Certainly, there are many great comics released every week. But sometimes its most special title hits the shelf, and it feels like you’re watching memorable talent step up or combine cultural moments. It’s a very often edgy, heartfelt little book called Blood Honey, the latest in author artist Shawn Peacock.
The stars of Blood Honey are Vanessa de la Mora and Edgar St. Clair, the most popular couples in the “Burton-style” world at Manderray Reserve High School. But rather than being in love with young (and really climbing the high school hierarchy as the king and queen of Homecoming), Vanessa and Edgar are obsessed with solving their romantic anguish. Basically, Battle Royale meets Riverdale, and bloody honey is this sharp, bloody dissection of how we all became sour and what we really need to do to be lucky with love (i.e. become a human of communication).
But don’t listen to my words about it. In his 9/10 review of the site, our own Nathan Simmons stated: “The jokes are aselvic and clever, but the emotional scenes are still real… Blood Honey wants you more, especially if you’re a fan of heathers, Wednesday, or especially the ya story fans with an average edge.” Get ready to be disappointed!
Bloody Honey is coming out via IDW. Shortly after its release, we caught up with Peacock and got a better understanding of this truly amazing one-shot of this truly amazing comic storytelling. Topics include critical/reader responses, book impact/inspiration, how music plays a role in the creation process of peacock, Vanessa Edgar’s dynamics, and the potential future of the “universe” of blood honey.
Provided by IDW.
AIPT: How have you been receiving blood honey so far? Have you been absolutely surprised by the reactions of readers/female comic pros?
Shawn Peacock: The reception was amazing! People have responded to it in the way I really wanted them to do. From what I’ve seen, readers seem to enjoy the whims of the story and setting, connecting with the characters on a deeper level.
AIPT: Where did the book ideas come from? It feels like I’ve seen a few people saying there’s a real Heather vibe here.
SP: Ah, certainly, this book definitely has some heather DNA. I have always had a soft spot for high school ROM-COM and adult talk. I also love Gothic films and literature. I thought it was really fun to tell a teenage love story, but take the drama and theatricality to your Gothic favorite level. When you’re a teenager, everything feels so intense, what if your little teenage romance was as life or after death as it actually felt?
Provided by IDW.
aipt: Why does it make Venesa and Edgar’s relationship so convincing? And is there one of them that you associate with the other than the other?
SP: Vanessa and Edgar are two children who drank each other’s Kool-Aid so to speak. Manderray Prep is already like an echo chamber, as a boarding school with its own strange philosophy. They are probably the most privileged of already privileged students, and with their hub arrogance they have decided to expel themselves further from their peers so that they are truly only involved with each other. As for what I relate to, that’s difficult. Edgar and I have some shared experiences, but in this particular story I think I have more sympathy for Vanessa.
aipt: Do you think the story is ultimately pessimistic (love always dies/fades) or hopeful (love can find a way) or somewhere in between? Is there any of this before and after based on your own romantic history/experience?
SP: It’s somewhere in between. I consider blood honey as a story of attention rather than about all the nature of love. Vanessa and Edgar had something good, but their fatal mistakes believed they needed each other and no one else needed them. Romantic love was rarely isolated, and without a wider worldview, or without love for someone else, it was always destined to fail. That aspect of the story (isolation and mutual fears cause relationships even after their expiration date) is based on some personal experience.
Provided by IDW.
AIPT: I love the way you lay out different moments/scenes. Something like Clarence “Assassination” is packed into just a few pages. Could you please talk a little about your approach to such moments?
SP: Thank you, aw shacks! There were a lot I wanted to convey that, but there were only 48 pages to do that, so I tried to be creative in the panel economy. One of the dull ways I did it was to pack more panels on the page. The average panel ratio per page for comics is usually 6-7, and blood honey is probably averaged 8-9. If there was a short dialogue scene like Vanessa scaming with Orville by stealing a Homecoming duel, I tried to do it on a single page. But there was also a paced dilemma that required more creative thinking.
I wanted to tell you that Vanessa and Edgar had spent days or weeks on various schemes, so you might have eaten a few pages easily. My solution was the double-page spread where Vanessa and Edgar hug in that one-sided long, and their various murderous attempts condense into several strips above it. I think this approach helped me get the story moving quickly, highlighting the comedy, while highlighting the comedy so that their more hopeless behavior behind the book feels more serious.
AIPT: Are there any favorite moments, pages, or general events? Something tells the heart of this story?
SP: Jeez, there are so many people, but I think the honor has to go to the double-page spread near the end of the book, where Vanessa and Edgar fight the sword on Burning School. It is a very impressive visual, telling the absurd level of Gothic drama. When I first pitched the story, this was a big scene I used to explain the book’s powerful visuals. I also think Manderlay Prep is fun as it was named after Rebecca’s huge estate (particularly the Alfred Hitchcock version).
Provided by IDW.
AIPT: Despite this being a one-shot, there are also actual layers and backstory. How much world did you build for such a story?
SP: You know, many of the world’s buildings were accompanied by circumstances, some of which even came during the drawing process. At first I was really interested in storytelling and powerful visuals. I knew the school would be built in this huge Gothic castle, and I wanted the big sport to be a high stakes sword duel. From there, I asked myself the question, “What kind of environment would you allow and approve this?” I think a lot of that will be in detail. Other students at this school find even students from the background to mean and bitter. Many of them have been injured, cuts and bruises. It is a real dog eating dog environment. There were a lot of cool ideas I had.
AIPT: Can we get more from blood honey and this “universe”? I would like to see a book focused on even more students from Manderray.
SP: I certainly hope so! I have some really exciting ideas about potential semi-sequels that meet very interesting new students and see other aspects of the school. If anyone reading this wants to see it, order a copy of Blood Honey from your local comic shop and say you want to see more! I’m still a very new creator so everything about the support is helpful!
Provided by IDW.
AIPT: Fun, stupid question: If you could ask any of your favorite bands/singers to record the theme of (hypothetical) Blood Honey TV adaptation, who is that artist and what notes would you give?
SP: Ah, what a snack. Music is a big part of my creative process, and many emotions that led to blood honey derived from the song “Honeysuckle” by Pom Pom Squad. I think the Pom Pom Team is the perfect theme song for Blood Honey. Maybe even the rendition of “Honeysuckle” or its recent song “Message” probably even adds some string/orchestra elements with church bells to reach that Gothic vibe.
AIPT: What happened next from Shawn Peacock? Is there anything to be careful about on the blood honey horizon?
SP: I’m always working hard! Me and author DJ Wooldridge published an indie book via Kickstarter called Danger Boi & The Antagonists. This is an anti-fascist cyberpunk superhero thriller set in a truly unique retro fturist world. We are preparing to launch our second issue of the campaign in the spring of 2026. I’m also working on new IDW things, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to talk about them yet. Stay tuned!
