Halloween chills, my favourite Holmes and a major writing milestone!
Plus: Zombiotes #3, spooky reads and recent interviews
Hello there!
It's Halloween tomorrow! Are you feeling spooky? What costume will you be wearing? What Halloween viewing have you planned?
Personally, I'll be cueing up the traditional viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown at some point. Then, after our daughter has headed off to scare the bejeezus out of punters as a zombie in our local horror maze, Clare and I will be settling down to finish off Agetha All Along which we've been loving all season! The Ballad of the Witches' Road will be joining my spooky season playlist for years to come, a timeless Halloween carol!
It's going to be a quick newsletter this week, not because of ghosties and ghoulies, but because I'm racing to finish off a deadline.
I hit a milestone yesterday as I wrote my 550th comic page of 2024! I shared this online not as a flex, but because I feel it's important to celebrate these moments. It's been a tough year in a lot of ways for work, but exciting things are on the horizon, especially as we hurtle to the grand finale of the High Republic.
Next week, I will complete the first draft of the final High Republic comic for Marvel and submit a brand new issue one for a (non-Star Wars) Marvel mini, featuring a character I can't actually believe I'm writing.
For those who are keeping track, here's my tally of the year so far:
🎃 Comic series proposals: 2.5 (including a former proposal given a new lease of life!)
🎃 Audio series proposals: 2
🎃 Comic pages written: 550
🎃 Screenplay page count: 30
🎃 Total prose wordcount: 33,838
I need to get that screenplay page count up and have plans for how to add to it before the end of the year. I have one spec underway and another simmering, as well as a couple of gigs that might soon land. Time will tell, as it always does.
In the meantime, on with the rest of the newsletter!
- NEW INTERVIEWS
- Q&A: MY FAVOURITE SHERLOCK HOLMES
- OUT TODAY: VENOM WAR - ZOMBIOTES #3
- BOOK RECOMMENDATION: SCUTTLE
NEW INTERVIEWS
Just before NYCC, I chatted to awesome comic journalist Dave Richards about Night of the Slashers, covering what it was like to grow up in the golden era of video nasties, the inspiration behind the Magma book and whether we'll be returning to the world of Kill...sorry, Hill Creek for the inevitable sequels...
READ UNLEASHING A TOWN OF KILLERS IN NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS HERE!
Then, at NYCC, I chatted to Deanna Dastito of Comics Beat about Godfather of Hell along with my Shadow Service co-creator Corin Howell who was showcasing her brilliant new Vault book, Lilith.
We talked about both Lilith and GoH, plus Shadow Service, including whether we'll ever see more from MI666...
READ CAVAN SCOTT & CORIN HOWELL GIVE VAULT HELL HERE!
Finally, it's not an interview, but Dorkside of the Force are trying to work out what I'm doing for next year's Star Wars Halloween Special based on my tease in last week's newsletter:
READ CAVAN SCOTT'S NEXT STAR WARS HALLOWEEN COMIC IS A DEEP CUT FROM LEGENDS
Q&A: MY FAVOURITE SHERLOCK HOLMES
Following Kevin Hearne’s Perfect Sunday, Ginny Drake replied on Instagram, saying:
“Now, I need to know what you consider the best version of Sherlock!”
Oh, what a question, Ginny!
Well, let’s break this down.
When it comes to screen, both large and small, there can only be one answer: Jeremy Brett. Not only was he my Sherlock Holmes growing up, he is, in my opinion still the best representation of Holmes on film. So many people play the Great Detective as a cold, almost emotionless deducting machine, but Brett played him with wit, sparkle and a wryly curled smile.
That isn’t to say I don’t love curling up with a Rathbone on a cold winter afternoon or indulging in a little Cushing melodrama (Masks of Death is a perennial favourite of mine. And no, I’m not one of those folks who sneer at the Robert Downey Jr. films. First of all, they’re fun and yes, certain aspects of Downey Jr’s performance are a little off-kilter (Holmes may be messy in his accommodation but is always immaculate in appearance unless in disguise) but the films, especially the first one get so much right, from Holmes as an action man and the glimpses into his mind to Jude Law as one of the best Dr. Watsons ever committed to celluloid. The pair’s (often fractious) friendship is front and centre in those movies, which is probably why I enjoy them so much. The same goes for Sherlock and Elementary, the latter of which I admit I’ve seen fewer episodes of, but I always appreciate Jonny Lee Miller!) But, for me, all Sherlocks pale into insignificance next to the masterful performance of Jeremy Brett.
