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Nick Cagnetti is one of the most exciting creators working in superhero books today. His visual style evokes the greats of superhero comics, everyone from Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to more modern creators like Mike Allred and Bruce Timm. Yet, Cagnetti draws with his own distinct voice that reminds readers how potent (and immensely fun) this genre can be. He might be best known for his previous work Pink Lemonade which featured a motorcycle riding hero who brought joy to the world around her while also indulging Canetti’s eye for psychedelic visuals. His long awaited follow up, Spirit of the Shadows from Oni Press, sees the creator shift gears with a distinct take on gothic horror. Cagnetti took time to discuss his new series with The Beat.
Art by Nick CagnettiD. Morris: This is your first big project since Pink Lemonade and this time you have a collaborator in Daniel Ziegler. What are the origins of Spirit of the Shadows and your working relationship with Daniel?
Nick Cagnetti: Spirit of the Shadows has been with Daniel and I for over a decade already! It started out as a short film idea Daniel wanted to make, then it turned into me coming on board and us turning it into an indie comic while we were in college. So yeah, there was a whole other earlier iteration of the character as a comic. Then we made a short film after that where I wore the costume and Daniel voiced it. He continued tinkering in that world in the years following while I was working on Pink Lemonade, really refining and redefining the core of it. As I was finishing Pink Lemonade we started talking more about what us doing a new Spirit comic would look like and how to make it fresh for ourselves. We found the right approach pretty instantly and we were excited! We always enjoy working with each other.
Art by Nick CagnettiD. Morris: How much of this was you wanting to do something very different from a book like Pink Lemonade? Are there things you’re trying here that you didn’t in Pink Lemonade?
Nick Cagnetti: A lot of it was a desire to do something different, yeah. Partially I also want to really show people I can do more dramatic work. Not that Pink Lemonade isn’t dramatic, but I think you just want to avoid people putting you into a box. It was really an opportunity to showcase a bit of a moodier, dripped in dark side to my art yet still identifiably myself.
DM: Spirit of the Shadows is very much a gothic horror influenced comic. Which horror films/comics/books provided inspiration for you as you worked on this book? Do you have a favorite horror comic?
NC: Throughout making this we passed around a copy of Jack Kirby’s The Demon, that was a real guiding light for the type of thing we wanted to go for. I think that’s part of what should make it stand out is it’s really this blend of horror that revels in the bombastic supernatural, but also is very heartfelt and solemn at the same time. We’re of course also big Spawn fans, I think that’s a big part of the DNA.
Art by Nick CagnettiD. Morris: Do you have a favorite thing to draw when it comes to horror related things?
Nick Cagnetti: I really enjoyed drawing the spooky nonsensical looking monsters in the Spirit Realm, they’re maybe not what you’d necessarily expect. They’re crazy goofy looking creatures that have just enough unsettling qualities to them. Also really enjoy trying to make things moody in general here and play up the atmosphere and tension where I can, like trying to get the right dramatic shadows or expressions to bring a moment home.
D. Morris: What I love about your art is your coloring which has a psychedelic quality, that especially on display in this book. Can you elaborate on what your thought process is when coloring?
Nick Cagnetti: That’s my favorite part of the whole process is coloring everything! There was a ton of opportunity for me to push it in different directions with the different settings so I tried to take advantage of that. The Spirit World scenes are heavy on the in-your-face intense colors and surreal environments for sure. All the other places the story goes to have their own approaches for the coloring as well, because to me it felt like a way to make clear for the readers where we were since the story goes back and forth a lot.
D. Morris: Can you tease a little of what’s to come in Spirit of the Shadows?
Nick Cagnetti: It’s a winding and complex story, one that I think will benefit from re-reads because at first glance you might be looking at it one way but it will challenge what you think about the characters and make you unsure of who to root for or what to believe. There’s little visual things in plain sight as well that you’ll look at completely differently the second time, too. I’m really proud of what we’ve put together here, I think it’s a lot of fun and unique and was a really ambitious project!
Spirit of the Shadows #1 goes on sale January 28th from Oni Press.
English (US)