Dark Horse Comics is publishing a new graphic novel about magic dying out in a technologically advanced future: Elixir. Written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone and drawn by Victor Santos, Elixir deals with two factions: Druids and "Techies." The former faction wants to restore magic as the world's main power, while the latter wants to wipe it out completely. Caught in the middle of this conflict are Mara, the daughter of a Druid leader, and her old mentor, Claude, whose journey to recover the reality-altering Elixir will decide the ultimate fate of both magic and technology.

Ahead of publication, CBR had the opportunity to ask Barbiere, Mammone, and Santos about their noir fantasy story. The three discussed what inspired Elixir, its themes, how they may want to continue its story, and more, and the writers praised Santos' unique and stunning artwork.

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A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

CBR: Where did the idea for Elixir first come from? And Victor, what was it like designing a whole new world of characters?

Victor Santos: I received the proposal from Frank and Ricky and had total freedom for visualizing the world and character designs. I wanted to incorporate contemporary elements and tried to avoid some things you could expect from a fantasy comic using my background as a committed reader of fantasy in my teenage [years] and consumer of comic books, manga, and anime.

Ricky Mammone: I was a fan of Frank and Victor's work for a while. Frank and I were trying to scrap together an idea. For some reason, we kept circling this idea about old generations at odds with younger generations, and the idea really clicked once Frank said Victor [was] down. We all wanted to do something ambitious and outside our comfort zones, with a big world to explore.

Frank Barbiere: Ricky and I discussed the story we wanted to tell together. We agreed that a sci-fi/urban fantasy was a fun angle we hadn't really written before, and I had spent the last few years reading a lot of modern fantasy novels. We brought the loose idea to Victor, and immediately, his sketches and enthusiasm sold us on the visuals of it all. From there, it was finding something to say and themes that resonated with us.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

Why the decision to make this an original graphic novel (OGN) instead of single issues?

Mammone: The story works better as a graphic novel. It never had a serialized feel to it. Also, Dark Horse preferred an OGN, so everyone was cool with it from the start.

Barbiere: While the story was always self-contained, this is more of a business decision than a creative one. When getting together with Dark Horse, we all agreed a stand-alone graphic novel fit this story better than attempting to serialize it. I will say it's a nice, rewarding story to read in one sitting, so I enjoy the graphic novel version rather than a bunch of 20-page chunks.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

This story is described as a mashup between Final Fantasy and Sin City. What from these two properties, and/or others, really inspires Elixir's story and visuals?

Santos: I think the Sin City reference comes more from the Claude character, but I think the reference is wider. I tried to emulate old German expressionist movies, classic noir films, you know, this dark art-deco visual influence. I know the FF games more for [their] aesthetics than as a gamer. Anime and manga, directors like Satoshi Kon or [Yoshiaki] Kawajiri, were crucial too, and even some European magazines where people like Moebius or Druillet published. I put together a lot of stuff that influenced me and tried to make them fit.

Mammone: We started by asking ourselves, "How are we going to show this culture clash between older ideals and new values in a visually striking way?" The references naturally came into play as we built out the world, and Victor created the aesthetics using his own magic.

Barbiere: Again, this is a simplification. The Sin City parallel comes from our character Claude, as his shape/design feels influenced very much by Sin City. Victor's work comes from a myriad of influences, and I wouldn't want to reduce it by saying it's only [Frank] Miller-esque, but it's certainly a vibe that carries through the visual design. As for Final Fantasy, we are mainly referencing [Final Fantasy VII] and some of the more modern games where steampunk and light cyberpunk elements are coming through. The world design is very similar in Elixir, combining modern and industrial elements and traditional fantasy.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

Elixir deals with two opposing factions -- the magic-practicing Druids and the advanced "Techies." What do you find enticing about marrying magic and futuristic technology, and how did you differentiate Elixir from other stories that do this?

Santos: I think visually it is exciting having very different factions because the images give power to the ideological and moral conflict of these forces. The artist must work in the service of the story, and in the fantasy genre, you can push these boundaries however you want.

Mammone: We're excited about it because it's not just about literal technology or magic. It's more about what they represent. Tech is high-speed chaos, anti-religion, and instant gratification. Magic is old-school -- pious, takes the time to do things right, but less efficient. Either extreme is just as bad as the other. This isn't a story where it's light side vs. dark side. It's a bit more 3-dimensionalized than that.

