Dead Inside – interview with John Arcudi

Brutal Gamer was given the opportunity to ask a few questions of the acclaimed author of Dead Inside, John Arcudi. Check out DEAD INSIDE – interview.

John Arcudi recently took some time from his work with Mike Mignola, striking out on his own again in Dark Horse Comics’ gripping story of a crime Dead Inside. His work on previous titles such as The Mask and BPRD Batman and other crime novels have groomed him for what is looking like an incredible thrill ride in crime stories.

BG: Caruso seems too smart for the Jail Crimes Division, will we see what happened that she gets busted to the Jail Crimes Division?

JA: For the purposes of this story, Jail Crimes Division is a low priority job — and Linda Caruso both does, and does not belong there. She’s been a lousy detective, but a great cop (not necessarily the same thing) and so her journey seems to end in the Jail Crimes Division. You’ll see what got her there, but you’ll also see her start to actually become a good detective. So where she goes from there is the major part of this story.

BG: Prisons are gritty, and the style of Dead Inside fits the setting, did you do much research on prison life before you put this book together?

JA: The criminal justice system has been a lifelong interest. I’ve been researching this book — without really knowing it — for years.

BG: John, you’ve written just on about every genre of comic book, What made you want to write a comic book in a prison?

JA: It’s something I wanted to do for a very long time now. I’m not sure why, exactly, it never happened before, but I’m really happy I finally got to do it.

BG: Many prisons experience murders, how did you come up with the twist for your story?

JA: The twist was actually part of another story I never got to do — so maybe that’s why I never wrote about Jail Crimes Division before. I needed that hook. Sometimes writing works that way. Two projects can contribute to a single story. Seems a bit of a shame that you can’t do both, but honestly, it’s better than not doing a story at all. I’m glad it worked out this way.

DEAD INSIDE – interview

Keep an eye out for our review of Dead Inside, here