Wicked Things protagonist and teen detective Charlotte Grote has long dreamed of receiving an award from National Solver magazine, though she's never seen fit to nominate herself. Then her best friend Claire submits her name for "Teen Detective of the Year (16-18)" and the pair make their way to the ceremony, wherein -- as these things are wont to do -- everything immediately goes awry.
Wicked Things #1, which debuts March 18, depicts a murder most foul, a framing and some truly detestable side characters, though it maintains the same charm and vivaciousness as its Bobbinsverse predecessors -- like the multi-award-winning, slice-of-life series Giant Days. Creator John Allison is the architect of this 'verse, which contains all of his comics, even if they don't cross over.
Ahead of the release of Wicked Things #1, which kicks off a six-issue miniseries from BOOM! Studios imprint BOOM! Box, CBR asked Allison about bringing back Lottie Grote for a solo series, what three words he'd use to describe the book and his thoughts on re-teaming with Giant Days creative team Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar and Jim Campbell.
CBR: On the heels of Giant Days, why did you want to dive back into Charlotte's story?
John Allison: Charlotte is a character I’m very fond of. I like writing her. I’d done one solo Lottie story during the run of Bad Machinery (“Murder She Writes”) and it suggested a different kind of storytelling. I’d known for about five years that I wanted to go back and explore that, but never had a chance until now.
Without giving away spoilers, did anything in particular inspire the murder mystery she has to solve in Wicked Things?
Allison: I tried to think of the sort of situation that would occur in a manga series that runs for 30 books. Literally. I tried to imagine that this first issue is a crossover with the last book of a long-in-the-tooth manga series about a master detective.
How did you go about creating the other detectives Charlotte meets at the awards? Many of them seem to embody specific traits (misogyny, vanity, jealousy) — why was exploring those elements of these characters important, even in brief snapshots?
Allison: I wanted the other detectives to be a horror show. I wanted to show that Lottie’s rejection of the international teen detective circuit at the start of the issue was actually a pretty wise move -- one that marks her out as essentially grounded -- therefore, embracing it would be a terrible mistake. Which it turns out to be.
Can we expect to see anyone from Lottie's past make an appearance in this series?
Allison: Other than Little Claire, no -- there just wasn’t space. There are lots of new characters and they need room to breathe. I was very careful in Giant Days about showing characters from other series I’ve done. You don’t get a proper Shelley Winters issue -- which is pretty self indulgent -- until I start doing a victory lap at the end.
What's the best part about reuniting with Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar and Jim Campbell for more Bobbinsverse?
Allison: They’re the best, simple as that. Max is a magnificent artist who makes me excited to see the pencils, let alone the finished art. And Whitney adds such coherence to the series -- a colourist who takes enormous care on every page. When Whitney coloured an issue of Giant Days, whoever drew it, it looked like the same book. A hugely underrated professional.
Do you think you'll ever fully leave this universe behind, or do you have too many stories to tell within it?
Allison: All my comics take place in this universe -- even By Night and Steeple -- they just don’t cross over, and they probably never should. With the Tackleford-based comics now over for a few years and Scary Go Round, the mothership, more than 10 years gone, it’s possible that Wicked Things will be the last “true” Bobbinsverse comic. It’s starting to feel like part of a different time. A little nostalgic visit is fun, but I’m starting to feel the lights dim on that stuff.
Do you have a favorite panel, page or scene in Wicked Things #1? Why does that one stand out?
Allison: I like these two panels, because they say everything about Lottie and Claire. I also thought it was very important that Claire wore the Fleabag jumpsuit. But look at those expressions. That’s the best cartooning in the business.
Again without giving away spoilers, if you could describe Wicked Things in just three words, what would they be?
Allison: “Showboating versus reality.”
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Allison: I’ve put everything into these six issues. 132 pages isn’t a lot when you’re writing about crimes. Crimes, it turns out, are extremely complicated. But I hope readers will enjoy watching Charlotte sort out a number of intractable messes. Giant Days was about the boilerplate post-high school experience. This is about having to go straight to work because you don’t have a choice. I’ve just dressed it up sort of crazy-looking.
Wicked Things #1 releases March 18 from BOOM! Box, an imprint of BOOM! Studios.