TG: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for thegoon.com readers. I know you’re busy, and Powell warned me that you have no sense of humor whatsoever, so I’ll try to keep this brief and to-the-point.
My research for this interview revealed that you’re currently working on approximately eleventy-two projects. What the hell are you trying to prove?

SN: In the beginning I was trying to prove I could pay my rent on time, but it’s gotten a tad out of control the last few years. I think I’m horrified to say no to anything because it might be the last time they ask.

TG: Bring us up to date on your works in progress: The Lurkers, 30 Days of Night, Bad Planet, Criminal Macabre, City of Others, The Cryptics…what have I left out?

SN: I’m turning in the script for The Lurkers by the end of June, or my partner and Lions Gate will perform a satanic abortion on my ass as graphically depicted in Eric’s lovely funny book. I was having a hard time with that one and finally cracked it a couple months back. The Lurkers didn’t translate from comics to film as easy as I thought it would, but with a few adjustments I think we’re almost there. I’m shooting for Horror Noir so it’s already a tough sell.
30 Days of Night is going really well. We now have a teaser poster and a trailer. It looks and feels like the comic. David Slade [director] is a God!
Bad Planet is done, the whole series, and now we are going to start releasing them like machinegun fire.

TG: No doubt you are. Just for kicks, let’s say you had some down time. What do you do when you’re not working?

SN: Sarah and I work all the time. She’s an artist and likes to work as much as I do. But when I do get down time I like to read, play videogames (PSP, 360, PS3), watch movies and have BBQs. Every Friday night we have Bernie Wrightson and his wife Liz over, and we play Scrabble. We call it Poker Night so nobody will make fun of us.

TG: What’s the last thing you read that you think everyone else should check out?

SN: World War Z by Max Brooks and Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.

TG: You wrote 28 Days Later: Aftermath to bridge the gap between the movie 28 Days and its sequel. The graphic novel was released in April and met with great reviews. Have you seen 28 Weeks Later? What’s the verdict?

SN: Well…I still haven’t seen it. I read the script, but I didn’t want to see it while writing because the idea was to lead readers to the door without revealing any of the big reveals.

SN: I knew there was a massive void, but I didn’t think I’d have any part of filling it. I think it’s a very nice thing to hear. Certainly very flattering, but who can really say? As long as there are guys like me, Powell, Wrightson, Mignola and other horror lovers out there, the void will be filled. I think the reason 30 Days got the response it did was because Ben and I were coming from an angle horror comics had almost never done; we told a story, not just another EC vengeance story tribute, which is what most horror comics were. I think the concept was fresh and Ben’s art was like a nightmare out of Hell. It just grabbed people. I had no clue. I just wanted to do horror comics, and that’s the way I like ‘em. I wish I could say I had some genius plan, but it was dumb luck and a little bit of being at the right place at the right time.

TG: Say Powell strikes a deal to bring The Goon to the big screen, and he hits you up for help with casting. Aside from locking in the natural choice of Keith Richards for Buzzard, who else would you cast for Goon, Franky and the Zombie Priest?

SN: I think Powell should play the Goon. Go all Mage and shit on that role. Franky should be played by the comic strip character Henry, and Zombie Priest should be played by DJ Qualls.

TG: Thomas Jane, co-creator of your production company Raw Entertainment, said The Lurkers is “in the vein of some of the classic detective noir movies.” How much inspiration do you draw from legendary mystery series like Dragnet, The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents?  How do you strike a balance between your influences and your own ideas?

SN:  Dragnet is one of my favorite shows in the world, and Jack Webb is my parallel universe hero. He was a nut, but a very dedicated, single-minded nut. I can’t say enough about the effect Twilight Zone and Rod Serling had on me. Richard Matheson wrote a bunch of those original series, and he’s always been a huge influence on me with his plain-speaking way of telling horror. I’d say I draw a lot from my influences in spirit, but (I hope!) I manage to inject myself in there, too.
TG: Jane will also act in some of Raw’s films. Ever considered giving that a shot?

SN: What? Acting? Me? Good Lord, no. I don’t like having my picture taken, let alone putting on costumes and dancing around. Tom, on the other hand, can do that sort of thing. He can sing in a crowded public place, so acting’s a cinch. I go fetal if more than four people are looking at me. As for the films, some he’ll play roles and some he won’t depending on a lot of things. For things like The Lurkers and Dark Country there are lead roles he fits, like Jack Dietz in The Lurkers. On others like In the Blood he might play a minor role. The same is true for the writing. I’m writing Lurkers, but not Dark Country. Tom’s doing everything on that one. I’m just trying to keep up.

TG: You began achieving notoriety while still in high school as the bass player and vocalist for D.C.-area bands Gray Matter and Three. How did you make the transition from musician to comic book publisher?

SN: I never thought of pursuing music as a career. Getting signed to a major label and all that wasn’t even on our radar. I’d say I was doing comics throughout most of the time I was in the band. At one point I stopped comics to tour Europe, but then I went straight back to writing. Comics and publishing just sort of took over my life as the music faded. I love that part of my life, the scene, the music, my friends, and I still carry what I learned from those experiences today, but in the end, comics and writing won out because that’s what I really wanted to do. The decision was helped by the fact that I sorta suck at bass, too.

TG: O.K. Renaissance man, who bags more chicks – the musician, the comic book writer or the big-time movie producer?

SN: I dunno, but it certainly isn’t the comic book writer.

TG: Which do you think is more likely to be confiscated by the typical young comic book reader’s homeroom teacher: City of Others, with its twisted anti-hero and stomach-churning illustrations or anything with a title like Satan’s Sodomy Baby?

SN: As much as I’d like to say City of Others, I’m afraid nothing matches the sickness and sheer depravity of Sodomy Baby. At least people, besides those on his mailing list, can see how truly disturbed Eric Powell is. In a way I’m grateful for Satan’s Sodomy Baby. It’s the one thing on the shelf that makes City of Others look like a gen-u-ine work of literature.

TG: Anything you’d like to add?

SN:  Just THANKS for having me!