Audio Holmes
I do have one honourable mention and the voice I actually hear when reading the original short stories: Clive Merrison.
Between 1989 and 1998, Merrison played Holmes in all 64 episodes of BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes series alongside Michael Williams as Watson, completing top-notch radio adaptations of every canonical Holmes adventure, and then returned in 2002 for The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Andrew Sachs taking on Watson’s role following Williams’ sad death from cancer the previous year.
Merrison and Williams are a delight, and the adaptations, especially those by head writer Bert Coule, are second to none. If you love Holmes, please, please check them out.
A Holmesian plug or two
And it would be remiss of me not to recommend my own humble additions to the ever-expanding Holmes corpus!
I’ve co-scripted two Sherlock Holmes Audible originals with George Mann. The first is an original story, The Voice of Treason starring Nicholas Boulton as Holmes and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Watson.
Queen Victoria has been kidnapped and only Sherlock Holmes can find her, although his investigation will lead him once again to cross paths with his old nemesis, Professor James Moriarty.
Then there is our adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles starring Colin Salmon as Sherlock Holmes and Stephen Fry as Dr. Watson. Fry was originally down to play Holmes, but we suggested to him that, in this case, Watson might be the better role, if only for air time if nothing else. But who would work well as a Holmes to Stephen’s trusty doctor? We suggested Colin and were overjoyed when he agreed to step into the Great Detective’s shoes. What a voice! I’m really fond of that project, which allowed us to add some folk horror elements to Conan Doyles’ most famous tale, perfect for Halloween!
Away from audio, I’ve also written two Sherlock Holmes novels. The Patchwork Devil sees Holmes and Watson making a grisly discovery on the banks of the Thames: a freshly severed hand. But the mystery deepens when they also discover that the owner of the hand died over two years ago in the trenches of war-torn France.
Meanwhile, Cry of the Innocents is set in my hometown of Bristol in 1891. A Catholic priest arrives at 221B Baker Street, only to utter the words ‘il corpe’ before dropping dead. And so the original dynamic duo is plunged into a conspiracy that includes disgraced slave traders (appropriate for Bristol), missing bodies, and an apparent miracle.
I’d love for you to try any of these audios and books. Let me know if you do (and also let me know your own favourite Holmes in the comments too!)
Do you have a question for me about reading, writing, my books or even my current favourite tea? Then ask away by a) posting a question in the comments, b) replying to this mail or c) using the Ask Me Anything form on my website!
OUT TODAY: VENOM WAR - ZOMBIOTES #3
Our Shaun of the Dead meets Venom War adventure comes to an end! Who will walk out of the Bar With No Name alive?
Writer: Cavan Scott | Art: Juan Jose Ryp | Colours: Ceci De La Cruz | Letters: Travis Lanham | Cover Art: Juan Ferreyra
KEEP THEIR TEETH OFF YOUR FLESH!
The Venom War is making strange bedfellows as hero and villain alike have to fight off the menace of hungry zombiotes, eager to bite and spread onto all - living and dead! She-Hulk, Hellcat, Shocker and more are among those striving to stay alive…and unbonded!
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: SCUTTLE BY BARNABY WALTER
Want a last-minute book recommendation for Halloween? Then pour yourself another pumpkin latte and reach for Scuttle by Barnaby Walter. In fact, this chilling creature feature is perfect for dark days all year round! Just don't go near the trees!
A camping trip goes wrong! Teenagers turn up dead, their insides sucked out! A father-and-son relationship is put to the test when the truth of the monster attack is revealed!
I devoured this gem on my recent flight to New York, unable to put it down until it dragged me kicking and screaming to its chilling conclusion! Flitting back and forth from the father and son's POV, Scuttle is as heartbreaking as it's horrific, a modern-day Wolf Man with an eight-legged twist! It feels both classic and up-to-date, and you'll find yourself creeped out one minute and yelling at characters to run the next.
A quick, fun read with a touch of cosmic horror to boot.
- THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS by CHUCK WENDIG (ARC)
🎧 CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
- HALLOWEEN FIEND by C.V. HUNT
- QUEENS OF THE WILD by RONALD HUTTON
That's all folks!
Okay, maybe this week's missive wasn't as short as I thought!
Until next time, look after yourself and each other,
