Zac Thompson Interview: Cemetery Kids Don’t Die

“You’re Only Alive if You’re Online”

By Sarah Elliott

 

Why the impending feeling of doom at the thought of switching off your phone? Why does the panic-induced pounding of your heart feel like, at any moment, your insides will spew forth if you dare to disconnect?

 

Being accessible and online seems non-negotiable these days. In Zac Thompson’s graphic novel Cemetery Kids Don’t Die, it’s more than non-negotiable, it’s a matter of life and death. Gamers beware! Will you accept the same challenge as the Cemetery Kids?

 

Let’s get to know the creator of this possible future world.

Bio: Zac Thompsonis a multidisciplinary writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics, including the eco-horror title Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land and show running the Age of X-Man event. He has also written characters like Batman and Swamp Thing at DC Comics. In 2017, Zac released his critically acclaimed debut graphic novel, The Dregs. His 2018 follow-up, Come Into Me, was named one of the Best 100 Horror Comics of All Time by Paste magazine. In 2021, his science-fiction horror series I Breathed A Body was called one of the best comics of the year by SYFY. In 2022, Thompson’s original screenplay The Replacer was selected for production financing from Telefilm Canada. Zac has also written stories for Vice, Huff Post, IGN, Seraphim Films, Image Comics, and many other publications. When Zac’s not out foraging for mushrooms or cycling, you can find him at the cinema or walking his dog, Astra.

 

Sarah: Great title! Were there any other possible titles in the running?

Zac: For a short period of time, it was just called Cemetery Kids. We wanted it to have a funerary tone and communicate how these characters were trapped in their world. There’s little hope for the future in Cemetery Kids Don’t Die and the secondary worlds provided by video games are much more appealing. 

Sarah: What kind of reader do you see picking up and loving Cemetery Kids Don’t Die?

Zac: Anyone who loves the Nightmare on Elm Street movies or the work of David Cronenberg. Fans of manga like Dai Dark, Sword Art: Online or the Overlord anime. Or really anyone who’s spent years playing online video games. 

Sarah: Your favourite character and why?

Zac: My favorite character is Wilson. He’s troubled and struggling with his relationship to reality. He plays a Necromancer in the game and that’s easily my favorite class to play in fantasy games where it’s an option. Wilson’s a struggling artist and he’s trying to figure out what his future looks like. Which is something that I really relate to.

Sarah: Where do you draw your inspiration when writing young characters?

Zac: My own personal experiences. A lot of this game is born from my time playing MMORPGS when I was a teenager. So much of my social time was online and lots of my friendships were ones that were entirely online. It was also the cornerstone of how my friendship with my younger brother flourished. Before we found World of Warcraft, we weren’t really friends. Then we spent about five years questing through Azeroth together and it really deepened our friendship. But like any friends we had highs and lows. All of that ended up on the page.

Sarah: “YOU’RE ONLY ALIVE IF YOU’RE ONLINE . . .” How do you interpret this outside of your graphic novel?

Zac: Well, it’s really only related to the graphic novel. But I suppose it could be used to infer that the online world is really the only way to have a valid existence as a teenager these days. So much of our lives are shared online. This is especially true for young people who are constantly under pressure to connect with people and constantly have the feeling of missing out. Your online personality can follow you for a long time. You might leave school… but your relationships with everyone continue late into the day/night. Even though people are different from their profiles – we often see them as one in the same. 

Sarah: What tech was around when you were a young teenager?

Zac: I grew up as cell phones really took off. I was in high school when I got my first cell phone. But online gaming was really taking off during that time. So, it was the era of constant MMORPGs and the creation of Steam. Which changed so much of how I socialized with others.

Sarah: What activity do you get lost in?

Zac: Cycling. I can go out for hours. I also love to read and play video games. I recently moved from the west coast to the east coast and online gaming has been an incredible way to keep in touch with friends who are thousands of kilometers away.

Sarah: Anything else you’d like to tell us about Cemetery Kids Don’t Die or what’s coming next? 

Zac: Daniel and I are hard at work on our follow-up project. We used our experience on CKDD to really try and outdo ourselves on this new book. It’s another sci-fi/horror hybrid perfect for fans of this book! 

More about Cemetery Kids Don’t Die:

 

“A chilling reflection on the cost of overreliance on technology and the seductive power of virtual realities to reshape our identities and relationships, sure to resonate with both horror and science fiction fans.“ —Library Journal

 

YOU’RE ONLY ALIVE IF YOU’RE ONLINE . . .

The twenty-first century sucks hard, but it’s been made somewhat tolerable by the latest media innovation to finally unseat the iPhone. Enter the Dreamwave: the first gaming console played entirely while you sleep.

Now the obsession of millions around the globe, it’s also the one point of solace for four friends whose lives have been marred by trauma and dysfunction. Together, this group of ultra-online “Cemetery Kids” spend their nights roaming the open world of the most immersive and brutal horror game ever created: “Nightmare Cemetery.” Together they seek to dethrone an enigmatic humanoid monster known only as the “The King of Sleep.”

Which was fun—until one of them doesn’t wake up . . . and finds their consciousness locked inside a horror game that is anything but imaginary. Now, the three remaining Cemetery Kids must navigate the game’s forbidden landscape to rescue their friend . . . and pray that the secret lurking at its center doesn’t follow them home.

Experience an exhilarating, terrifying adventure downloading from the cortexes of critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Hunt for the Skinwalker, The Dregs) and blockbuster artist Daniel Irizarri (XINO, Judge Dredd)!