Barbiere: They are two great opposites and make a lot of sense in this fantasy context. As Ricky mentioned, we used them as guiding philosophies and tried to imagine what a magical society that was split between these views would look like.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

How did you go about designing Mara and Claude, their tragic motivations, and struggles?

Santos: I like contrast. I think this comes from my short but influential experience in animation, where you work with simple geometric elements. Having this young girl and this old thug together made things easy. Their clothes and features are designed to contrast. I began with them, and when I was satisfied, the rest of the cast was really easy to design.

Mammone: Because the story is about generational gaps, it became clear that the character dynamics needed to be between daughters/sons and their parents. Without giving too much away, Claude struggles with being a father, and Mara struggles with being a daughter. Although Mara and Claude are not blood-related, they essentially were family. That's why their conflict is charged with so much emotion.

Barbiere: Characters are the core of everything we write. Once we had the world and general plot, we wanted to infuse unique stories into these characters. As Ricky said, we found an emerging theme of parents and children, as well as [the] generational divide. Mara and Claude represent two sides of that, with the whole cast echoing different sentiments. It's all very instrumental to our plotting and the theme of the book (which every writer would say), but I'm happy with the angle we took and how it came together.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

How did you develop the Druids' ideologies and rules that Mara and other members must follow?

Mammone: We wanted to make sure everything they do that's valid and interesting or beautiful had a counterbalance with something else that made them feel antiquated, severe, or irrational.

Barbiere: We worked from the "What's opposite of futurist?" angle to give them a more earthly, grounded ideology and then built "fantasy" on top of that. They use a specific kind of magic and believe that their power comes from the natural world, despite any consequences or downsides. We wanted them to feel very lost in their ideology and rigid, as well as being interested and layered.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

From intense action sequences to complex visuals, Elixir has it all. Why is noir the perfect style for this series?

Santos: I think it is a combination of stylized noir aesthetics with a lot of other elements, like steampunk (and punk), industrial architecture, and raw manga energy. You can find different worlds in this story, and every [one] of them has its own identity but combines with the others.

Mammone: If we were going to do fantasy, it needed to have a modern genre melded into it. The story is very mystery-driven, and we all love noir, so it happened organically.

Barbiere: We knew we wanted Victor to join us as an artistic collaborator, and this is all part of his immense talent and expertise. He has a very unique, noir-infused style, and it immediately elevates any genre we collaborate in. I think his ability to do fantastic character work, as well as jaw-dropping action makes him one of the greatest storytellers working today.

What scene or moment is a personal favorite, and what do you think readers will love?

Santos: I love the interactions between Claude and Mara, and there are some flashback scenes with both training their skills with swords that were really funny to draw but with a very emotional element.

Mammone: Whenever we get a flashback with Mara. I'll leave this vague! [Laughs]

Barbiere: I really enjoy the relationship between Mara and her mother. Following the spine of that relationship and seeing where it ends up is really special to me, and hopefully, readers enjoy it too.

A page from Dark Horse's Elixir, a graphic novel written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone, drawn by Victor Santos.

It seems Elixir can behave as a self-contained story, but its ending leaves the door open for so much more. What needs to happen for future stories in the world of Elixir to be made?

Santos: I'll be delighted to draw them.

Mammone: We've been thinking about doing more with this world in other mediums, but unsure about a sequel book.

Barbiere: We love the world and definitely have done a lot of world-building around it (including a lot of what happens before this story), so hopefully, we get a chance to explore more. If the book does extremely well, we'd entertain more comics, but we're excited about the material and hopefully can find more mediums to show off this world.

What would you tell readers so they pick up and dive into Elixir?

Santos: I think it is a story that a veteran fantasy reader can enjoy, but a young reader who spends time with series like Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, or The Seven Deadly Sins can connect with the characters and the emotional evolution of Mara.

Mammone: It's worth getting just for Victor's profound visual storytelling.

Barbiere: It's a fun, new take on some classic fantasy themes and has astonishing art from Victor Santos.

Written by Frank Barbiere and Ricky Mammone and illustrated by Victor Santos, Elixir goes on sale on April 12 from Dark Horse Comics.