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Marco Fontanili unleashes 'MurderF*cker' on an unsuspecting world

Comic Books

Marco Fontanili unleashes ‘MurderF*cker’ on an unsuspecting world

A 40-page one-shot of extreme, skull-pulverizing horror comics.

Some great horror is nuanced and mysterious, like a small blade stuck between your ribcage. Other times, it’s decidedly in-your-face and impactful, like getting smashed in the jaw with a giant mallet covered in rusty spikes. The latter certainly describes MurderF*cker: Flesh, Blood & Metal, a brand new project from Italian artist Marco Fontanili (Kingjira, Pentagram of Horror).

MurderF*cker is a poignant and joyous exploration of the human condition super bloody comics onslaught that’s inspired equally by splatter flicks and death metal. Fontanili has a much better encapsulation of the “plot,” but suffice to say, it’s a true horror experience, a shotgun blast of intense imagery that will smash your skull wide open and leave you begging for more blood-soaked carnage. I mean, it’s sort of right there in the name: MurderF*cker.

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The 40-page one-shot is currently crowdfunding via Zoop, with a campaign that ends Thursday, May 25. (The book has, as of publication, already raised some $2,000 of its $4,000 goal.) In the accompanying interview below, Fontanili talks not about only the plot but his larger inspirations, the value of intense, extra graphic horror, and even possible follow-ups, among other tidbits.

These answers have been sparingly edited for clarity. 

AIPT: What is MurderF*cker ultimately about?

Marco Fontanili: It’s a really simple story. Everything runs around the main character, a metalhead guy (who has no name, at the moment) who buys the latest cassette tape of the legendary band MURDERF*CKER. Once he presses the “play” button, however, something really weird happens. Basically, he experiences music in a pretty different way than the other people — in fact this particular time he’s forced to face hundreds of mutant zombies. But thanks to his special ability, according to the musical genre that he absorbs through his earphones, he is able to transform himself into various monstrous creatures, each of them endowed with special powers and characteristics. There starts the real gore fest.

AIPT: Why are you drawn to horror stories/comics?

MF: Everything started back in the ’90s when I was a little child. I started watching horror stuff thanks to the Goosebumps show. From that point, I started being obsessed with the genre. Movies, TV shows, videogames, and, obviously, comics. Growing up, I always felt like the “strange guy” in the town where I lived, so probably seeing a lot of same situations in movies, comics, etc. created a sort of a personal connection. I feel the same right now, and I’m still obsessed with horror, obviously. But now more in an “active” way, I think.

MurderF*cker

Courtesy of Marco Fontanili.

AIPT: Do you have a favorite super bloody horror film (or two) that inspired you?

MF: Uh, absolutely. I could go on for a while with this answer, but I will name only two movies:  Peter Jackson’s Braindead and [Jason Lei Howden’s] Deathgasm. MurderF*cker is basically a mix between these two films.

AIPT: What are two to three things or elements that all good horror stories should contain?

MF: In my opinion (both as an author and as a reader): 1) good “strong” scenes — tension, anxiety, gore. All this kind of stuff is the most important part; and 2) a great plot-twist. (Big thanks to R.L. Stine and his works for teaching me how to create them).

AIPT: There’s a lot of great images here. Do you plan a story around some cool image or picture you mad or vice versa?

MF: Everything, to me, starts from an image, or from a small sequence of pages. To me, comics are a “visual” media — I put all my heart into the art of every project. When I have to write dialogues or captions, it’s the same thing. I write them after the art is complete. It’s called the Marvel Way!

MurderF*cker

Courtesy of Marco Fontanili.

AIPT: Are you worried about calling this MurderF*cker? Or making a mature comic? Or does the world need more of this?

MF: Absolutely no. To be honest, I think this is the best title I have ever created — haha. I’m not interested in target readership, or in the genre of the book itself. I just want to create a cool piece of storytelling. I did some comics for adults and also some comics for teens and kids. I just like to be free to do whatever I want. That’s all.

AIPT: This book’s also inspired by and celebrates death metal and thrash. How do you reflect music in comics or visual media?

MF: To me, music and visual media have one thing in common: the rhythm. It’s so important, especially in wordless comics. MurderF*cker, for example, in basically a death/thrash metal song: it starts brutal and it ends in the same way. And it goes from zero to 100 in a matter of seconds. It’s like having a Cannibal Corpse song turned into a comic book. That’s the best way to
describe it.

AIPT: Could we get more one-offs like this if everything goes to plan?

MF: One-shot comics like this are my favorite formula, basically. If this campaign goes well, I already have tons of crazy ideas that I want to bring to expand the universe of MurderF*cker. Trust me, you will love them.

AIPT: Why should anyone support this campaign?

MF: Anyone should do it in the name of the Gods of Metal! Jokes aside, this is the perfect book for anyone who loves metal music and brutal and fun stories. If you’re a fan of things like Army of Darkness, Peter Jackson’s Braindead, Splatterhouse (the video game), and in general death/thrash metal, this could be your new favorite comic.

The art below is also courtesy of Marco Fontanili.

MurderF*cker MurderF*cker

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