To celebrate the Munchkin 10 Year anniversary, FlamesRising.com asked John Kovalic, the main illustrator for this collectible card game, to open up the floor to questions from his fans for this interview. Every question you read here was asked by a fan on John Kovalic’s Facebook page. In his own words, find out how John works on Munchkin with Steve Jackson Games, what some of his memorable experiences are, and more.

Fan Interview with John Kovalic

How much direction do you get for an individual card?

Usually, just a line or two of text. After ten years of working together, Steve and I seem to have a weird psychic art direction bond: I know exactly what he wants with just a few words. At times, Steve will even just send along a “You know what to do, John” note.

Which card was your favorite?

Hard to say. I usually have a top 10, which seems to rotate. Recently, anything involving a toilet usually has a good chance of being on that list.

What is your most endearing “fan” memory?

At a local show, a dad stopped to thank me for signing some stuff for his severely handicapped son, and taking the time to personalize some stuff for him. The father told me about his son’s greatly reduced life expectancy, and how nice it was that playing these games made his son feel so good. That absolutely tore me up, inside – it still does. We all have inside us the power to make others happy, or to feel better about the world, even if only for a little bit. And yet we take it for granted so often…

If you could preserve and/or immortalize one card for future generations, which one would it be and why?

Probably the most recent version of the Super Munchkin (here have been three, so far), which is also the cover image on the latest edition of the basic game. It appears to have become quite iconic.

Which was the hardest card to draw? Easiest?

The hardest card I had to draw was possibly “The Churninator” from Munchkin Cthulhu 2, as I didn’t realize how Steve had envisaged that as being wielded. It should have been an easy card, but just wasn’t. Another challenging card from Munchkin Cthulhu 2 was the quite intricate “Green Reaper.” I’m surprised I have no hard feelings about Munchkin Cthulhu 2!

Easiest? Oh, I don’t know if there’s ever an “easiest” card to draw, but some of the simpler illustrations have definitely turned into some of my favorites, because the graphic design is allowed to stand out a bit more.

Why only three fingers?

Four just seems to make a hand too crowded.

What concept was the hardest to convey via card artwork?

Spitting. Spitting always seems to be difficult, whenever it pops up. Stop spitting, Munchkins!

When will we see the return of Tony Bourdain: Vampire Hunter?

Soon, I hope, in Dork Tower. He’s never appeared in Munchkin. So unless there’s a “Munchkin: Foodie” expansion somewhere down the line (HINT: There is NO “Munchkin Foodie” expansion down the line…)

What cards would you *like* to draw but haven’t yet?

I can’t tell that without revealing a huge Munchkin surprise that’s still about a year away.

Where do you get your inspiration to match the artwork to the card?

Working with Steve, in all honesty. It’s a thrill that my artwork seems to match his warped sense of humor so well. The mix was good from the start. We’re kind of like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups of the game world. “You’ve got Cuteness in my Evil!” “Oh, yeah? We’ll YOU’VE got Evil in my Cuteness!” (I may have just aged myself, with that reference).

Are there any Munchkin illios where you realized after publication: “Wow, this could’ve been funnier/cooler if…”

Several, but I think most cartoonists always think they could have done better. Recently, though, I started using a tablet to edit and correct the cards once I scan them in. That leaves me a lot more time to make changes and variations before I have to deliver them per my deadlines. I’ve been taking advantage of the extra time and have been trying to make them funnier/cooler before sending them off to Steve Jackson Games. Munchkin 8 will be the first to benefit from this.

Have you ever come up with an idea for a card’s artwork and told Steve Jackson to find a concept for it?

Occasionally, I’ll come up with a drawing or a pun that I like so much, I’ll run it past Steve or Andrew. There’s a Cleric with a Mitre that has a cannon coming out of it. “Killer Mitre.” Get it?

Which card did you hate the most?

Easy question: the Loaded Die. I despise that card. It’s an ugly drawing. And I made it! It. Has. Run. In. EVERY. Set. EVERY one! Steve knows I hate it. I believe he keeps it in to taunt me…

What is your favorite Munchkin expansion?

Usually, whatever the last one I worked on was, but I tend to prefer the later games, as a whole. I feel my drawings drastically improved: Munchkin Cthulhu, The Good, the Bad and the Munchkin, Munchkin Booty, Munchkin Zombies.

Which alternate version of Munchkin did you enjoy the most?

