Zuda's inaugural competition, has just wrapped up its third story arc and is due to make the jump to print in October. Full of werewolves, gunslinging, and Old West mysteries, "High Moon" proved an early favorite for the new web comics portal established by DC Comics upon its launch in 2007. CBR News caught up with artist Steve Ellis to discuss the series' evolution, upcoming story arcs, the collected edition, and more.At its heart, "High Moon" is an epic of werewolves in the Old West, with the mysterious Conroy Macgreggor operating on both sides of the law and often fighting creatures even more dangerous than himself. But there is more to the series than lycanthropic gunslingers. "There is mystery, mysticism, hoodoo, steampunk, intrigue, conspiracy, trickster deities, and the list goes on," Ellis told CBR. "I think the real strength of the project is the stories that David is coming up with and the characters, which amaze me with their depth. David and I collaborate quite often, but it seems like the characters are making their own decisions."In the first three story arcs of "High Moon," there are a few interesting shifts, the first being a bit of Western mystery (plus werewolves), then adding some steampunk elements in book 2, and wrapping up with some mysticism/demon fighting, all of which gave Ellis a lot of distinct material to draw. "It's always a challenge working on 'High Moon,' but I am a glutton for punishment," he said. "While the theme of the Old West and the historical content ties everything together, the stories go in many different directions. There is always something new and cool to draw, whether its demon wolves, multi-eyed bat monsters, giant steam engine golems - it's always a blast."The upcoming fourth arc of "High Moon" will take its cue from a classic Warren Zevon song, describing the story as "Ah-ooo! Werewolves of London." "It's spring of 1891 and Conroy Macgregor is heading to London to find out more about the mystery behind Prescott's little bottle and the group behind the mysterious symbol on the bottom of the bottle," Ellis explained. "London in the 1890s has a lot of interesting things for a werewolf to find himself involved in."Given that this is a historical piece, there was also a certain amount of research necessary to get the details of "High Moon's" Old West setting just right--though, on the other hand, the werewolf and mystical elements allowed for some leeway in certain regards. "When it comes to the historical accuracy of the artwork, it sometimes becomes very exacting," Ellis said. "I remember on Page 13, David wanted the main character to look through a bunch of files with photos attached to them. I was about to draw paper clips or staples holding the photos on, but David corrected me. Neither paperclips nor staples had been invented then, so we ended up finding out that they used special straight pins. Sounds like a minor detail, but we really try to keep things within a close range of accurate. There are many things like that in 'High Moon.'
"High Moon," the web comics series by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis that wonIn addition to continuing "High Moon," Ellis will also be illustrating a Destroyer story in "USA Comics" #1, one of Marvel's 70th Anniversary specials. "This was a wonderful surprise," the artist said of the project. "[Editor] Bill Rosemann and I had been talking for a while about working together in 2009, and this Mighty Destroyer project for 'USA Comics' #1 came up and he thought of me. It was another historical piece this time set in WW2 and I'm not afraid of going through the historical research that something like this requires to make it work. John Arcudi wrote a very powerful story that somehow balances a great concept with tons of action. The ending of the story really punches you in the gut."Whereas "High Moon" allows Steve Ellis a certain flavor of iconic historical scenes to illustrate, "USA Comics" gives him quite another. "It still carries that Nazis are the best comic book villains," the artist said. "There is sometimes no greater pleasure than drawing a hero punching the lights out of a bunch of Nazis. You never have to pull your punches with those guys."Ellis revealed that he is also collaborating with "High Moon" writer David Gallaher on several upcoming projects, including a new series designed for the iPhone. "It is a hyper-kinetic, spy-fi thriller, inspired by an old-time radio series and based on historical fact. We also have a couple of projects in the hopper at Marvel that we are excited to see develop." Ellis also teased that he and writer Fred Van Lente will have an announcement soon about "The Silenceres: Black Kiss," a series about super-powered mob enforcers."High Moon" goes on sale in October from Zuda Comics.