BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
When asked why he wanted to join writer Gary Reed for a whole new Deadworld thriller, artist Sami Makkonen told THE PULSE it was all about the chance to draw one of his favorite horror staples, the walking dead. "I really wanted to draw some zombies! And Deadworld Slaughterhouse is a great story. It shows not only the usual zombie stuff, but the darkness of the human race, too."


THE PULSE: Some of our readers might be meeting you for the first time in this interview, so how did you get involved in the world of comic books?

SAMI MAKKONEN: My mother used to read me Marvel Comics (Hulk, Fantastic Four etc.) even before I could read them myself. So I started drawing comics, too, at very early age. It was 2007 when I won a comic competition (10 pages, Best Fantasy Comic) here in Finland. After that I started sending stuff to my blog and contacted comic writers abroad. That is how it started.

Elizabeth Genco contacted me after she saw my portfolio at Warren Ellis' site The Engine. We then did Yes, Mother, a short story which was picked by Desperado Publishing for their Negative Burn Anthology. Joe Pruett really liked our stuff, and the next thing that we did was a graphic novel called Blue together, which was also published by Desperado.


Joe Pruett showed my work to Gary Reed (the writer of Deadworld) and after Blue, I immediately started to illustrate Slaughterhouse.

THE PULSE: What interested you in working on a darker story like Deadworld Slaughterhouse?

MAKKONEN: I liked the idea of working on a title that had been published for such a long time as an ongoing series. I have also been a huge George A Romero fan, so I really wanted to draw some zombies! And Slaughterhouse is a great story. It shows not only the usual zombie stuff, but the darkness of the human race, too.

THE PULSE: Since this was a series that had several incarnations and artists, how did that influence how you created each character on the page?

MAKKONEN: Well I just got plenty of reference material for the old characters: I checked them out and then just drew them with my own usual style. The series has a LOT of old characters though: I just had to get to know each one of them since I hadn't read the series before. Gary Reed was also pleased about my character design when it comes to new characters.

THE PULSE: Since this series was new to you, what impressed you the most about the story Gary was telling?

MAKKONEN: Before I started the illustrating, I read couple of TPBs Gary sent me, and it really is the complexity in relationships: there is a lot of things happening between the main characters; and because of that they are almost like real people. There is a real background story to each one of them. You start to care about those people, and when one of them dies (and that happens) you feel it too. It is a very REAL kind of world you are sucked into. Gary is good at what he is doing and he has done it for some time.


THE PULSE: How do you think this is really different from the sea of other zombie comics out there?

MAKKONEN: Haven't of course read each of them, but I think the story that Gary writes has some fresh ideas in it. And basically it is not about the zombies, but humans. I also think that my way of doing these things in grayscale really fits to this particular story. My style in this book resembles old World War II photos and the story is partially placed to a building complex that is almost like Auschwitz …

THE PULSE: Why did you decide to illustrate it in that style?

MAKKONEN: Well this is a horror story. And there is not much more horrifying things in the "real" world than a war.

THE PULSE: I agree. Are you ever disturbed by the content you're illustrating on the page? If so, how do you continue to draw something that bothers you a little?

MAKKONEN: Not really. They are still just drawings on a paper and I'm a grown up man, heh. And horror/fantasy is like the genre for me. I just love doing this. Not the violence but imagining the darker fantasy stuff.

THE PULSE: How long is Deadworld Slaughterhouse? How long did it take you to draw the story?

MAKKONEN: The book is 112 pages long. I started doing it at the end of June 2008 and finished this January. But I have been doing the Hatter M at the same time so it is hard to say …

THE PULSE: What were the biggest challenges to getting Deadworld Slaughterhouse created?


MAKKONEN: The biggest challenge was the time. Or the lack of it! Besides of that it was all fun to do it really. Yep; nothing particular comes to my mind. And I'm getting faster.

THE PULSE: Growing up in Finland, what were some of the comics you read when you were younger? Any local favorites our readers might not be aware of?

MAKKONEN: There are not any Finnish comic artists I have admired. But from Europe: guys like Enki Bilal or Moebius and I'm sure everyone knows them. I have always read more US comics. Bill Sienkiewicz blew up my mind.


THE PULSE: What does your family think of you being a comic book artist? Are they supportive?

MAKKONEN: Yep, very supportive. This is my dream come true. I have wanted to do this ever since my childhood and my family and friends all know it.

THE PULSE: When is Deadworld Slaughterhouse going to be in stores? What about Hatter M?

MAKKONEN: Deadworld Slaughterhouse is coming in April (Diamond Order code FEB09 4243). I can't say exact date to Hatter M vol. 2 but it should be out before fall. You can check my blog for news. And of course http://www.lookingglasswars.com



PULSE readers can learn more about Makkonen here:
http://www.samimakkonen.blogspot