Red 5 Comics Interview: Enigmatown
Feb 13, 2025
Red 5 Comics is taking advantage of this year's Free Comic Book Day in a big way and using it as an opportunity to launch three brand new series. Their book, Red 5 Comic Adventures, offers readers a sneak peeks into each of these new stories. And what you get is enticing enough to have you coming back for the full thing. In an exclusive prologue for "Enigmatown", you know the story of the child's plaything becoming a real boy, but what happens when the real boy becomes a child's toy? Then, after acid rain destroys the world, Jocelyn Alvarez must venture into the wasteland in search of "Something Beyond the Petrichor". And when teenager Jennifer Gaitlin dons the ancient helmet of Wukong, she gains the experiences and abilities of every warrior who has ever worn it to become "Snow Monkey"!
We got the opportunity to catch up with each of the creators behind this explosive FCBD sampler to hear more about what inspired their stories and what lies ahead in their series. Today, we sit down with Alex De Luca, creator behind Enigmatown, to get the inside scoop on his spooky, yet whimiscal FCBD adventure.
Make sure to grab your copy of Red 5 Comic Adventures on May 3 for FCBD to get your first full look at Engimatown. Find a participating comic near you!
Free Comic Book Day (FCBD): Set up your title for those who might be new to your comic book: What will new readers need to know before diving into your Free Comic Book Day issue?
Alex De Luca: Enigmatown is an all-ages cozy read one curls up with in a comfy chair and blanket on a cold night, warm drink in hand.
In very basic terms it’s a bit of a cross between Toy Story and The Haunted Mansion with a dash of Five Nights at Freddy's thrown in and a knowing wink to Child’s Play. There’s a more to it of course, but that’s a little taste. In Enigmatown the reader will see astonishingly lifelike toys, how they came to be so… desirable, and how an unlikely trio of friends gets together to try to right the terrible wrong that brought the toys into being. 
The Free Comic Book Day Enigmatown Exclusive story shows the heartbreaking chronicle of the very first toy to acquire this lifelike aura. It’s narrated by the toy itself in the form of a limerick poem.
FCBD: What are some of the key themes present in your book? What do you hope readers take away from your title?
De Luca: One key theme is the power of friendship and how it can transcend time and estrangement in order to amend awful regrets, even supernatural ones!
Another is the power of love and how it can accomplish the miraculous, both good and bad.
Another aspect of Enigmatown that I’d like readers to take away is that, despite the fact that we as humans will certainly fail from time to time, we can learn and grow from the experience of those failures to not only try to fix our mistakes, but to do better next time.
Also:
- Abandoned mansions are scary but cool.
- Ventriloquist puppets that talk without a puppeteer are crazy creepy.
- A grumpy old lady riding electric scooters is funny.
- A ghost CAN be your friend.
FCBD: What part of the book was most fun to write/draw?
De Luca: So, while I loved writing the part where one of the protagonists had a stupid urge to play Chopsticks on a pipe organ despite being in a truly life or death situation, and another part where the utterly terrifying antagonist finally has our heroes in his grip while his toy soldiers are marching in eerie formation on the dusty floor of his old mansion, what I really loved writing was the climax of redemption, reunion, letting go and how really and truly love conquers all.
But… at a price.
I’m a dramatic, gushy softie, what can I say.
FCBD: Can you share some of the inspiration behind certain characters, settings, etc.?
De Luca: The character of Luzmarie (She goes by “Luzy” but it’s pronounced like “Luzy”) is inspired by friends I had in my youth, especially my brilliant dear friend Rosie. She was also inspired by some smarty-pants characters from the books by my favorite authors, the late John Bellairs and his very much alive successor and close friend, Brad Strickland.
The character of Joey was inspired a bit by my dad and a bit by myself. I amalgamated similarities of experiences of my dad’s life, especially ideas from his immigrant story, along with experiences from my own life, especially my home life.
The character of crotchety old Frankie was inspired by funny people I know and the grumpy but oddly sweet old man I continually see myself becoming. She was also inspired a bit by Ritchie Valens.
FCBD: If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
De Luca: I would say to Joey to be brave, if for no other reason than to just be brave. I would say that you weren’t always right, but you weren’t always wrong either. I would say that at a certain moment you should’ve looked away when you couldn’t, and at another moment you should’ve looked when you looked away. I would also say it wasn’t your fault buddy. It just seemed like it at the time.
I would say to Luzy that I see the pain behind your cheekiness and that even pain can be a beautiful thing, just like you’re beautiful. It can be a source of strength too, just like you’re strong. I would also say that I really, really, really want to be friends with you because you’re so freaking awesome.
I would say to Frankie that, despite your appearance as a grumpy old lady, I can only aspire to be one tenth of you and that I’m in awe of what you’ve accomplished in your long life. I would say that, despite not thinking it at the time, forgiveness is always possible. I would also say, yes, Frankie. That young and innocent kiss at THE worst possible time, was, indeed, love.
