Family Bones: An Interview with Orlando Baez

New independent publisher, King Tractor Press brings you one of its first debut titles, The Family Bones. A tale based on the true story surrounding the Copeland killings. With the release of its first issue this month, we spoke to the artist Orlando Baez about the book, his approach, and why he chose the project.

JXM: Tell us a little bit about the story of Family Bones and how the idea for it originated.

Orlando: The idea of the story, Family Bones, originated from the writer, Shawn Granger, of King Tractor Press. The story is about Faye and Ray Copeland the oldest married couple on Missouri's death row, as experienced one summer by their unwitting nephew. In this first issue, Sean, the teenage punk from the city, is sent to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer on their farm. From there, he's unprepared to discover the secrets hidden within this mysterious farm.

JXM: What particularly attracted you to this project?

Orlando: The horror and mystery of the book attracted me - as well as the fact that these events really did happen. The challenge of working on a horror comic book based on a true story about two elderly serial killers was something that really intrigued me. I think the book has a lot of potential to become a horror film in the future.

JXM: How did the collaboration between you and Shawn come about on this book?

Orlando: The collaboration started when I answered an ad on DigitalWebbing as part of their talent search engine, and from there I developed some character profile sketches for Shawn, which were approved.

JXM: Being that the subject matter of the book is rather gruesome and based on a true story, stylistically what was your approach to maintain that gritty sense of realism?

Orlando: My pencilling approach to this first issue of Family Bones is a combination of abstract and realism. I wanted to give an almost disturbing look with my penciling. I intended Ray's behavior to appear very dark and creepy. It was open for me to draw the book in any diverse amount of styles, from realism to cartoony, but I chose to work in this gritty fashion to suit the story.

JXM: Visually, how much research was involved on your part to remain accurate to the true facts of the story?

Orlando: As for research and further reference, I have read the actual paperback book on The Copeland Killings, and it helped a lot in terms of visual reference, settings, and the overall look of the characters. It was a great tool in ensuring that the art was as realistic as possible.

JXM: What was your process with Shawn when working on each page?

Orlando: It has actually been a very long and slow process for me. I just went back and forth with Shawn through e-mail. Sending him my thumbnails for each page as they were completed, which he would approve. I wished I had completed the book much sooner, but personal priorities had gotten in the way.