This week, a new universe kicks off from the mind of writer-artist Tony S. Daniel. Launching via Image Comics, Edenwood is a story of demons, witches, and an eons-long war. Daniel has wowed readers for years with his artistry with superheroes like Batman — not to mention more terrifying fare a la Nocterra alongside Scott Snyder — but now it’s his turn to tell the story from all angles.
Daniel’s Edenwood centers on Necronema, the “demonic land that supplanted the Midwest 20 years ago” versus the Edenwood, where witches help protect the rest of the U.S. territories. Expertly blending American history and monsters galore, Daniel’s series is a truly horrifying spin on classic Americana storytelling.
I asked Daniel all about the project, including the multiversal angle. We also dug into the worldbuilding, how to best capture the voice of teenagers, and much more.
Edenwood #1 is out this week (October 25).
Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: What’s the elevator pitch for Edenwood?
TD: An eons-long war between witches and demons has destroyed much of the world and its final battleground lays within a magical multiversal territory called “Edenwood,” which has supplanted much of the United States Midwest. It’s up to a small band of demon “killers” to topple the demon kings who are intent on consuming this planet.
The unlikely savior is a young hero named Rion, who was taught to be a master demon killer by one of the witches’ best warriors. He will have the help of his master’s ‘enchanted’ armor, so there’s a bit of magic he will have to learn to control. His quest also consists of finding his missing girlfriend, so that’s already a lot of fun.
AIPT: After reading the first issue, I have to say the worldbuilding feels quite robust. Do you have droves of notes on rules, locations, food items…you name it!?
TD: I have piles and piles of drawings, sketches, notes, and so on. I have characters and lands that I really hope we can get to in later arcs because it is such a large place with many lands and eras. I actually have thought about food, for instance, I reference there’s a famine in the U.S. in issue #1 and that people sustain themselves with “pegs,” little bean-like pills that can sustain them.
Of course, pegs are witchcraft-derived. They’re traded and sold and I imagine a whole black market trade too. We also have three-eyed fish and a headless chicken in the first two issues, so yeah, I thought about food more than I realized!
Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: For a layman on history like me, it seems like there are some historical elements in Edenwood. Would you say that’s true?
TD: Yes, actually, there are many “paths” created by the witches — doorways into other universes. Sometimes they are “trick dimensions,” places to entrap demon soldiers to thin out their army some. One such place we see is in issue 2 where we find young Rion and Bastille, the demon killer who’s taken him under his wing, on a mission in the late 1700s. These are places made up by the witches, not actually time travel, so the rules are easy for me to navigate with this magical place. I have other places and times planned as Rion needs to find allies within these hidden Edenwood paths.
AIPT: A drove of characters in Edenwood are teens, do you have a strategy or technique in capturing the voice of this age group?
TD: It’s funny because, for me, part of it is remembering the way we talked to each other as kids. I grew up in a bit of a tough neighborhood and we all sort of learned to survive a bit differently than kids in the suburbs. So we were a bit rougher, a bit meaner, more casually hurtful to each other, and a bit more grown-up than other kids our age. So a lot of the ‘voice’ of the younger kids comes from that. It’s actually quite fun, some of them can be little assholes, and I seem to enjoy that the most!
But on the flip side, I have two teenagers in high school, and hearing them talk is much different. So being a sponge, which I think I’ve always had a knack for, can be really helpful in having some realistic voices in your writing.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: As the writer and artist, has your process changed at all when it comes to layout and storytelling?
TD: I think a bit, yeah. I mean for this series, there was so much more planning than anything I’ve done before. About 3 years or more, I started with the ideas. And slowly putting ideas down on paper while working with Scott on Nocterra, by the time we wrapped up the series earlier this year, I had shit tons of notes and sketches and the hard part was editing them down.
That was one helpful note from Scott (Snyder), that there was all this cool shit, all these cool stories, and characters, how to streamline it into a solid first arc and take my time revealing all the other cool characters and ideas I have planned. Now I’m basically working off the plot, but I incorporate dialogue as I go. I’ll get an idea for the conversation or a great line, and I make sure it’s written down so I can refer to it. It’s a lot of work, but so worth it to me.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: If Edenwood was a song, what would it be and why?
TD: Dang, I might have are hard time picking one song. But something from someone I’m listening to a lot of lately “Lord Huron.” They have a song called “The World Ender.” It’s the perfect tone for this series. I have had their music playing almost nonstop the last few months so their whole vibe is totally Edenwood to me. A bit dark, a bit fun. Perfect!
I need a theme song from them if this ever makes a movie or show or whatever. Though that’s very far off and not on my mind any time soon. I want this to be a great comic book series and I’m 100% focused only on that right now,
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.