FCBD: Looking to the future, is there anything you can tease about what’s coming up for the title and its characters?
De Luca: What’s coming is an altogether classic, comfy but eerie ghost story that we’ve all loved for centuries but with new and relatable twists and revelations about this kooky thing we call humanity and all the messy but wonderful baggage that goes along with it.
FCBD: Many newcomers will pick up comics for the first time on FCBD – what was the first comic you remember reading? What got you into comics?
De Luca: My first comic was Chamber of Chills in 19… It was a long, long time ago. It had a big gorilla on the cover which reminded me of King Kong! What got me into comics was going into the delightfully smelling magazine store in Upstate New York with my older brother, right next to dad’s work, and making a beeline to the comics rack. There’s something magic, unique and undeniable about the medium of comics. It’s an allure that has survived countless near-deaths and will continue to do so.
FCBD: What’s the most important aspect of collaboration in comics, and how do you ensure that all team members’ contributions align with the story you’re trying to tell?
De Luca: As a writer who can’t draw for nuts, relying completely on excellent artists, like Enigmatown artist Victoria Carmina, an important aspect is clear delivery of message, meaning, intent and context of a given scene or moment in your work. Something so small can completely derail context, so don’t skimp on description (sorry for the crazy long scripts, Tory!)
BUT...
It’s equally as important to let the team member be the team member! The artist is not in the writer’s head, and vice versa. 9 times out of 10 end results in a collaboration will turn out differently than what you have in your head. Unless the result veers egregiously from the intent, go with it! It will build a muscle of adaptability in you that you will be so, so grateful for.
What’s such a relief in my collaborations is that I also letter my comics. So, when I get the page back from the artist, I can (and ALWAYS do) edit myself to best serve the scene and space allotted. I always say that if letterer me ever met writer me, letterer me would punch writer me in his big nose and tell him not to write so much.
FCBD: What is the most challenging part of creating for the comic book medium, and how do you overcome it?
De Luca: Comics are a visual medium. What’s challenging for myself as a writer that, again, can’t draw, is the creation of a visual using only words to create it. A movie or TV director has an actor or piece of scenery they can manipulate right then and there. A musician has their singing voice or instrument. A dancer has their feet and the floor. A writer of prose has words, and only words. A writer of comics needs to conjure, like magic, a unique-to-the-medium melding of the written word and the static visual.
Another thing that is challenging is space on the page. What time is in a moving picture (TV/Movie), space is in a comic. You need to use the allotted space you’ve given yourself to optimally deliver a message. Not enough space, it’s rushed. Too much space, it meanders. It needs to be the right amount of space. How much space? That’s like asking the old questions “how long is a rope?” It’s exactly long as it needs to be.
How I overcome it is by seeing instances when I did it wrong, and adjust. I also use the internet to search for visible examples of what I have in mind. I never, ever, EVER use AI for anything.
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FCBD: Tell us why everyone should read comic books!
De Luca: Comics (which includes graphic novels, manga and everything else in sequential art storytelling) are unique. Meaning, there are certain aspects of storytelling that can only be done in comics. So if you don’t read comics, you are missing out on the full pallet of possibilities of information reception. A comic reader has a wider range of story absorption and understanding than a non-comic reader. Comics are a proven learning tool. Comics are a medium, not a genre. An Ikea instruction manual is a comic.
FCBD: If you have a local comic shop you want to plug, maybe where you can be found on FCBD, give them a shoutout!
De Luca: Yes!
Flying Colors Comics – THE BIRTHPLACE OF FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
1170 Concord Ave #140,
Concord, CA 94520
https://www.flyingcolorscomics.com/
Illusive Comics & Games
5245 Stevens Creek Blvd,
Santa Clara, CA 95051
https://www.illusivecomics.com/
FCBD: We want to wrap this up with a series of rapid-fire questions for you! They’re, you know, sort of related to comics... Answer as quickly as you can and try not to over think it!
If you had to assign a soundtrack to your FCBD book, what genre would the music be?
A spooky symphony of a whole bunch of antique windup musical boxes!
Speaking of genre, what’s your favorite comic book genre?
Anyone with a character I like! In other words, ALL of them!
If you were a comic book character, would you rather be the hero or the villain?
It’s not that black and white for me, but if pressed, the villain, because if there’s a shot at redemption, it’s glorious.
Everyone in the world gets to choose a power, but the more people that choose the same power, the weaker that power will be. What power do you choose?
Healing.
If you could steal one gadget or weapon from any comic book, what would it be?
Herbie Popnecker’s lollipop!
If you were sucked into a comic Jumanji-style, which comic would you most want to be put into?
Fool’s Hollow in the comic Starchild by my dear friend James A. Owen.
Exclusive Original Material
Rating: Teen
