Artist K.S. is creating horror comics with a moral. DarkBox is hard to explain and something you have to definitely see for yourself. If you are into the bloody, twisted, and horrific then DarkBox is for you. Each story is horrifically crafted but has a moral at the end. We spoke with K.S. about DarkBox.
Interview with K.S. about DarkBox horror comics
When did you first fall in love with horror?
I’ve always been interested in horror even at a young age, but it wasn’t really until I
reached adulthood that I really fell in love with the genre. Whether it was comics,
movies or novels, I was really fascinated with the different types of stories that you
could explore through horror.
Do you feel your brand of horror will translate to the American horror
audiences?
Yeah, I think “Silent Horror” will translate really well for American horror audiences, for
one it’s silent so there’s no reading involved and the types of stories I try to tell are
pretty universal. I grew up watching a lot of American horror movies and I think you can
tell that those have had a deep influence on the types of stories that are in “Silent
Horror.”
Where did the idea for Silent Horror come from?
I read “30 seconds” short horror comics on the Internet a while ago, and I started
thinking about how I would approach stories like this for the Internet. And I also always
loved watching horror short films on Youtube, especially the ones coming from Japan.
So, I thought to myself, how can I mix these interests together. I also really wanted to
have lots of twist endings, and reversals, and sub-versions of expectations which were
really inspired by the crime novels that I read growing up.
Are you ever worried maybe you might make something too scary?
Hmm, I wouldn’t say that making the comics visually scary or terrifying is really my
intention. I think you’ll notice that I add a bit of humor to my comics, I would say that the type of horror that I’m creating is more mischievous than devious.
Would you ever like to see your work expand into movies or TV?
I am very eager to see my own works which will be derived into movies, TV, novels,
games and so on in the future. I’m really looking forward to it.
Do you ever use personal stories in your horror?
Haha, fortunately for me, no! I think I just have a wild imagination. I’ve never
encountered any spirits or paranormal activities in my personal life. I don’t really believe in ghosts myself, nor do I try to encourage my readers to be superstitious. As for why I like to draw horror comics? I think it’s fun to make people feel scared every once in a while.
Each comic comes with a moral at the end, what’s your process? How do you
build the story around the moral?
Each of my stories has a theme, and the theme is generally centered on the inherent
darkness of humanity. Abstract or macabre content is also embedded in the stories.
Generally speaking, most of the stories I try to tell are morality tales. Haha, I admit that
my own moral compass is not super strong, so I end up telling stories that are a little
more wild and unpredictable. For example, a story about love and kindness in Silent
Horror gradually gets perverted into a story about the abuse of love and kindness, then
devolves that love and kindness into an act of terror. I would say that this unexpected
progression is what creates the horror for my readers.
Which horror storytellers do you look up to?
My work is influenced by novels, short films, and comics. I am deeply influenced by the
works of Japanese horror, mystery and crime novelist such as Edogawa Ranpo and
Yumeno Kyusaku. There are also European and American horror movies and short
films that have inspired me a lot.
What’s next for you?
Right now, I’m still focused on making more Silent Horror comics on Tapas. I have some
plans for self-publishing a print version of Silent Horror for my fans to order online! I’ve
also joined an animation production company with some of my business partners. And
in the future, hopefully near future, I hope to be able to some exhibitions with my work.
Maybe even have that animation or movie that we mentioned earlier! Hopefully, I can use that as an opportunity to do some traveling, I hope to visit Europe or America
someday and attend a jazz concert! I’m a huge fan of jazz.
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