This October, Dynamiteis reviving The Winchester Brothers for a new Supernatural comic. Set early in the television series’ canon, writer Greg Pak and artist Eder Messias bring fans new stories featuring demon hunting, dark magic, and brotherly banter.
Pak chatted with The Beat to explain what it is like getting into the Impala with Sam and Dean.
DEANNA DESTITO: The comic takes place early in the lore, between Season 1 and Season 2 of the show. Why did you choose to set the story there?
GREG PAK: The stories actually take place between episodes during Season One and Season Two — so not directly between the seasons (which would be tricky, since Season One ended on a cliffhanger, ha ha!). We picked that time because it was a hugely fun era of monster and ghost hunting that would both be satisfying for long-time fans and incredibly accessible for brand new readers. Later down the line we may delve deeper into the lore of later seasons, but this felt like the perfect starting point for now.
DESTITO: Knowing how the rest of the series goes, how did that affect how you wrote the plot (if at all)?
PAK: I’ve written a LOT of comics that take place early in the timeline of a particular universe — like all the Darth Vader comics I wrote that fall between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And yes, the trick is to never forget where the story ends up, but to invest each moment of the story you’re telling with all the fun and emotional heft that that particular part of the timeline deserves. It’s a challenge but a ton of fun!
DESTITO: Who is your favorite character and why?
PAK: Sam and Dean are a duo who work because of their chemistry together, so it’s hard to pick favorites. But I won’t lie — Dean is INCREDIBLY fun to write. Dude just flaps his yap, and that’s a blast to run with.
DESTITO: Was it a challenge to find the voice of such familiar characters who have such a familiar way of speaking, familiar mannerisms, etc.?
PAK: Not really, ha ha! One of the gifts of working on an existing property that great actors have worked on for years is that you almost subconsciously internalize their language and mannerisms and attitudes so that writing them almost becomes second nature very quickly. Of course, readers will be the judge of how well I’m doing here, but it’s been a ton of fun so far!
DESTITO: How is it working with this creative team?
PAK: I worked with Eder Messias on the Sam Wilson: Captain America book, and he was a joy. He brings big energy, excitement, and fun to every page. And he’s great at drawing monsters and he’s a HUGE fan of the show. Have you seen his cover for issue #1? He’s got such a great grasp of Sam and Dean already. Can’t wait to show off his interiors!
And I’ve worked on loads of books with editor Nate Cosby. He’s always fantastic to work with and always comes to me with projects that let me dig into the fun genre stuff that I love while always telling an emotional story that matters.
DESTITO: What can fans of the show look forward to
PAK: Never-before-told, in-continuity stories set between episodes in the very early days of the series with a hugely fun, never-before-seen villain and all of the goofy humor, trenchant sibling conflict, thrilling ghost hunting, reckless anti-authoritarianism, and heart-rending emotion that Supernatural’s all about.
DESTITO: Can readers who don’t know much about the TV series jump in?
PAK: Absodanglutely! You should be able to pick up #1 without ever having seen an episode and feel right at home. (And then of course, you’ll wanna watch the show, too!)
DESTITO: Besides Sam and Dean, who else can we look forward to seeing?
PAK: If you remember that first season, their father plays a HUGE role even when he’s not on screen, and that’ll be true of these comics as well. Will he eventually show up in person? Guess you’ll have to buy every issue to see!
