Shannon Eric Denton has spent decades moving effortlessly between comics, animation, film, and games, building a career defined by genre storytelling and creator-driven worlds. A veteran writer, artist, and producer, Denton has worked across multiple media and helped shape projects for major studios while also developing original properties through his company, Monster Forge. Currently, he’s bringing his love of horror, the occult, and pulpy adventure to Spectors, a new series published by Titan Comics. In this interview, conducted by Anthony Andujar Jr., Denton discusses his creative journey, the inspirations behind Spectors, and the collaborative process that brings its world of secret societies, monsters, and moral corruption to life.
Interviewee: Shannon Eric Denton
Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Q1. Given your background in comics, film, and animation as an industry veteran, what led you to your journey within the arts, and how did that lead you into the world of comic books?
S.E.D: It was actually an early “transmedia” exposure to Spider-Man. I’m old enough to have watched the Electric Company Spider-Man segments and then seen Marvel Team-Up issue 47 featuring Spider-Man and The Thing on the spinner rack and HAD to have it. A quarter was a big deal for 5-year-old me, but it was money well spent. That literally started me on the path that led to me working in animation/comics/games/etc. Those early days at Marvel here in Los Angeles were magical, too, because it was one of the only times in my career where I was working in different media throughout the day with the same IPs. I learned so much, had so much fun, and am eternally grateful to see how interconnected they could all be.
Q2. You’ve worked on various projects over the years, and you’re currently working on a new series, titled Spectors, published at Titan Comics. What was the inspiration for this series, and how did its development lead to publication?
S.E.D: My company, Monster Forge, was created as a way for me to focus on all the media I love to work on with the folks I like collaborating with. David Hartman and I had set up KRAKEN previously with Titan Comics, and it was such a great experience; we wanted to do this one there as well. The story’s inspiration was largely me creating something for David that I wanted to see him draw. So a quick prompt turned into David designing out the characters, and once I saw them, I had the world in my head. It was an extremely fun way to create and different than how we’d tackled Kraken. Also, the team at Titan has been super supportive of Monster Forge, so it makes collaborating with them a joy.
Q3. You’re not just a writer, but you’ve also had a hand in illustration. As a writer, what was it like working with illustrator David Hartman and letterer Ed Dukeshire? How did you all coordinate together to fully realize the story of Spectors?
S.E.D: Ed and I have worked together in the past, and he’s so good. My wife Kristen Fitzner Denton is an award-winning designer/letterer, but sometimes she’s so busy, it gives me a chance to collaborate with pals like Ed. As for David, this is kinda what I was getting at in the previous question…normally I design out characters myself as I write and then toss those at the artist as a starting point. For this project, David jumped in off the description only, and it was so perfect what he threw back at me, we were immediately on to world building. It was a ton of fun working like this.
Q4. Spectors is focused on protagonists Nigel and Debby. Both of which are complementary yet opposites as Occult hunters. What is it about these two characters that ultimately made them the chosen characters to lead the book?
S.E.D: Nigel and Debby are two very different sides of the same coin. They have this violence that happened to them in their pasts that they share. It unites them and is at the core of who they now are, but they are also two very different people. It makes for such a fun dynamic in the writing. It’s like every fantastic work relationship where you meet someone on the job who may have a background nothing like your own, but your life is forever better for meeting them.
Q5. Spectors focuses on secret societies, the occult, black magic, and corruption in plain sight. With everything going on in the world, life is stranger than fiction. What is it about Spectors that feels real to you as a creator?
S.E.D: Oh, it definitely has over-the-top stuff with monsters, black magic, and syringe-firing-gatling-gun-prosthetics, but underneath it all is a fight against those who have everything but aren’t satisfied and still want more. Unfortunately, just like in our book, there are even more of those types than most people realize. Our story is about that fight and those who resist, even when the odds are overwhelmingly not in their favor.
Q6. What informed your decision to work with Titan Comics as the go-to publisher for Spectors?
S.E.D: Aside from just the previous mention of how great they are to work with, I’m also a HUGE Hammer Films fan (optioned a movie to them way back too). Titan, like Hammer, is based in the UK, and they immediately got the reference and saw what we were trying to build.
Q7. Will readers get more insight into the team’s origins that led them on the journey that they are as Occult hunters?
S.E.D: They will, but it’s not an info dump. We hint at the backstory, but we start with them already in the mix. We do have the introduction of Ollie to their team, so the audience gets to be a part of that discovery. Between this and its ties to Kraken, we have a very big backstory, but we wanted this adventure to be one you could jump right into without needing all of that. We do have some fun Fact Files at the back of the book, too, with amazing illustrations by David.
Q8. Where can readers follow for updates on the upcoming issues of Spectors and behind-the-scenes developments of the series?
S.E.D: Obviously, Titan Comics and all their socials. For Monster Forge, look to MonsterForgeProductions.com for all of our projects. Thanks again!
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