It’s safe to say Creepshow is among the most iconic horror series out there. The 1982 film was created as an homage to the classic EC Comics of the 1950s; it evolved into a hit Shudder TV show; and has had a years-long comics run at Skybound. This week, Creepshow continues to horrify in new and intriguing ways as the comic breaks away from the anthology format to tell a one-shot adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story Wolverton Station.
The new one-shot is crafted by Creepshow alum Jason Ciaramella and horror comics maestro Michael Walsh. Together, they adapt Hill’s acclaimed short story in an expanded format with all-new twists and turns — including a special appearance by The Creep! It’s a terrifying tale of a horror memorabilia businessman whose commute takes a hairy turn when his train makes an unexpected stop at “Wolverton Station.”
Creepshow: Joe Hill’s Wolverton Station is out February 14 from Image Comics/Skybound. For some spooky insight and context, we spoke to both Ciaramella and Walsh about this terrifying tale, their thoughts on werewolf stories, Creepshow itself, and much more!
Courtesy of Skybound.
AIPT: What was your first interaction with Creepshow, and how old were you?
Jason Ciaramella: It had to have been around 1987 when my father bought our first VHS player, and Creepshow was one of the first tapes in the collection. He loved horror—me, not so much. I was ten at the time, and those stories lingered with me night after night. Living across the street from a graveyard probably didn’t help.
Michael Walsh: When I was about 12, a group of young friends and I would head to the local video store and rent a bunch of horror movies on VHS (I’m getting old). We’d eat candy, drink pop, get way too high on sugar, then giggle, and scream. The original Creepshow was one of these classic films.
AIPT: Werewolves have always felt underrepresented in media, even with Wolf Like Me out on Peacock. Would you agree, and if so, why do you think that is?
JC: Yeah, I totally agree. In the ongoing war between vampires and werewolves, vampires have always held the edge in popularity. The reason is pretty simple: the sex. Vampires are sexy, while werewolves are hairy rage beasts. As a young goth, I was always team vampire. As a grumpy old writer who has to trim his nose hair more often than he’d like, I’m more werewolf-leaning these days.
MW: There are a few genuinely great werewolf films (i.e., American Werewolf in London), but they are a tough subgenre of horror to do well. It’s easy to become cheesy and lose tension or, on the flip side, take yourself too seriously. It’s tough to strike the correct balance.
AIPT: Jason, where do you start with adapting a story like Joe Hill’s? Do you outline, do you snag dialogue, and how do you kickstart this beast?
JC: I start with a physical copy of the story and highlight all the big moments that will translate into fun comic scenes. From there, I break them down into pages, creating interesting reveals and smoothing out the spaces between scenes that had to be cut from the original material. It’s like assembling a puzzle that’s had half the pieces removed but still ending up with a satisfying image at the end.
Courtesy of Skybound.
AIPT: Jason, going from writing the Creepshow episode “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” to adapting this story, did you find writing for comics freeing or different?
JC: The work I did with Greg Nicotero and Brian Witten on “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” was the stuff of dreams. As a first-time screenwriter, I really wasn’t thinking about the budget while I was working on the adaptation, and that’s the biggest difference. In comics, there is no budget to consider when writing a scene—it’s limitless.
AIPT: Michael, as you know, AIPT loves The Silver Coin, and it’s so cool seeing you work on this killer werewolf story. What went into designing the look of the werewolves in this tale?
MW: Well, without spoiling too much… the werewolves have a lot of ‘personality’ in this story. It was fun to give each wolf a unique style and body language. I love character work, and getting to draw a mix of dandy, rugged, and street-style werewolves was an absolute blast.
Courtesy of Skybound.
AIPT: I imagine you’re both huge fans of horror. Do either of you collect horror memorabilia?
JC: Oh, for sure. A quick glance around the room I’m writing in reveals a framed copy of Cranky Crawly Creepy Things #4 from 1978, which was the first comic I read, a talking Freddy Kruger doll from 1989, and a hand-painted resin bust of Lon Chaney as the Phantom.
MW: A little bit! I like to get a little something for myself to celebrate new/completed projects. For this one, I got a little Creep figurine to stare at me while I work. He keeps me motivated.
Courtesy of Skybound.
AIPT: If Wolverton Station was a song, what would it be and why?
JC: Great question! Tonally, I’m going with “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles. I can also imagine it playing over quite a few scenes in a future film adaptation directed by Guy Ritchie. Picture it: Saunders running from the train, the hooligan werewolves hot on his tail, all in slow motion, with Helter Skelter cranking. That’s good stuff.
MW: Oh, that’s a tough one. Let’s go with the obvious answer, “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon.
Courtesy of Skybound.
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