Known for his work at Marvel Comics on such titles as Daredevil, writer Chip Zdarsky has made a name for himself as a scripter capable of blending comedy with moments of deep drama and feeling. All of those hallmarks of Zdarsky's signature style are present in his latest series for comiXology Originals, Afterlift. The book, which will come to an end on Wednesday after five issues, teamed Zdarsky up with artists Jason Loo and Paris Alleyne to tell the story of Janice Chen. In the book's first issue, Janice finds herself conscripted by a demon named Dumu to drive a dead woman to Hell. Janice refuses, and from there she instead tries to save the woman while Dumu and his fellow demons pursue the pair.
CBR spoke with Zdarsky over email about Afterlift and his feelings about the book's impending conclusion, as well as how the creative team went about designing the miniseries' world in the first place.
CBR: Well, Afterlift is about to arrive at its final destination, for now at least. What are you most proud of in the series?
Chip Zdarsky: Well, I’m never proud of anything I do, so that’s a tricky question!
It was really refreshing getting to tell a full story in this mini. A friend once told me that on Marvel books you have to continually be writing “Act 2,” since those stories never truly end. Even with something like White Trees at Image we have the option to keep telling new stories in that world. But here, this is a story about Janice and Suzanna, full stop. The ending is as final a thing as I’ve ever written I think.
Every issue felt like the smoothest process in the world thanks to the Afterlift team. Jason, Paris, Aditya and Allison are all at the top of their respective games and I felt like a total amateur working with them, even though I’m one million years older than all of them.
What was the most difficult part of working on the book?
The most difficult part ended up being the most interesting part for me, which was researching versions of the afterlife and figuring out what I should incorporate, and how.
I think the most satisfying books I’ve worked on require me to learn a lot. Which is easy, as my starting point is quite stupid.
What drew you to depicting the afterlife more as a collision of ideas and places rather than one set thing?
It just felt like the best way to address a concept that has so many versions of it. The idea of religion and an afterlife is so personal to everyone that I wanted to keep it personal by having it reflect the individuals. It also makes for a more interesting story, I think! I hope!
The book's demons and conception of Hell really embody that ethos running through Afterlift that the next world is kind of an amalgamation of things. How did you guys approach designing the book's Hell and demons with that in mind? What sorts of influences did you guy draw from?
Oh! I left most of that up to Jason and Paris. I know Jason was inspired by Indonesian masks he remembered from childhood when designing the demons. They’re a really nice deviation from the classic demon looks you normally see in Western media.
Although Afterlift does have a lot of social commentary, it's also a book that cares a lot about the feelings and experiences of its characters. One key idea at Afterlift's core is that people are more than a sum of the mistakes they've made and their flaws, which is a pretty powerful message. Why was that one you wanted to send now?
I wanted to send this message because I’ve done some truly terrible things and I don’t want to go to hell!!
Also, guilt, man. It’s a rough feeling. The people who feel they deserve hell usually don’t, and the ones who do deserve hell rarely think that they do.
Did you have any character that you just loved writing?
I mean, I love a villain. So Dumu was a ton of fun to write. I like the idea of a demon striving to be modern, thinking that will give them the edge in their race to the top of the bottom.
Now that I've you've answered those deeper questions, here's a fun one: If Afterlift were made into a movie or TV series, do you have anyone you'd want to play the book's key characters?
Ha! I honestly never think about that stuff. The comic is the comic, you know? Actors should be asking me if they should be turned into COMIC CHARACTERS!!!
Afterlift #5 releases Feb. 19 from comiXology Originals.