I’m a Munchkin purist: my favorite game is the original, with two or three of the fantasy expansions — at the most. Did you know what happens when you combine The Good, The Bad and the Munchkin and Star Munchkin? You could make a fine game called “Munchkin Serenity”…

Believe it or not, I have never played (and will never play) a “One With Everything” Munchkin game. There are more than 3,000 cards in print. that way lies madness…

How does it feel to be recognized world-wide as an artist?

It’s delightful to be able to go to Italy or Germany and have people know ad enjoy my work. I’m a very, very lucky cartoonist.

Will we see a stand-alone Dork Tower Munchkin set one day? How about Monty Python?

Maybe. Possibly. Never say ‘never.’ But not for the foreseeable future.

Interview compiled by Monica Valentinelli

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FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with an interview with David Petersen, the creator of the Mouse Guard graphic novel series. Published by Archaia Entertainment, Mouse Guard tells the story of a few brave mice dedicated to protecting their fellow mice from dangerous predators and other threats.

The graphic novels are widely popular; just Last summer we learned that Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 hit the New York Times Best Seller List. Because of the comic’s popularity, Archaia Entertainment recently announced that Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 hardcover is going into a third printing. The series is also a big hit among hobby gamers, too, who enjoy playing the Mouse Guard RPG.

We had the chance to ask David a few questions about the Mouse Guard series, including his upcoming Mouse Guard-related titles like Black Axe and Legends of the Guard.

What was your first reaction when you heard that Winter 1152 was on the NYT Best Seller list?

DAVID PETERSEN: I was dumbfounded. I had no idea that The New York Times had a subcategory for graphic novels, but I’m sure glad they do! I was at the Wizard World Chicago show last summer when I found out. I started getting text messages, voicemails and e-mails about being a “New York Times bestselling author.” I thought there must be some confusion… but it turned out to be true. I’m really proud of Winter 1152 as a book, so to see it rewarded and honored makes me happy.

Of all the Mouse Guard characters you created, which one is your favorite and why?

DAVID PETERSEN: While I have reasons for liking them all, Saxon has a soft spot in my heart. I modeled some of his character flaws on my own, and so I can sympathize with him when he screws up.

Where any of the other characters inspired by or modeled after other people?

DAVID PETERSEN: Sure, several of the main characters. Kenzie is based on one of my oldest friends. He was best man in my wedding. The real-life inspiration for Rand also stood in my wedding. June, the inkeep at Barkstone, is based on my wife Julia, and I have made mouse counterparts for her two sisters in the Guard (Landra and Isabel).

Which collection did you enjoy designing more? Fall 1152 or Winter 1152?

DAVID PETERSEN: Winter. But only because I had Fall under my belt. We set a template with Fall. Before I did the Fall collection, I didn’t know what we would need as extras, or how many pages we had to fill. The “Common Mouse Trades” pages came up because we were two pages short. So with Winter, all of that was mapped out because of Fall. All I had to worry about was filling the spaces with relevant and fun extras.

What experience did you have with RPGs before working on the Mouse Guard RPG?

DAVID PETERSEN: I did a lot of roleplaying from middle school through college. Some Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun, Champions, Ninja Turtles, Robotech, GURPS and a bunch of no-system, free-form sessions (that I generally ran). So I knew what I liked and didn’t like in an RPG system. I also knew, through having tried to make up systems for fun or modify existing systems, that it’s a really hard thing to get right, so I was unqualified. Luke Crane and I had a few talks about systems and some game theory, but I let him do his thing in his own way and I’m glad I did. The system has won some RPG awards.

How did the creative process with Luke Crane work?

DAVID PETERSEN: It started with that discussion I mentioned where we talked theory. It was like a “highs and lows” of our experiences as players. I told him a few of my ideas for how to streamline aspects of a Mouse Guard RPG. A good example is: “Mice are small and can’t carry much, so instead of calculating weight, let’s just limit what they take with them to three items.” Luke took that and just made limited space on the character sheet for equipment, so it’s not nailed down to a set number, but ultimately has the same effect. After that, I just let him do what he does. He would bombard me with e-mails about how the Mouse Guard world functions: How does one become a Guard, what is such and such training like, what animals are predators limited to, how does money work, what do all these cities function like, etc. Every time I’d tackle a batch, he’d hit me with more. So I was there to make sure the system was as much like Mouse Guard and as true to the books as possible. Luke was there to turn that information all into a good game.

How much research went into the world of Mouse Guard?

