Black-Eyed Kids Come Out To Play This Halloween

When night falls on a sleepy midwestern town, an ancient unimaginable horror creeps violently and purposely through the night. That's when the children come out to play; Children with eyes of solid back, devoid of emotion and remorse, and only asking for one thing... to come inside.

Read the Halloween ComicFest interview with writer Joe Pruett and artist Szymon Kudranski about Black-Eyed Kids #1 from AfterShock Comics that you can get for FREE at comic shops on October 29th!

Halloween ComicFest: For those unfamiliar with Black-Eyed Kids, how would you describe it?

Joe Pruett: I would say it’s old-school horror, mixed with a chilling taste of modern sensibilities. Alfred Hitchcock meets Japanese cinema. It’s meant to scare you instead of gross you out.

Szymon Kudranski: It’s a mystery and drama involved the phenomena of the Black-Eyed Kids.

Halloween ComicFest: What sets Black-Eyed Kids apart from other horror-themed comics?

Joe Pruett: What I think sets it apart is that there’s a mystery behind it instead of just being a blood fest. Who are the BEK? Who are all of these seemingly random people connected? What do they really want? Why did that kid in issue #1 just walk into a gas station and just start shooting people at random and then wait for the police to show up?

I was listening to a podcast this past weekend that reviewed issue #5 (shoot out to the AfterShock Central Podcast on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network) and what I liked about what one of the reviews said about the series is that after each issue he “thinks about the issue.” To me, that’s what made following a TV show like Lost and Battlestar Galactica so much fun is that after I watched each episode I would run to the show message board and see what other fans of the show saw that I might have missed and read about what their theory of what was really going on in the show. That’s what I want to happen with Black-Eyed Kids is for the fans of the series to start trying to figure out the mystery (and it is a mystery) of who these creepy little kids are and what the hell is going to happen next!

Szymon Kudranski: It’s driven by a great story and moody art.

Halloween ComicFest: How has the fan response been to Black-Eyed Kids?

Joe Pruett: Fantastic. Beyond fantastic actually. I’ve met so many people who genuinely love what we’re doing on the series. The reviews have also been great. It’s quite flattering actually. I’m still waiting on our first Black-Eyed Kid cos players to show up. Should be relatively easy to do. It would probably freak me out to see a real life Black-Eyed Kid in person, though.

Szymon Kudranski: I think fans truly enjoy it, as they keep coming back for more!

Halloween ComicFest: Why is Halloween ComicFest the perfect time to release a special edition of Black-Eyed Kids?

Joe Pruett: Halloween. Horror comic. Scary things that go bump in the night. People will be looking for something a little spooky this time of the year, so I hope they’ll discover our comic and walk over to the retailer and ask for the first trade collection, also shipping in October.

Szymon Kudranski: Because it’s Halloween!

Halloween ComicFest: Who do you think is a master of the horror genre?

Joe Pruett: In comics? Writers: Alan Moore, Steve Niles, Jamie Delano’s early run on Hellblazer, off the top of my head. Artists: Bernie Wrightson front and center.

Szymon Kudranski: Joe Pruett!

Halloween ComicFest: What are some of your favorite Halloween and horror-related comics you’re reading now?

Joe Pruett: I loved Scott Snyder’s Wytches and Cullen Bunn is doing a nice job on Harrow County. Strangely enough, well, to me it is, but my favorite horror series right now is drawn by my buddy and Black-Eyed Kids cover artist, Francesco Francavilla, Afterlife with Archie.

Szymon Kudranski: Hellspawn and 30 Days of Night.

Halloween ComicFest: If fans enjoy Black-Eyed Kids, what other comics would you recommend?

Joe Pruett: Obviously, the three I just mentioned above, but also classic’s like Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing run, old Warren horror magazines, which featured the absolute best artistic talent of any time and age, and the upcoming AfterShock Comics title Blood Blister by one of my best friends in the business Phil Hester. Phil is easily one of the most underrated talents in this industry. The script from the first issue of the series is probably my favorite first issue script I’ve read in the last twenty years. Great, horrific stuff.

Szymon Kudranski: Junji Ito has got cool horror comics that are worth checking out.