southern gothic” genre. Think of it almost like a parody of the genre.
Carson McCullers, The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951)
This novella trades big in grotesque and extreme characters to render small town Southern life in the 20th century bizarre.
Flannery O’Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories (1955)
This collection of short stories contains some of O’Connor’s finest work. Stories like “Good Country People” and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” solidify O’Connor’s southern gothic credentials with their grotesque imagery, violence, and moral decay.
Tennessee Williams, Suddenly Last Summer (1958)
I’ve taught a number of Williams plays over the years and found that students are often familiar with Streetcar, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and/or The Glass Menagerie. Suddenly Last Summer is a gem of a short play and explores southern gothic themes of family secrets and mental illness just as vividly as some of Williams’ more famous works.
Eudora Welty, The Optimist’s Daughter (1972)
Welty famously said of the term “southern gothic,” “They better not call me that.” This novel provides a wonderful site for thinking about why Welty skirted the edges of SG.
bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981)
hooks’ work interrogates the compounding effects of slavery, racism, and sexism on Black women and American social movements. This nonfiction work provides some ballast to ground the aesthetics of the southern gothic in very real lived experiences— particularly those of Black women.
Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)
Literally every survey class I’ve ever taught on American literature has included Beloved. It’s one of those gems that affects readers with its narrative, prose, and craft. It’s a fundamental text in the history of contemporary literature and a truly stunning reconfiguration of the southern gothic.
Randall Kenan, A Visitation of Spirits (1989)
I would argue that this novel brings the themes and aesthetics associated with southern gothic into the late 20th century like nothing else.
Thank you to everyone who wrote in and to all of you for reading! Join us back here next month for the shocking finale of Southern Gothic! See you in the funny papers!
This was a great letters column!!!
You've got to let us know what you think when you finish Feud!