DAVID PETERSEN: I try and make sure everything I draw or write feels believable and authentic. I’m not strict about the time period, though. A lot of that comes down to being “medieval” in general or picking something that has an aesthetic I like that could fit, even if it’s a century or three too late. I gave Luke some guidelines for the game, too, specifically things having to do with the environment being similar to Michigan. He took this very seriously and used three or four wildlife/plantlife/almanacs of Michigan to get information for the rules.

How challenging was it to translate Mouse Guard from a comic to a game?

DAVID PETERSEN: That was really more Luke’s job, but I know that as we went we did some things to deviate from the comics. Specifically, that characters in books tend to do amazing things and achieve great feats. You can’t allow players all those abilities in their path to greatness. So we capped some things that I know I will or already have broken in the comics…or that is to say, you can’t roleplay my stories to the letter.

How did you select the creative teams that will be working on Legends of the Guard?

DAVID PETERSEN: The project started with seeing Jeremy Bastian and Mark Smylie’s pinups for Fall 1152. I loved what they did so I told them they had free reign to do what they wanted in my Mouse Guard world. So those two were set from the start. I wanted to focus on individuals who are both writer and artist in one (like what I do), though we didn’t limit the scope to individuals only. The picking came down to seeing work of people I respect and admire and thinking, “They would do a nice Mouse Guard story, they get Mouse Guard.” Ted Naifeh just turned in some amazing pages that he wrote, drew and colored himself. Alex Sheikman, whom I know through Archaia because of his book Robotika, and I chatted about old folk tales before he started his nine pager.

Any hints about the story we’ll get in Black Axe?

DAVID PETERSEN: Celanawe will be led into a voyage across the northern sea off the map to a land no mouse remembers going to or coming back from. It will explore how Celanawe got the Axe and what he lost to get it.

Can you tell us about some of the other projects you have in development?

DAVID PETERSEN: I have a children’s book coming out from Harper Collins in a few years. The children’s book publishing schedule is very different from that of comics, so though the book is done, there are still a few years before it’s out. I’m also continuing to do covers for Boom’s Muppet fairy tales, but Mouse Guard will always be my main focus.

Visit MouseGuard.net or Archaia.com for more information about the Mouse Guard comics and other projects.

Related posts:

1. Preview of Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #1
2. Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Preview
3. Archaia Announces ‘Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard’

This is an APB to horror movie buffs within range of Madison, WI.  The Madison Horror Film Fest invades Market Square Cinema at 6604 Odana Rd in Madison WI this weekend and yours truly will be there. 

The fest kicks off at noon on Saturday, Oct. 3^rd and goes through Sunday night.  You can expect an onslaught of indie horror shorts, features, vendors and guests including Debbie Rochon, and Bill Rebane.  Highlights will include a screening of Re-Animator followed by a Q&A with director Stuart Gordon and a “Women in Horror” presentation hosted by Elske McCain and Scarlet Salem.  Check back next week for my full recap of Saturday’s events and if you see me at the fest feel free to say hi.

In the meantime, check out this short Q&A with Fest director Rich Peterson:

What’s your background, both personal and with regard to horror movies?

I worked for years as a music booking agent both independently and for clubs. I booked Luther’s Blues and the Annex [in Madison] and booked other clubs on an independent level as well.  As far as horror goes…I basically got my start watching the late night horror host here in town, Mr. Mephisto from Lenny’s Inferno.  From there I just started reading Fangoria and checking out everything coming out both independently and main stream.

How did you get involved with and/or start the Madison Horror Film Fest?

I saw the other cities throwing these horror film festivals, which were mostly featuring independent films and looking at Madison and the diverse art culture, I thought that this town needed something like this to bring the subculture out.

How well does Madison’s horror subculture support the indie horror film scene?

As small as the sub culture is here, people have been very supportive. We have actually gotten support from all the surrounding horror communities: Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and beyond.

What can the sick bastards attending this year expect to experience?

Great short and feature independent films ranging for horror comedy to extreme terror. We’ve got great guests lined up and will be raffling off DVD’s and other horror collectibles as part of a benefit for the Autism Society of Greater Madison.

Anything you’d like Flames Rising readers to know?

That’s about it besides the fact that people can get advance tickets at Westfield Comics at 7275 Mineral Point road, Pre-played 440 State Street [both in Madison] or online at http://www.madisonhorror.com.

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How did you get your start in the RPG industry?

