domestiCATed

DomestiCATed Influences

About seven years ago I completed the graphic novel DomestiCATed: Paths Once Crossed during my graduate studies. Thesis work took precedence at that time and that particular book went back on the shelf so to speak. Since then, I've completed gallery series of works and another graphic novel and started yet another one. Finally, I'm happy to say, the book is now available.

The book is made up of three dark short stories (The Man In The Mirror, The Solitary Woman,and The Black Cat) that follow a black cat as it ventures into the nefarious underbelly of domestic human existence. I've always been influenced by the anthology format and particularly short works by Richard Matheson, Flannery O' Connor, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Shirley Jackson, Charles Beaumont, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and on and on. These stories are also influenced by the films and TV series of Alfred Hitchcock, EC titles such as The Vault of Horror and Tales From the Crypt, as well as Rod Serling's classic series The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery.

The final story in the book is a modern day retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat. I originally came across this work in an anthology series by artist Bernie Wrightson entitled Bernie Wrightson, Master of the Macabre by Pacific Comics Press. His take on Poe's classic was so exquisitely drawn and well told that I immediately read the original and eventually it made its way into this book.

I've always had a love for animals but cats in particular have always fascinated me. Throughout history cats have always played a role in superstition and mythology. Cats are generally nocturnal creatures and roam at night and since the middle ages they were believed to be supernatural servants of witches. Of course in North America, we've all been told that if a black cat crosses your path, you will receive bad luck but in the U.K. and Asia, a black cat is considered lucky. In 16th century Italy, people believed that if someone was sick, they would surely die if a black cat lay on their bed. It's also been said if a funeral procession meets up with a black cat then someone else in the family is soon to die.

If you enjoy a good, dark, anthology series every now and then, I hope you will pick up a copy of my graphic novel DomestiCATed: Paths Once Crossed, you'll be glad you did!