You may know Meredith McClalen from the truly great Black Cloak series of 2023. Alongside writer Kelly Thompson, McClallen has created a fascinating blend of neo-noir and sci-fi fantasy about two honorable detective types that solve the murder of a murdered prince. Currently, McClaren is not only shifting gears in terms of genre, but is also completely solo as the author artist for the brand new graphic novel, Meat Eaters.
Meat Eaters, published by Oni Press, follows Ashley Moore. In just one day, Ashley encounters a small, small hitch with her plan. She suddenly becomes undead and now suffers from this undeniable desire for raw, bloody flesh. As she tries to understand how she died and what it means, Ashley finds herself by taking advice from an ancient vampire, dodging the angry pack leader, becoming the passive sister of the werewolves Motley and Harrison.
Ultimately, dying may be the easiest thing Ashley has ever done. The real work is breaking through the baggage as meat eaters explore the “effects of trauma and anxiety.” It may do with enough gore and courage, but meat eaters are a book for everyone, regardless of their love for fear or dad. It’s about how we all try to survive the seemingly worst thing we can imagine and learn what it takes to actually make it the other side. You’re probably wanting to read this, that’s certainly true.
Meat Eater will be available from July 8th. It includes her horror favorite/inspiration, working as both a writer and an artist, and using the usefulness of fears of all ages, book ideas on growth/change, and some useful DIY advice.
Provided by Oni Press.
aipt: They are different books in several ways, but did you take something to make a meat eater out of a black cloak? Has BC given you the “courage” to write this book?
Meredith McClaren: Meat Eaters and Black Cloak actually began production in 2022 around the same time. And Meat Eaters has been on my pitch pile since 2018.
But that doesn’t mean that each person didn’t affect others. Every book you do forces you to look into ways you can improve in the future. Kelly has a really keen eye at connecting audiences and keeping them captivated. That’s what I’ve been trying to take care of ever since.
AIPT: I said this book is a homage to your favorite “Teen Horror Television.” What shows have you seen and were these properties very convincing for you?
MM: Buffy, are you afraid of darkness and goosebumps? I’ve also read a lot of Creepypasta. That’s ridiculous. Slenderman woke me up in the night.
Horror is a great genre, as they almost always talk about something else.
For example, Buffy. We know from the interviews there was a coordinated effort to make sure Buffy handled monsters every week. So, themeally, kill monsters and conquer personal issues.
Provided by Oni Press.
Ginger Snap is about werewolves. Also adolescence. Dracula is about vampires. There is also desire. Night of the Living Dead is about zombies. It is also about social injustice.
You can boil it all down to the most basic blood and goals, but the beating, lasting heart is what fear is really saying about us.
AIPT: How did you balance being both a writer and an artist? Is that what you prefer to work with writers or collaboration at that level?
MM: The good thing about being your own author is that you can script pages that are just “things.” And I know what that means.
The good thing about collaborating with writers is that they ask you to draw something you’ve never painted before. And you learn things.
I recently had a novel experience of being a writer of my intermediate fantasy crumble, painted by the lovely Andrea Bell. And she put all the effort into it, so it was good. (I love you, Andrea!)
Provided by Oni Press.
AIPT: It also mentions this idea of people who change in “how you hate.” Can you talk more about that? I feel like many teenage appearances are talking about the magic of growth/maturity. The book has a much more robust and complicated view.
MM: That’s right. So. Fun fact: It doesn’t stop changing. I think I naively think that at some point everything is balanced and cleverness for growth. And you’ll be old and hang out in that space for a while until things start to change again.
The truth is, if you are really lucky, you may understand things. Then hand over an entirely new stack of obstacles and navigate without the instruction manual.
It happens that all of us, some of us, are passed on change faster than others, and that we are not happy. A mental hiccup. Physical difficulties. Something like that. And you need to adjust. If you try to pretend it’s not there, it would be even worse. You often find ways to move forward with change, but you cannot completely ignore it.
Ashley is trying to ignore it.
That’s not going well for Ashley.
Provided by Oni Press.
AIPT: Even the recently revived Ashley, for example, has a certain grace and grace in the way you draw. How do you approach these Uber Bloody Images? And are you playing with the expectations of people’s fears?
MM: The most fun comic I enjoy, the horror wise comics, is something absolutely terrible going on. And you can’t look away. Because art is so beautiful, your brain can’t alleviate anything really bad going on.
It will ruin you in the best way possible. It makes you look at.
One of the best examples is the beautiful darkness of Marie Pommepuy and Fabien Vehlmann. Anything by Emily Carroll is a good example.
aipt: Do you have your favorite moments, panels, pages, etc. that speak to the hearts of meat eaters?
MM: There are all the additional pages for legal and back issues, where the book actually lands when it is printed. But there’s a moment when Ashley says at the end: “This isn’t the person I wanted to be.”
It’s probably the most difficult batter for me.
Provided by Oni Press.
aipt: Do you think Ashley is a direct substitute for ideas about her experiences, feelings, and the world? Maybe she wanted you to be that age?
MM: Definitely. There’s a part of me, part of Ashley. And I wish some of Ashley were part of me. She has some confidence in her own indifference that I want to understand myself at her age.
There are also a lot about my own struggles with the food I brought to Ashley. Her difficulty in adapting to a diet she doesn’t want is something that anyone who has disrupted her dietary problems may recognize.
AIPT: Meat Eaters is one of the great books suitable for audiences, both old and young. Do you need more books like that?
MM: I might not be the best person to talk about the age of an audience?
I definitely consumed media at an older audience when I was younger. And now I was going to write for them, I’m struggling to recognize boundaries.
I wish there was a little more room in the younger equipment book to discuss more serious topics. Similarly, some people forget that older people like to read fantasy books. But it definitely limits subjects to a younger audience.
It’s not something you can really put in the set process. The algorithm cannot be used. And I usually challenge the rules people use to try to set boundaries. I understand why they are there. But at the same time, there are kids, like me, who remember the books they should never have read and how it means to them.
Provided by Oni Press.
Because of my own process, I write what I want to write until someone tells me I can’t write about it. At that point I usually get a rift and rift.
aipt: Meat eaters have made their debut at clearly socially/political complex periods. Do you think the context would expand/enhance the book’s theme and message at all?
MM: Some people may have problems with the book. I’m not trying to say anything politically or socially about what’s going on right now. I think the core of Ashley’s problem can be applied to any period of time. Any background.
But some people may have problems with the book. Because I write characters and dynamics according to my own life experiences. People around me. And they don’t always match what others think they’ll accept.
I really don’t mind pretending that none of it exists.
aipt: Is there anything I need to know about meat eaters, cartoons, art, fear, human condition, undead, and more?
MM: Much of what you need to escape with murder is available at your local Home Depot.