I answered an ad in Dragon Magazine for an illustrator for a new, little-known periodical called White Wolf Magazine. In a few issues time I was illustrating the covers and art directing the magazine. From that start other publishers like Steve Sechi for his Talislanta game and the gang at Lion Rampant for Ars Magica contacted me after seeing my work in the magazine.

What can you tell us about your work on the World of Darkness games?

Big picture: I’ve been responsible for the look of every World of Darkness product (and every other White Wolf product) since mid-way through the first year of Vampire: the Masquerade. I work with both the in-house crew of art directors and designers and our freelancers to make sure every piece of art, all the graphic design and book layouts are the coolest and most appropriate visuals we can create and put together. I art directed most of the first edition WoD books myself (and a whole lot of third edition VtM) and I’ll still do that on major releases or books that are particularly interesting to me. Small picture: I designed and created just about every symbol used in the WoD, both versions, including the Garou pictograms and the new Mage “Atlantean” alphabet.

Do you have a favorite World of Darkness RPG?

Werewolf: the Apocalypse was my favorite of the old games to work on- on a visual level there’s so much freaky stuff to illustrate- and along the same lines I dug the Dark Ages books. I really enjoy the new core World of Darkness and have had some great fun playing Vampire: the Requiem – but that might have been mostly because Will Hindmarch was running it and he’s a phenomenal GM.

Can you tell us a little about the character you have been playing in Will Hindmarch’s Vampire: the Requiem game?

This is going to sound so cliched, but bear with me for there are reasons. A Daeva of the Invictus modeled on Captain Jack Sparrow. A seemingly drunken, wispy schemer who uses his odd behavior to keep his opponents guessing and to provide a staggering and reeling center for the other PCs to play off of. The reason I went that route- and Will mocked me for it heartily, let me tell you- was that we were playing with some of the top guys from CCP- our new partners- who had little to no experience playing RPGs. And every one of our WW players wound up playing growly, brooding, tough guys. So I wanted to provide a little range to the types of characters and actions that can be played in our games as well as play a character that could mock the other PCs in character. Because they were just so seriously grim. It was a lot of fun!

What has been your most challenging project in the RPG industry?

Each time we did a new game or a new edition, it seemed the most challenging thing at the time. When we did Vampire: the Masquerade 2nd and we had to run shifts of designers (including myself) so it would go out on time, when we decided to do the Rage card game and had never done one before, when we put together the Creature Collection and got all those monsters written and illustrated and got the book to stores before the Monster Manual- those were all tough. Exalted was a challenge because we had to create the visuals for an entire fantasy world- it was the first time we really did serious concept art to that extent. So lots and lots of challenges. Currently, my biggest challenge has been becoming Creative Director for White Wolf (a position that encompasses both my previous art responsibilities and adds in working with the writers and developers as well) and keeping us moving forward during this difficult time for the RPG industry.

What challenges do you face as an artist vs. those you face as an art director?

As an artist, I’m trying to convince my hands to depict the imagery I can see so clearly in my head. A lot of times that’s a real battle, with imagination and ego and will all tied up into it. The technique and medium are all a part of that as well. As an art director, I try to do something quite different, and that’s to hire artists whose style I think will work for the subject matter and then encourage them to depict the imagery I want to see. But I really try not to over-direct, not to pretend that the artist is my hands, and to give them the freedom to create something I’d never think of. That’s the fun part of art directing for me, the collaboration and surprise. And over the years, I’ve gotten the impression that the artists appreciate that.

Can you tell us a little about the creation process you go through when putting together art for a new book?

Depends on the type of book- if it’s a core book or a new setting like Scion, then we have a much more involved process where we have many meetings of the Art Directors and myself (and often just about any interested party at WW) where we hash out things like the overall mood and tone we want to set with the art, as well as design elements like the logo and the cover and the interior elements. Suggestions will be made for artists who can match the mood and the Art Director of the project will start putting together a list of artists to contact. After that the process is pretty much the same for the core and the regular books; the Art Director and the Developer create the art notes and hire the artists- again with an eye to matching the tone of the product and the game line.

When creating art for a horror project where do you get your inspiration?

The men’s room at WW after the dreaded Shinty visits. That’s too horrible for most normal people to even comprehend. Seriously, from visuals all around us- pretty much the list of inspirations we often print in our books comes from what we’ve looked at for art as well as writing.

As the Creative Director for White Wolf, how do you select artists for the various upcoming projects?

