When Post Malone pitched an idea to Vault Comics about a demon-infested medieval Europe receiving its miracle in the form of a fully-loaded 18-wheeler, editor-in-chief Adrian Wassel didn’t hesitate.
“Even if this wasn’t Post Malone, I want to read this comic,” Wassel said. “This sounds amazing.”
Launching on July 9, Big Rig is a double-length debut that collects the first two chapters of a truly wild comic — part Evil Dead, part Fury Road, and all-out insanity. The story follows a former priest who is excommunicated from a secret sect of the Knights Templar who becomes Trucker, the driver of a hell-slaying rig that crashes into the Dark Ages. The concept was conceived by Post Malone, co-written with Wassel, and illustrated by Nathan Gooden (Barbaric, Dark Knights of Steel).
I sat down with Wassel and Gooden to talk about their collaboration with Post, the serious historical research behind the comic’s madness, and the unexpected emotional core that anchors the series’ metal-as-hell premise, among other topics and tidbits.
For the full interview, don’t miss the AIPT Comics podcast episode featured on June 1!
Courtesy of Vault Comics.
“He had Barbaric on the table”
As mentioned, the idea for Big Rig came directly from Post Malone.
The spark came entirely from Post,” said Wassel. “Hell is invading [Europe], and they pray for a holy weapon. And what falls to Earth is an 18-wheeler.”
When the team met Post in L.A., they were struck by his genuine enthusiasm for the medium.
“He had a bunch of Barbaric on the table. He was a huge Nathan [Gooden] fan,” Wassel said.
That fanboy energy turned into a working relationship, with Post actively shaping the story, characters, and especially the titular rig itself.
“He’s such a genuine nerd,” Wassel added. “He loves gaming, comics, Magic: The Gathering. None of this is a stretch.”
Building a Monster (and a Metaphor)
Juggling art duties between Barbaric and Big Rig, Gooden described the unique rhythm of drawing both books.
“Very different kinds of worls,” Gooden said. “It’s kind of a good break to go back and forth almost.” Despite the workload, Gooden is committed to drawing the whole series, adding, “I’d be drawing for free if I didn’t get paid.”
Designing the rig — and making it believable — was no also small feat.
“You gotta watch a million videos,” Gooden said. “How the engines block works, how they can turn, how they can move…It’s gotta look heavy. It’s gotta look scary.”
Malone, for his part, had clear ideas for what the rig should and shouldn’t include.
“He was very adamant,” said Gooden. “What could be in this rig and what cannot be…He wants to keep the rig the main weapon — the 18 wheels of death.”
Over the course of the story, the rig evolves. It’s fortified, customized, and even adorned with trophies from demon kills.
“They kill a giant bull…take the horns, and now it’s got a battering ram,” Gooden said. “The truck becomes like a living thing.”
Courtesy of Vault Comics.
Demons, Theology, Trauma, and Teens
The book may have started with a metal AF premise, but Wassel knew it needed heart.
“The emotional anchor really became: what happens when you shove three people inside a truck?,” Wassel said. Those three are Trucker, a reluctant warrior priest; Batu, a Mongolian horse archer; and Eda, a teenage witch who leads the resistance against Hell.
The clash of cultures and beliefs — a Viking, a Catholic priest, and a sky-god-worshipping warrior — fuels the book’s emotional tension.
“They certainly don’t agree on fundamental things like heaven and hell,” Wassel said. “There’s a lot of friction between these characters.”
Eda, in particular, provides a spark of chaotic energy.
“She’s a teenager stuck on a long car ride,” Gooden said with a laigh. “She’s going to get on people’s nerves on purpose.”
But Eda also carries deep trauma and responsibility, and Gooden’s art captures her duality.
“She goes from being animated and funny to these vulnerable moments where you’re like,” Gooden said. “s anyone checking on her?”
“Post had more ideas than we could fit into one volume”
Despite the fast-paced chaos of Big Rig, every detail is rooted in deep research. Wassel, a self-described history nerd, spent months digging into medieval warfare, crusades-era geography, and ancient spiritual practices.
“Even the bow our archer uses, the witchcraft Eda performs…all [are] based on real-world traditions,” Wassel said.
That commitment extends to every panel.
“There’s a scene where kids are playing a game — we researched what Mongolian children would’ve played and used that,” Gooden said.
Visually, the team also drew inspiration from manga.
“We wanted to bring in that sense of acceleration,” Wassel said. “The rig is always moving — unless there’s a reason it’s not.” As Gooden added, “You should read it fast. And then think, ‘I have a million questions.’ That’s what we wanted.”
“It’s only in moments of great pain that we change”
Despite its monster fights, gore, and the looming threat of Hell, Big Rig is, at its core, about survival and transformation.
“It’s a story about people trying to survive in an insane circumstance,” Wassel said. “What do you believe in when the world ends?”
And while Big Rig is rooted in spectacle — chainsaws, holy relics, and a CB radio that might just connect to God — its soul is in the humanity of its cast.
“Trucker puts on the cap,” Wassel said. “That’s our Peter Parker moment. That’s when the story really begins.”
Sure, some of that story’s facilitated by Malone’s involvement in Big Rig. But when there’s magic, no one can deny it.”
A“We’ve seen a lot of celebrity comics,” Wassel said. “But you can feel when it’s real. And this one’s real.”
Big Rig #1 arrives July 9 from Vault Comics. (The final order cutoff is Monday, June 9.)
Variant cover by Daniel Warren Johnson. Courtesy of Vault Comics.
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