When you see the name Tony Moore roll by in the credits for "The Walking Dead" on AMC this Sunday night (and you know you want to watch zombies on Halloween!), that below-ground rumbling you'll hear is his granddaddy - my father - doing handstands in the grave. Tony, a kick-butt artist, co-created "The Walking Dead" with writer Robert Kirkman when they were in their early 20s and just a few years and much blood and guts later, the zombies they brought to the pages of comics is a big old cable show directed by Frank Darabon t("The Shawshank Redemption") and co-produced by Gale Hurd of "Terminator" fame. Yeah, deal with it, I'm bragging 'cause that's what childless-by-choice aunts do to bore everyone who ever tortured them with pictures of their kids playing T-ball or princess.
Some background now that you're mired in this edition of Britt's Kentucky Roots: Tony, who lives in Aurora, Ind. (near Cincinnati, Ohio), with his wife and baby, is the oldest son of my older sister, Linda. He was born in Lexington, Ky., and raised in Cynthiana, Ky. - for fans of the original "Walking Dead" story, that's where Rick Grimes, the show's lead character, was a police officer before zombies ensued. Anyhoo, Cynthiana didn't make it into the AMC show - Rick's now from a small town outside Atlanta. But while I'm sorry about that because I wrote a book about Cynthiana last year and the shameless self-promoter in me wanted "Dead" fans to be so enamored of the place they'd pay $20 to read a book that has nothing to do with the undead, I'm thrilled for my nephew, who was sculpting inch-high clay Draculas when other kids were drawing crap even their parents wouldn't hang on a frig.
Speaking of parents: Pipe down, Daddy. We get it.
Still with me? I talked with Tony just before he flew to L.A. for the premiere of "The Walking Dead." Dig it:
You've seen the first couple of episodes. How true are they to your original vision for the comic - anything you particularly loved, hated or could have done without?
It's pretty uncanny how true to the comics the first couple of episodes are, especially visually. There are a few new characters and a couple of deeper explorations of situations that veer off the comics' path a bit, but overall, it's really close. Fans who are intimately familiar with the book are going to find all the things they loved and were looking for, but there will be enough new things twisting and turning in the mix that they'll still be thoroughly engaged. There were a few exchanges and musical bits I wasn't in love with, but overall, I thought it was really, really strong. A worthy addition to the other great programs on AMC, to say the least. The zombie effects are by Greg Nicotero and KNB EFX, who are the name of the game when it comes to this stuff. On that front, it's got some top-notch movie quality stuff going on, and doesn't shy away from anything ... and I mean anything.
Along those lines, what about the casting? Good stuff?
Yeah, I was really surprised. Both visually and acting-wise, these guys do a great job bringing the characters to life. A few of the guys look like they walked right off my drafting table. It's really pretty surreal.
You and Robert Kirkman teamed up as friends in junior high. Tell us a little about your early projects together, how "The Walking Dead" came to life and what you expected from it.
Yeah, Kirkman and I met in seventh-grade history class, and being the biggest two comics nerds and budding artists in our class, we hit it off pretty quickly. Fast forward to my freshman year of college, and we were collaborating on our first self-published venture, "Battle Pope," which we put out through our own company, Funk-O-Tron. From there, we climbed on board with Image to do a book called "Brit," which we followed with "The Walking Dead." Honestly, after years of flying under the radar, I expected more of the same. At the time, horror was a genre pretty much proven to be commercially nonviable. A few books were starting to pry that door open, and Hollywood was about to burst with a deluge of zombie flicks. We were really lucky, in the right place at the right time. I couldn't believe how it caught like wildfire. Probably couldn't do it again if we tried ... which we both have.
So this is what came from it: a show on AMC, with your name in the credits. Damn. Has to feel good.
Oh, you better believe it. I got goosebumps seeing it.
Are these characters still important to you?
The ones from the first few issues of the books, I am definitely still partial to. Any time you bring a character to life on a page for the first time, they kind of become your babies, even the marginal ones.
What the heck is it about zombies? Why do people care so much about those flesh-feastin', noggin-noshin' creatures?
