The Molting / Guilty Susie Book Signing - Exclusive Photo Report

Brian Johnson (colorist), Oceano Ransford (letterer), and Terrance Zdunich (author, illustrator) book launch.

By:stacilayne
Updated: 09-26-2009

As HDC's faithful followers know, I've been a "faithful follower" too — of Repo! The Genetic Opera. This has been since I watched it being filmed in Toronto in 2007. I hadn't seen the movie yet of course, but I felt an instant connection to the material and the sizzle reel shown on set whet my anticipation. A horror/sci-fi/rock-n-roll musical? I was in!

I'd known director Darren Bousman prior to that (having covered his Saw movies), but it was my first time meeting Repo! creators Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. We became friendly, and as such I felt fortunate to be able to use what (admittedly little) influence I had as a journalist to help champion Repo! back when it seemed nobody believed in it. I became a full-fledged believer myself when I was gaciously invited to one of the first private cast and crew screenings (got to see it in attendance with some of the stars, such as Alexa Vega, Ogre and Bill Moseley… but still — my colleague, cohort and all-around cool guy, Dan Walker, got to see it first. [Damn you, Spooky Dan!]). I wound up loving the movie as much as I'd hoped.

HDC boasted one of the first reviews of Repo! long before it had an official release date, and on my own as a freelancer I wrote the first print articles on the film (SciFi Magazine, and L'Ecran Fantastique), asked my producer friends at Reelz Channel to bring Darren Bousman in for a broadcast interview, covered them at Comic-Con, and on and on… I guess you could say I am a Repo! rouser. That's one of the nice things about being a niche journalist: you can champion the little flicks you like without any corporate restrictions.

While I liked it, I never would have predicted the life Repo! has taken on and continues to enjoy. It's got a massive cult following now, with fans having picked up the torch and going so far as to form shadow casts for midnight screenings all over the States and abroad, having themselves permanently tattooed, forming fan clubs, writing fanfic, there's a documentary film by Spooky Dan in the works, Darren Smith is doing a jingle-campaign, and on and on.

All of this is a great stepping stone to forge ahead in a new direction for co-writer (and costar; he plays GraveRobber in the film) Terrance Zdunich, whose first graphic novel, The Molting, is now being meted out in several parts.

Along with Brian Johnson (colorist), Oceano Ransford (letterer), Zdunich enjoyed his first hometown signing last night, which coincided with a performance by the L.A. Repo Shadowcast (featuring ATTK) at the Beverly Fairfax Theater.

The Molting: Chapter One, Guilty Susie - back cover teaser

A cache of cockroaches observe unspeakable abuses from the shadows, mute witnesses to suddenly-orphaned Susie and Tony Deveraux's chaotic new existence.

The grief-stricken sister and brother move into the ramshackle home of their closest relatives - lecherous Uncle Henry and slovenly Aunt Melinda - only to find that they were taken in not out of familial love, but greed. An insane greed which inevitably leads to further death and irreparable devastation.

In the end, the cockroach husks wither in the wildfire which razes everything, even Susie's own sanity, to blackened cinder.

More info and how to order your own signed copy: http://www.themoltingcomic.com/

= = =

PHOTO GALLERY

The guys stir up some liquid courage just prior to the signing. As you can see, the glasses are empty and the peanut wrapper is flat. They're ready for the unholy hordes.