As I indicated above, my biggest involvement is going to be suggesting artists to match the mood of the project or vetoing artists on the Art Director’s list that don’t fit into the project as I’ve envisioned it. But that’s pretty rare- we have a very experienced team of Art Directors and we’ve worked together for over a decade in some cases, and they really know how to pick the artists. I tend to be more involved in picking the artists for the covers of major releases. For example, in looking for an artist to illustrate the cover for Monte Cook’s World of Darkness, I wanted an artist who was known for his work in both the WoD and the d20 arenas and who had the ability to do fine work that bridged the sorts of visuals established for both “lines”. There are only a few artists who can do that, and Bill O’Connor was the artist I thought could capture best the look I was going for. It didn’t hurt that we hadn’t worked on a project together for a while and we always have a blast when we do.

Where do you see art in the RPG industry headed? Why?

That’s a pretty strange question really. In terms of technique and subject matter, I don’t see it changing really- maybe a tad more video-game influenced art, but I think that influence extends both ways. Maybe more manga/anime inspired art styles as more and more young artists grow up with exposure to those styles. I do think we’re going to see a lot of the more experienced artists move into other industries as opportunities open up for them.

What’s next for you?

Right now, I’m working on symbols for the new Changeling: the Lost, arranging for new Storytelling Adventure System (SAS) pdf adventures, discussing our new WoD game for 2008, getting ideas together for another Exalted board game after War for the Throne (which is available early summer I think), managing a variety of EVE projects including the RPG, and hiring concept artists for the WoDMMO. I’m hoping to do a fair bit more of that, as it’s a wonderful opportunity brought about by our merger with the Icelandic madmen of CCP. And I’m putting together a plan for a new publishing venture for WW. So just a few things on my plate in the near future really.

Visit White-Wolf.com for the latest news and updates on World of Darkness, Scion, Exalted and other projects Rich Thomas is working on…

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How did you get your start in gothic art?

I’ve always had a fascination with dark, gothic subject matter. Vampires, ghosts, witches, werewolves, skeletons, gargoyles…you name it, I was constantly drawing these sort of things as a kid. I loved watching horror films and the old Dark Shadows tv series. I collected and assembled all the classic monster models and was always drawing my own versions of them. My parents were very cool and encouraged my artistic talent, even though it leaned toward the dark side.

After high school, I attended the Cleveland Institute of Art with the hopes of becoming a professional illustrator upon graduation. This was the first time I ever ran into any negativity about the topics I was drawing and painting. It was a very stifling atmosphere, and most of the teachers scoffed at the fantasy art industry. I left after one semester and worked at various other jobs while I honed my skills as an artist on my own. After a few years, I had amassed a large amount of gothic fantasy paintings and I began sending out portfolios of my work to all the book publishers and record labels. I met with a lot of rejection, but there were a few art directors that offered encouragement.

I decided that if I wanted to pursue this career seriously, I was going to have to make it happen on my own, so I established my own business, Monolith Graphics, in 1991. I began by producing a few t-shirts and posters, framed prints, calendars and stationery, which I mainly sold at local shops and Renaissance fairs as well as through mail-order. I also did cd cover art for a lot of different bands. Most of my work at the time was a crossover between traditional gothic themes and classic fantasy art. As the years passed, my work took a much darker turn and I was invited to appear at various gothic and vampire gatherings.

In 1992 graphic designer Christine Filipak came on board, and Monolith has grown steadily ever since. My artwork appeared in a few magazines in the U.S. and overseas. One of my paintings, “Gargoyles,” was featured in the art annual, Spectrum III. Having my posters and t-shirts in national chain stores like Hot Topic and Spencers did a lot to help promote the company as well. We built and ran a gallery called The Realm which featured fantasy art in 1997 and the Monolith website was launched in early 1998. Since then, we’ve created and produced a wide assortment of products, including books, music cds, fortune-telling cards, calendars, writing journals and magazines. It’s great to be able to create and produce whatever my mind dreams up, but it’s also a lot of long hours and hard work to run your own company.

What challenges are there when creating the next piece of gothic or horror art?

It’s always a challenge to put an original spin on a familiar subject matter without straying too far from a gothic mood. Sometimes elaborate settings are required, while other times it can be as slight as a subtle facial expression. I always try to make the characters that inhabit the shadowy world of my paintings interesting in their own way. Sometimes they’re monstrous, sometimes they’re sexy, but I strive to make every image as haunting as possible. I think that the art should be mysterious and inviting and stay with the viewer long after they look away. To me, the best fantasy images create a mood, establish the characters and set the scene, allowing the viewer to fill in the story line.

