Interview: 'Dahlia in the Dark' Delivers A Hitman's Fairy Tale
Jan 10, 2023
Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
In comic shops now, Dahlia in the Dark is the latest series from Mad Cave Studios mainstay Joe Corallo (Becstar, She Said Destroy). This six-parter invites readers into two worlds: the criminal underbelly and the realm of the fantastical. When these two realities come crashing into each other (and they will crash!) the results will be one fast-paced, action-packed, fantasy thriller!
In the following interview, Ringo Award writer Corallo explains what it's like when magic meets mercenaries.
Catch us up to speed. What is so funky about Dahlia in the Dark?
I actually just read a tweet from @ThatComicGirl that summed it up as Supernatural meets Mad Max: Fury Road and while that wasn’t necessarily my thought process going into writing this comic, I think it’s a good way to sum it up.
Beyond that, I worked to ensure the pacing was fast and that there was quite a bit of action in every issue. And the action is never taking the place of strong character moments. As I was putting this story together I never felt that I had to sacrifice action for the story or vice versa, and I hope that comes across in the final product for readers.
Can you talk about Donny Dahlia and his daughter more? Why are they important to this story?
I want to be careful in talking about this, as I don’t want to reveal my hand too early. That said, the core of this story is Donny’s relationship with his daughter, whether or not she’s there with him in person. So many of Donny’s decisions are informed primarily through his relationship with his daughter, from taking on this job that’s the catalyst for this series to how he treats other people along the way.
This book is a mishmash of crime and fantasy, right? What made you want to fuse those two genres?
I’ve always loved fusing genres. I’ve previously collaborated with Rachel Pollack and Eva Cabrera on the ComiXology Originals series The Never-Ending Party which blends horror and romance with mythology. I view storytelling as really about the characters and their relationships, and the genres help with worldbuilding and provide a compelling backdrop for these characters to interact with. To me, a crime when looking at it as a genre is very easy to plug into something like fantasy to create something unique that can complement both genres.
The artist on the project is Andrea Milana. What made Andrea the right artist for the job?
I had the opportunity to look at Andrea’s work before Mad Cave reached out to him. After seeing his work I was pretty convinced he’d be a great choice, which Mad Cave agreed as well or they wouldn’t have reached out to Andrea in the first place. Andrea has some very expressive character work which is crucial for a story like this, while also being able to create fantastical imagery of things that don’t exist. And I can’t understate how beyond the linework, Andrea is a fantastic colorist that makes this book moody when it needs to be moody, and pop when it needs to pop.
Looking forward, what can readers expect from Dahlia in the Dark?
Issue 1 sets up most of the important characters that Donny is going to run into. That said, people can expect more action and magic is we start to see more of Donny’s past and can put some of the pieces together to figure out how Donny got to where he is and what he’ll do when he gets to his final destination; if he can even get that far.
In terms of audience, who is this book for?
I’d say it’s probably a teen+ kind of audience for something like this. People who like crime noir and fantasy, or grounded stories that have something fantastical about them. I’d also say this book is for anyone who has lost someone, whether they’re just not in your life anymore and still out there or that have passed on, that still thinks about them all the time and strives to be a better person because of them.
Dahlia in the Dark is available now at your local comic shop. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
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Dahlia in the Dark is a fast-paced, action, fantasy thriller about family and hidden truths. Ringo award winner and Eisner nominated author Joe Corallo (She Said Destroy, Becstar, The Never Ending Party) joins rising star artist Andrea Milana for an all-original mini-series that will take readers on one wild ride!
Dahlia in the Dark is a fast-paced, action, fantasy thriller about family and hidden truths. Ringo award winner and Eisner nominated author Joe Corallo (She Said Destroy, Becstar, The Never Ending Party) joins rising star artist Andrea Milana for an all-original mini-series that will take readers on one wild ride!
Dahlia in the Dark is a fast-paced, action, fantasy thriller about family and hidden truths. Ringo award winner and Eisner nominated author Joe Corallo (She Said Destroy, Becstar, The Never Ending Party) joins rising star artist Andrea Milana for an all-original mini-series that will take readers on one wild ride!
Dahlia in the Dark is a fast-paced, action, fantasy thriller about family and hidden truths. Ringo award winner and Eisner nominated author Joe Corallo (She Said Destroy, Becstar, The Never Ending Party) joins rising star artist Andrea Milana for an all-original mini-series that will take readers on one wild ride!
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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. His comics work includes MF DOOM: All Caps, Public Enemy's Apocalpyse '91, Fight of the Century, the Harvey Award-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Awards-nominated Magic Bullet.
