Estuary: A Ghost Story, a new four-part comics tale, is described as “a chilling tale of secrets buried deep beneath the surf of the idyllic Pacific coast.” There’s a mysterious nun, a marine archaeologist, a shipwreck and, of course, a dash of the supernatural.
The first issue, from Oni Press, offers a vibrantly visual set-up as it introduces the characters and the tale is set in motion.
It’s the work of a team that includes writers Tim Daniel & David “D.B.” Andry (Crush Depth, Morning Star) with artwork by Maan House (Mine is a Long Lonesome Grave).
D.B. fielded some questions from Wicked Horror about the first issue and the crafting of the whole project.
WH: Estuary offers readers some familiar elements to suspense and adventure stories, such as an effort to locate a sunken ship and supernatural elements, but you’re really focusing on characters. Tell us about how Sister Darcy and marine archaeologist Maris Cristobal took shape in a collaborative process? And Hunt as well. He’s not a stick figure charter captain.
D.B. Andry: You’ve got that right! My co-writer, Tim Daniel, and I really try to have fully rounded characters in all the books we work on together. These three characters are the crux around which the story evolves, so much more than is revealed in this first issue. We spent a lot of time figuring out the mystery, giving each character a part to play, a piece of the puzzle that the others would need to solve it. They also each have a complete history that forms their personalities and decisions, which was important for Tim and I to figure out so they didn’t make choices that wouldn’t make sense to the reader.
WH: What research went into each character’s background and expertise?
D.B. Andry: Honestly, I hate research! I usually leave that to Tim. That’s one of the reasons that our collaboration works so well. But being raised Catholic, going to a Catholic school with nuns as teachers and being raised by a mother who wanted to be a nun when she was a little girl, I think I had the religious research handled. What I wanted for Hunt and Maris was to be raised very differently, but as adults, their beliefs and viewpoints on life have almost converged. They aren’t opposites, but their lives before they met are different enough to be very interesting to the other person and their way of viewing life now is similar enough so that a relationship is possible. As research for this type of thing, it’s more recognizing these personality types in yourself and your close friends. I steal from as many real people as I can to create realistic characters!
WH: Continuing on research, the setting is very specific and detailed. How much research into locations was required?
D.B. Andry: This one I did research. A lot of it came from just living in California my whole life and spending tons of time on the Northern California coast. I also went to Monterey and took a bunch of pictures as reference and was totally inspired to add certain things to the script. Tim was also raised in this area, so setting it in a Monterey Bay type area was an easy thing for us to do. Kids who went to school in Northern California all had the experience of building a California Mission out of popsicle sticks or toothpicks. We were all exposed to the history and the complex past of the California coast. There is a very specific feel to this area, not like any other coastal area. Tim and I think about this setting as a character, with moods, impact on the story, and a part to play.
WH:And what about diving for wrecks? Did anyone have experience in diving?
D.B. Andry: I have gone snorkeling exactly one time and had a panic attack so bad that I nearly drowned. But I have an equal obsession with things underwater to go with that fear. I’ll watch any documentary about underwater exploration, treasure hunting, or featuring wildlife. I won’t do it, ever! But I’ll watch it obsessively.
WH: What was your first reaction when you began to see illustrations developing from the script? Was your vision of the old and historic chapel what you expected?
D.B. Andry: Well, blown away would be an understatement. Maan House absolutely CRUSHES the visuals of Estuary. His ability to add mood, drama and suspense to a story is unmatched. The historic chapel feels ominous, creepy, possibly haunted, exactly like we wanted.
WH:What about the overall visual style for the story?
D.B. Andry: Again, that’s all Maan. He brings a distinct visual style that Tim and I tried to write a story to match. Heavy shadows, foggy and misty landscapes, creepy characters…Maan is a master of the horror genre. So as a writer, you just step back and let him work.
WH: There are conversations about faith and spirituality in the first issue. Tell us about the development of those themes and give us a hint about the supernatural storyline that seems to be taking shape. What can readers expect as the story unfolds? Without giving too much away of course.
D.B. Andry: The themes of faith, spirituality and religion were all there at the beginning. That was the scaffolding that we built Estuary upon. Maris is lost, faith-wise. She has this history of religion, but not the faith that goes behind it. That very much mirrors my own experience with Catholicism. But she is going to face things that will challenge everything she has known about religion and spirituality. With things she can’t explain with anything other than coming from the supernatural world. But I’ve said too much already…
WH: On a writing standpoint, how did your collaboration with Tim Daniel, and when did artist Maan House become involved?
D.B. Andry: Tim and I knew we’d be working with Maan very early on. During our first talks with editor Bess Pallares, she let us know that she was looking to team Tim and I up with Maan. So we jumped at that opportunity. Knowing the artist that early on in development of Estuary really helped us write a script that we felt leaned into Maan’s strengths. It also gave Maan the chance to change things to improve the visuals as he saw fit through the whole process, knowing that Tim and I would have time to go back and adjust the lettering to match any changes he made. It’s been an amazing collaboration, one that Tim and I look forward to experiencing again.
