Smash Pages Q&A: David Pepose on the influences behind ‘Spencer & Locke’

With a sequel set to debut in April, the writer of the surprise hit series breaks down the comics DNA of the book.

It’s been called “What if Calvin and Hobbes grew up in Sin City?” but David Pepose and Jorge Santiago Jr.’s Spencer & Locke proved to be more than that. While it does wear those two inspirations on its sleeve, the DNA of this particular project goes deeper than its tagline.

With the followup to the surprise hit set to debut in April (and a movie in the works), I spoke with David about some of the influences on the series that go beyond the surface, including Moon Knight, Criminal, Batgirl and more. Admittedly this was a really fun interview to conduct, as it gave me an excuse to re-read several great comics and discover one that I need to add to my own “to read” list.

You can find out more about Spencer & Locke 2 on Twitter or Facebook. And you can buy the first volume at your local comic shop or ComiXology.

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It’s gotta be Cheryl: ‘Blossoms 666’ imagines a Blossom twin as the Anti-Christ

Cullen Bunn, Laura Braga and Matt Herms team up to tell us which Blossom twin will destroy the Earth. Why can’t it be both?

Cullen Bunn has proven a natural at tackling the supernatural in comics (see: Cold Spots, Harrow County) as well as teenagers (see: X-Men Blue), so it only makes sense that Archie Comics would recruit him for one of their “Afterlife with Archie” titles.

Blossoms 666 teams Bunn with artists Laura Braga and Matt Herms for a different take on the notorious Blossom twins, Cheryl and Jason. According to Nerdist, “They’re wealthy, popular and likeable, but they also harbor a deep, dark secret: one of the Blossom Twins is the Anti-Christ. But neither one knows which of them is the Anti-Christ, and both want the title! In short, no one in Riverdale is safe.”

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Werewolf Jughead stalks Riverdale’s finest in new ongoing series

Graduating from his own one-shot, the ever-hungry creature of the night will face off with his worst nightmare: Betty Cooper, Werewolf Hunter.

After tearing through his own well-received one-shot, Jughead’s furry alter ego gets an ongoing series, Jughead: The Hunger, by writer Frank Tieri and artists Pat and Tim Kennedy.

“We purposely left the door open with the one shot, we told you if you made Jughead the Hunger a hit we’d make more — and since you more than held up your end of the bargain, here we are,” Tieri said in the press release. “Fans can expect more of everything they loved about the one shot now as we expand our universe– more werewolf Juggie, more bad ass Betty, more conflicted Archie and more twists and turns than you can shake a severed arm at.”

Tieri worked with artist Michael Walsh on the one-shot, who is doing one of the covers for the first issue of the new series. Colorist Matt Herms and letterer Jack Morelli will round out the creative team.

The comic is the third ongoing horror title released by Archie, following Afterlife with Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Instead of an Archie Horror logo, though, the covers for the first issue sport an “Archie’s Madhouse Presents” emblem. Archie’s Mad House was a title published by Archie from 1959 until 1982 that featured the works of Dan DeCarlo, Harry Lucey, Chic Stone, Bob White and even Wally Wood, as they told zany stories featuring the Archie characters and new ones like Captain Sprocket and Clyde Didit; it’s also where Sabrina the Teenage Witch first debuted. So it’s an appropriate reference.

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