Do you have a favorite medium?

I’ve used oil paints, watercolors and pencil to create various pieces, but my favorite medium over the past ten years has been acrylic paints. I love to use oils, but they take much longer to dry, and I have some very tight deadlines, so the majority of paintings are done with acrylics.

What are some of the challenges you’ve come across translating your work to different mediums?

We’ve run into every problem imaginable with the various printers and manufacturers we’ve used over the years. From book pages inserted upside-down to calendars with missing months to T-shirts printed with the wrong colors. After we printed the first run of The Gothic Tarot, we had one manufacturer who refused to cut the card sheets because they deemed them to be “evil.”

As far as pre-press is concerned, some of my paintings are very dark, which makes it hard to get a clean photo or scan. Many times I have to tweak the image in the computer because the scanner picked up too much detail of the canvas or brush strokes. When creating a work of art that will be reduced to the size of a cd cover or tarot card, you have to make sure that the detail isn’t so miniscule that it won’t get noticed. Too much detail is also a concern when creating a piece of art that will be silkscreened onto a t-shirt. If the artwork isn’t contrasted enough, a lot of the detail will be lost. Okay, this technical stuff probably sounds really boring, so I’ll just end this part by mentioning that I mix all of my paints with the blood of virgins.

How do you respond when someone calls your work “evil?”

No one has ever said anything like that to my face. I think that the people who would deem my work “evil” would probably be afraid to. If someone thinks that they’ll be cursed to burn in the fires of Hell just by gazing at an image that’s painted on a piece of canvas, then I feel sorry for their simple minds. I’ve painted angels and I’ve painted demons. Much of my work depicts the balance between light and dark, order and chaos, and the eternal battle between the forces of good and evil. If someone chooses to focus solely on the negative side of something, that’s their problem. I like to explore the beauty in darkness, but some people are too afraid of the dark to venture anywhere near the shadows.

What can you tell us about The Gothic Tarot?

The Gothic Tarot consists of 78 cards including both the Major and Minor Arcana. The entire collection itself represents over ten years worth of my artwork. I had considered doing a Tarot deck as early as 1981, but I just didn’t have the patience to commit to such an extensive project back then. As the years passed, and my portfolio of work grew, I began thinking that a lot of the images that I had created could be used to create a tarot deck, and since my forte was gothic fantasy art, it stood to reason that my tarot deck should embrace the dark side.

Once I began discussing the deck with my friends, everyone seemed to love the idea. A lot of them kept after me to begin the project. Occult author Michelle Belanger is a good friend of mine and she really prodded me about creating a deck based on my gothic artwork. She even shared some of her concepts about the Major Arcana based on some of my pre-existing paintings. If it wasn’t for my friends and fans pushing me to do the project, The Gothic Tarot may have remained in the development stages for quite awhile. Once it was decided, the project took about eight months for Christine and myself to put together. Originally, I had planned on only creating illustrations for the 22 cards of the Major Arcana and to utilize repetitive design elements of the four suits to illustrate the Minor Arcana. However, the more research I did into the symbolic representations of classic Tarot decks, I decided to commit to a full-scale project of creating individual illustrations for each of the 78 cards. In some instances existing paintings were altered to fit the concept of a specific card, but in other cases new artwork had to be created to express the card’s traditional meaning. The Gothic Tarot was first published in 2002 and has since become the top-selling Tarot deck for Diamond Comics Distributors. Including what is sold directly through Monolith, we’ve sold over 12,000 decks to date.

How did Tales From The Dark Tower come together?

The book project was conceived early in 1999 after my writer friend James Pipik suggested having various authors pen short stories based on the characters in my most popular works. I wrote the main story with James, then outlined a series of stories and worked closely with the other writers to maintain continuity throughout the book. In addition to creating the artwork, I also wrote and co-wrote several of the stories. As time went on, the responsibilities of editing this project fell upon Christine Filipak and myself as well.

The 13 gothic tales of vampires, ghosts and other things that go bump in the night are set in and around a haunted gargoyle-encrusted castle known as the Dark Tower. Each of the 13 stories stands alone, yet they all fit together, weaving back and forth throughout the centuries to create the saga of the curse that overshadows the Dark Tower. Tales From The Dark Tower, which was released in 2000, is now in its third printing, and we are currently working on the first of two sequels, Beyond The Dark Tower.

