Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast · Brad & Lisa Gullickson

Zack Quaintance and Anna Readman on Macabre Valley

October 9, 2025·1 hr 1 min·5 clips

A Texas priest who adopted stray dogs during mass inspired the werewolf in Macabre Valley.

This episode features hosts Brad and Lisa Gullickson interviewing writer Zack Quaintance and artist Anna Readman about their Kickstarter comic *Macabre Valley #1*. Quaintance is a former journalist turned comics writer, and Readman is an artist making her podcast debut. They discuss expanding their "Werewolf Priest" story from the *Death of Comics Bookcase* anthology into a full series. The comic is a genre mashup blending Western horror, journalism procedural, and satire, set in West Texas. It follows a nameless journalist, called "the kid," who covers immigration and encounters a priest who transforms into a werewolf. The story draws from Quaintance's real experiences as a newspaper reporter in Texas from 2009 to 2013. A key subplot involves the journalist fabricating a story to advance his career, contrasting with the priest's moral conflict. Father Lupe is inspired by a real priest in Mission, Texas, who collected stray animals, including dogs that attended mass. The comic incorporates visual metaphors, like a snake and skull imagery, to represent the protagonist's fracturing morality. It also features satirical elements, such as faux news chyrons about "fentanyl!!! migrants!!! violence!!!" A surprising insight is that the werewolf design was intentionally classic, influenced by EC horror comics rather than modern media. Readman aimed to make the werewolf look more like a stray dog than a humanoid, tying it to the priest's character. Quaintance describes using crowdfunding as a way to transition from comics journalist to creator, calling it "aspirational." He finds writing pulp horror cathartic for processing his frustrations with media and immigration discourse. The hosts note that scrolling digitally enhanced the werewolf's reveal, as it emerges from darkness into light. The comic ends on a cliffhanger, deliberately omitting the priest's transformation scene to leave readers wanting more. The tone is conversational and enthusiastic, with hosts and guests sharing personal anecdotes and creative process details. It has an educational undercurrent about comics creation, Kickstarter strategies, and genre blending. Fans of horror comics, especially works inspired by Cormac McCarthy or *True Detective*, would enjoy this episode. Listeners interested in the transition from journalism to comics writing or in indie crowdfunding projects will find it relevant. Those seeking a highly structured, critique-focused interview might find the casual, road-trip framing less engaging.

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