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Horror is a genre that allows us to explore our fears, society’s fears, and use it as an expression to bring out our struggles. This extends from cultural issues to personal issues like illness. in Dillon Gilbertson’s Sweet Heart from Action Lab: Danger Zone, monsters are everywhere and no one is safe. As the ComixCentral’s 2018 People’s Choice award-winner, Sweet Heart is a new horror comic series created and written by Gilbertson, with art by Ghastly Award-winner, Francesco Laquinta, and colors by Marco Pagnotta.
Over the winter holidays, I got a chance to speak with Gilbertson about this new story, the message it holds in its terrifying pages and how horror can be used to tell deep stories. In Sweet Heart, t’s no secret that being hunted is a part of everyday life in Ellicott City; the police force, hospitals, even the school curriculum are designed to make life comfortable for its citizens while being actively stalked by the eerie, insatiable creatures that live among them. Ultimately, this series is an emotional horror story about Maddie, a young girl with contempt for her parents’ decision to conceive her into a “feeder family”, and must overcome self-loathing and public ridicule in order to save herself, her family, and a town with no interest in being saved.
In the interview, Gilbertson explains how the series began as a thinly veiled analogy for his life with diabetes that grew to represent ta number of chronic health, psychological, and personal issues many people deal with every day. He dives into why horror was the medium of choice to tell this story and more.
Sweet Heart is currently available for pre-order using the information below.
Sweet Heart #1 (cover A): JAN201414
Sweet Heart #1 (cover B – limited 2,500 copies): JAN201415
Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles.