Beyond The Dark Tower, what can you tell us about it?

This will be the second book in an eventual trilogy. Continuing the mythos that was established in Tales From The Dark Tower, the second book will offer a new collection of stories that will take the characters deeper into the shadows of the Dark Tower in addition to explaining some mysteries from the past. We’ll also be exploring the histories of several key characters that were briefly mentioned in the first book.

Who is Nox Arcana?

Nox Arcana is my musical project. It’s a two-man group consisting of William Piotrowski and myself. We both write and perform all of our own music. We’ve released five full-length cds of dark gothic orchestrations and haunting melodies. We love exploring the full spectrum of gothic themes, from the hauntingly beautiful and seductively sinister to the creepy, ominous, dramatic and horrifying. We also like to utilize a wide variety of authentic instruments and musical styles from different regions and time periods. Our first cd, Darklore Manor, was released in 2003. It took listeners on a musical journey through a haunted Victorian mansion with a dark and sinister history. Since then we¹ve released four more cds that explored the themes of Transylvania, a creepy old-time carnival, Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos and the ruins of a haunted cathedral.

Each Nox Arcana CD tells a different story, can you tell us about the creative process that you go through when developing a new CD?

We start by choosing a topic that we’re both intrigued by then we begin to develop a story line. Once we have a concept and outline, we start to compose various melodies to convey specific moods of the story. We select specific instruments that establish the setting and period of the story. We work on everything together in the studio. It’s a great collaboration, and as we develop the songs, they begin to take on lives of their own. Once the songs are composed, we add chanting, narratives and sound effects to enhance some of the pieces.

To convey the mood of an ancient fallen cathedral on Winter’s Knight we utilized gothic pipe organs and Gregorian chanting. We also used a lot of bells, piano harpsichords to capture the solemn feeling of winter, and even had two medieval minstrel songs with acoustic guitar and haunting vocal harmonies. William and I both love Bram Stoker’s Dracula, both the novel and film. This was the main inspiration for our Transylvania cd which combined brooding horror with a romantic European flair. We basically told Dracula’s story through music, then added some original elements like the ominous warnings from sentinel gargoyles and witches.

Once the music is composed, we begin assembling the cd booklet to accent the album. Christine works her magic with the layout utilizing my artwork, the accompanying text, and band photos. When it’s all done, we have a full-blooded concept album that tells a story, complete with words, pictures and music.

The Necronomicon CD is a tribute to Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, what can you tell us about it?

I consider H.P. Lovecraft to be a true genius and innovator. He invented an entire dark mythos and changed the face of horror fiction. I’ve read all of his work several times, and each time I get something new out of it. After Lovecraft’s death in 1937, his friend August Derleth continued to write and publish stories based upon Lovecraft’s concepts. As time went on, other writers followed in his footsteps and wrote their own tales that were inspired by the Cthulhu mythos, putting their own spin on things. Over the years, many of Lovecraft’s original concepts became blurred by writers who had taken too many liberties with his mythos. There’s even a large number of people who believe that the Necronomicon is real, when in reality it’s a fictitious book that Lovecraft invented and used as a plot device in several of his stories.

I wanted to pay homage to Lovecraft’s original concepts of the Necronomicon and the sinister mythology that it contained. Actually, I was amazed that no one else had done it before. It’s such a wealth of ideas and dark inspiration. The cd gives a rundown of the various monstrous deities, ancient rituals and dark prophecies of the Cthulhu mythos as if someone were reading it from the Necronomicon. All of the text is based on Lovecraft’s original ideas, ignoring the embellishments of later writers. There are narrative intros to some of the tracks that explain the specific roles of each of the Great Old Ones, as described by Lovecraft. The music ranges from mystical Arabian pieces to dark Egyptian chants to powerful gothic orchestrations.

We’ve gotten alot of great feedback and reviews from Lovecraft fans all around the world. The reviewer from Fangoria actually called it “sexy.” The Necronomicon cd is also carried by Chaosium games and is the top selling soundtrack for their Call of Cthulhu audience, and it’s been called the official soundtrack of the Cthulhu Mythos.

What were the inspirations for the Carnival of Lost Souls CD?

