Q: Be honest! How familiar were you with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when you first pitched for Unfashioned Creatures?
EV: The character is a pop culture icon with countless incarnations through the years-from the original novel to animation, comics and cinema, and many more. We’ve enjoyed many of them!
SV: It’s one of our favorite books, and quite an inspiration. After all it is a science fiction staple.
Q: What’s your favorite take on the Frankenstein mythos? Least favorite?
EV: It’s hard to pick a favorite. Some takes are funny, action-packed; others are dark, moody and dramatic.
SV: They all add to the story’s legacy. It’s nice to see as many interpretations of an idea as possible.
Epiphany
Q: Major inspirations for your art/writing? What led you down the comics road to ruin?
EV: My brother introduced me to comics. Every book we read was a thrill. Inspired by the tales in boxes and balloons, we started making our own. It all started with “Mickey Mouse”, “Donald Duck”, went through “Batman The Animated Series”, “TMNT”, the Batman movies and their comic book adaptations. I made my choice – I wanted to make comics.
SV:My mom bought me my first comic book – “Mickey Mouse”. I’ve always had a rich imagination. I was drawing, creating characters and stories all the time. It was natural for me to become a writer and an artist.
Q: What else are you working on now? Any long-term projects?
EV: We are always working on something new.
SV: Keep an eye on us, and you’ll see more and exciting tales from us.
Q: If you could be any monster, who/what would you be?
EV: It is better telling stories about monsters, than being a monster 🙂
SV: Monsters are fascinating creatures. Exploring their nature is an intriguing and fun ride to take for a creator. They teach us how to be better men.
Bettering ourselves by examining monsters…Somehow, I think Shelley would approve.
Emiliyan and Stanimir Valev are comic creators from Bulgaria.
UNFASHIONED CREATURES is a collection of over twenty monstrous, moving and mirthful tributes to Mary Shelley and her legendary tale, Frankenstein. An eclectic body of comic shorts, short-series and original art, sure to inspire equal parts terror and lols.
Matthew Erman compiled questions for this interview. Check back in the coming weeks for the next Q&A with more Fashioners!