I don't know, exactly, but I think part of it is because they're so completely unromantic. You can't really "sex up" a zombie. I mean Trash from "Return of the Living Dead," and Julie from "Return of the Living Dead III" managed to be pretty crush-worthy, but overall, when you turn, you don't get mystical powers or anything like werewolves or vampires, you just become a shambling, mindless, rotting, eating machine. And even if you survive their attacks and die from old age, you'll still get up and join their ranks when you go. And like birds, they're not so scary one at a time, but in a swarm, they can be pretty terrifying. The movies tend to showcase some great themes, too, most notably, Survivalism, Man's Inhumanity Toward Man, and Runaway Consumerism. You can couch a really poignant story in these horrible and gory situations, which is doubly fun.
Are you familiar with the song "Timothy," the first pop hit about cannibals? Joe and the singer ate Timothy, right?
I don't know that song. I'll have to look it up. Do you know why cannibals hate clowns? Because they taste funny.
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull is the father-in-law of Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, and was on the "Walking Dead" set. "Bungle in the Jungle" is on my Top 10 list of Worst Songs Ever. Just thought I'd throw that in, in case you're ever hanging with Mr. Anderson and need an ice-breaker.
It is a real stinker, for sure. On my Top 10 Worst as well. That'd make a fine how-do-you-do, wouldn't it? Then he'd unsheath his flute and kabong me like Quick Draw McGraw.
Your favorite all-time zombie stories, in literature and film?
I haven't read much zombie stuff outside of comics, so I couldn't say. I love those old EC Comics spurned lover/crossed business partner stories. They always involve a murder and a haunting return of the victim to exact their revenge. There's a comfort in the formula, and the EC art stable was always filled with top notch guys. Modern comics, I enjoy the lighthearted stuff Eric Powell does in "The Goon," and Bob Fingerman's been doing some great stuff, from "Zombie World: Winter's Dregs" to "Recess Pieces."
As for movies, there are a lot of gems, but I'd say my favorites are Romero's original dead trilogy ("Night of the Living Dead," " Dawn of the Dead," and "Day of the Dead") and Lucio Fulci's "Zombie." Nowadays, I think the bar has been set by "Shaun of the Dead." It seems every new flick since claims it's the next "Shaun," but in my opinion, they've all fallen shy of the mark. It's a perfectly well-informed spoof but somehow also manages to be a really great zombie movie in the process.
Did you love Halloween as a kid? What was your favorite costume?
I live for Halloween. I always have. I was really partial to my Dracula getup as a kid. I think I must've done that one for at least five years in a row. I thought I was a regular Bela Lugosi. Looking back, my white high-tops made me look more like Count Dorkula, especially when I was running around wearing a Dracula cape in the middle of spring.
Would you let your little girl hang out with little boys who were like you were at, say, 12?
Sure! I was a good kid! Now when she gets to like 13 or 14, I'm going to lock her in her room like Rapunzel. Our life will become that song, "Wolverton Mountain."
If you'll be watching "The Walking Dead" live, pun intended, on Halloween this year, what will you be wearing?
My wife and I will be Seigfried and Roy, and the baby will be in a white tiger costume. I, of course, will be the mangled Roy.
What are you working on now when you're not being adored by the zombie-loving undead masses?
Well, I just finished a fun run on "Punisher," where we turned the vigilante into a stitched-up monster we titled FrankenCastle, which is a play on his name, Frank Castle. We got to romp around through Marvel's rich monster history, from Jack Kirby's pre-Marvel creations, to the gonzo horror of the '70s by guys like Steve Gerber and Marv Wolfman. Also, I'm working on the final bits of the sci-fi series "Fear Agent," which I co-created several years ago with my frequent partner in crime, Rick Remender. It's a genre-bending space opera about an alcoholic ex-hero, playing off the great campy aesthetics of '50s sci-fi from EC Comics and stuff like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. We really focus on ridiculous alien adventure over hard science hows and whys, which is a lot of fun for us. I'll be sad to see it go.
What's the first thing you want to buy with your "The Walking Dead" money?
Mmmm, maybe an AR-15 to play with, or a hot tub for the house? I'm assuming you mean purely celebratory purchases, because nobody wants to hear about mortgage payments, baby clothes, and back taxes. In actuality, it'll probably be an old beater of a pickup truck. We need a good utility vehicle/ second car around here.
Is Britt Kennerly just about the best aunt a creepy little artist boy ever had?
She's all right, I guess. I definitely could do worse.
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