The major influence was Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. The idea of a diabolical circus that rises from the shadows to tempt human desires was a tribute to his Dark Carnival concept. We were also inspired by The Circus of Dr. Lao, which was the basis for the old film The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao. Once we had the groundwork for this concept, we set out to put an original twist on it. We’ve gotten several letters and reviews of Carnival of Lost Souls that say that the album would’ve made a great soundtrack for Something Wicked This Way Comes. Things like that always put a diabolical smile on my face.

Some of the original inspirations like the gypsy fortune-teller machine, the living dolls, and the spellbound puppet show came from a Halloween party that I put together several years ago. Other concepts like the “Theatre of Sorrows,” the “Soul Stealer” and “The Devil’s Daggers” were conceived specifically for this album. We had the cd release party for Carnival of Lost Souls on 6-6-06. It was a wild event that tied in nicely with the idea that this sinister carnival, The Circus Diabolique, rises from the shadows every one hundred years. Hopefully, we’ll inspire someone to continue this tradition in the centuries to come.

What can you tell us about Nox Arcana’s music appearing in film and other media?

We are continuously so busy creating new works that we have very little time to promote ourselves, yet we’ve been approached by the producers of several interesting projects. Some of our songs were chosen by a company that produces gothic bellydance videos to be featured in their upcoming DVD. In addition, dancers will be performing to our music on their national tour. We’ve also been hired to score a dark adventure game titled Inherent Evil 2. The project is perfect for our music and should be a lot of fun.

All of these creative projects have to take a lot out of you from time-to-time, what do you do to recharge?

I almost never take a break from work. Most of my projects are labors of love, so I am constantly feeding off of the energy from the creation process. Occasionally, we take a few hours off on weekend nights to go out to one of the local rock or goth clubs and drink a few beers with some good friends. I’d love to get out to more conventions to meet our fans, but I still have so many more projects that I want to finish.

How do you feel the goth culture has changed over the years and how has it influenced your artwork and music?

The goth culture has become more of a part of the mainstream in recent years. What began primarily as an underground movement is now much more widespread. Goth fashions are sold in national chain stores and goth bands like Lacuna Coil, HIM, and the 69 Eyes are being played on the radio and selling out large venues with their concerts. I think that’s great, but unfortunately, this has also led to a lot of so-called Goths who don’t even know what the word “Gothic” really means. It irks me when I hear one of these posers trying to claim that traditional gothic things aren’t goth, when they themselves have no clue as to the origins of the genre. If you don’t wear black, you don’t like vampires, you don’t have a brooding dark side, and you aren’t into literature or the arts, then you’re not a “goth,” so don’t try to redefine the parameters in order to fit the label.

Regardless of modern trends, It doesn’t influence my art or music at all. I created gothic work before it was popular. It’s just part of who I am, so I just keep doing what I’ve always done

Who are your favorite authors and musicians?

Lovecraft and Poe are my favorite gothic authors. I also really enjoyed reading the Death Dealer series by James Silke. The tales are based on the paintings of Frank Frazetta and they’re great sword and sorcery fantasy stories along the lines of Robert Howard’s Conan series, only darker. As for musicians, I have hundreds of favorites, ranging from AC/DC to Lorenna McKennit. It really depends on what kind of a mood I’m in on any given day.

What’s next for you?

We are currently wrapping up our sixth cd, Blood of the Dragon. It’s a majestic sword and sorcery epic that centers around an ancient quest. This is our most powerful cd to date, but there are still some surprises. The music ranges from Conan and 13th Warrior style anthems, complete with gothic chanting, to mystical minstrel pieces and haunting harp melodies. We’ve been looking forward to doing this album for quite some time and the compositions are just pouring out of us.

We also just finished recording an album with our friend, Michelle Belanger. She has a beautiful operatic voice. She performed as a guest vocalist on our Winter’s Knight album and she’s worked with various other bands as well. William and I came up with an idea to take a one-week break from working on Blood of the Dragon to write and record an album with Michelle. We invited her down to our studio and worked together for a solid week of 16-hour days to mold some rough, basic outlines into a full-length cd. It was a real challenge, but the results speak for themselves. Both Michelle’s album, Blood of Angels, and the new Nox Arcana cd, Blood of the Dragon, will be released later this fall. Later this year, we’ll begin working on another darkly romantic concept album that will pay tribute to a true master of gothic horror. In the meantime we are working on a companion book to the Gothic Tarot, as well as a new book titled Beyond The Dark Tower, which is the first sequel to Tales From The Dark Tower.

For more information on Joseph Vargo’s work, visit MonolithGraphics.com or NoxArcana.com.

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