Mike MacLean talks about HELLWITCH: THE FORSAKEN

Mike MacLean was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, Mike took a flying leap into the comics’ world, co-writing Lady Death, La Muerta, and Zack the Zombie Exterminator with Coffin Comics founder Brian Pulido. Mike is also the screenwriter behind the hit Syfy creature features Sharktopus, Piranhaconda, and Dinocroc vs. Supergator, all produced by the legendary Roger Corman. In addition to the monster flicks, Mike wrote the comedy Attack of the 50ft Cheerleader and the military thriller Operation Rouge. As the NYCC begins Mike was nice enough to stop by First Comics News and let our readers know about his latest project Hellwitch.

First Comics News: Who is Hellwitch?

Mike MacLean: The infamous sorceress who would become Hellwitch began as a nameless pit slave, the lowest caste in her Hive. Those in her clan were members of the Hellbourne—the one true race born in Hell, sworn enemies of the Fallen and the Damned. Through sheer determination, Hellwitch did the impossible. She rose through the ranks of her caste system to become a warrior and eventually challenged the Hive’s tyrannical queen. Overcoming that challenge was the first step in her evolution from lowly slave to one of the most powerful witches in Hell. But that power came with a terrible price.

1^st: Does she inhabit the same world as Lady Death?

Mike: Yes. Hellwitch’s fist appeared in Lady Death: Damnation Game where she nearly defeated our diva of death in a savage battle. Since that encounter, Hellwitch has sought vengeance, hunting Lady Death across Hell in hopes of sending her to Oblivion.

1^st: What is her world like?

Mike: It’s literally Hell—a fiery, demonic realm where Heaven has damned evildoers to spend eternity suffering. Many of Hellwitch’s kind, the Hellbourne, see humans and demons as invaders of their sacred homeland. And the Hellbourne would like nothing more than to purge them all.

1^st: What is a hatchling?

Mike: A young Hellbourne—freshly hatched from a slime-covered egg sac.

1^st: What is a hellhive?

Mike: The term Hellhive can refer to the clan a Hellbourne is born into or to the physical dwelling in which that Hellbourne was hatched. Hellwitch’s hive had a creepy, H.R. Geiger feel as if the walls were made of the rotting, insectile flesh of some gigantic alien.

1^st: How does she go from being a slave to being a warrior?

Mike: SPOILERS if you haven’t read Hellwitch: Hellbourne… After highjacking a blood spell meant for the queen, the slave who would become Hellwitch saved her clan from an invasion then defeated all-comers in a demonic arena. Facing pressure from the masses, the queen then recognized Hellwitch as a member of the warrior caste.

1^st: How did her lover die?

Mike: SPOILERS if you haven’t read Hellwitch: Hellbourne… To punish Hellwitch, Gaatha was ripped in half then crucified. This being hell, she was alive through the whole grisly encounter.

1^st: What was her reaction?

Mike: Let’s just say she left a pile of bodies in her bloody, rage-filled wake.

1^st: If she slaughtered the hive queen, who put the price on her head?

Mike: Lord Slass, a Hellbourne Battle Lord of the Killzan Hive. He takes sadistic delight in tearing enemies apart with his bare hands and harbours a secret hatred for Hellwitch. Why does he despise her so much? You’ll have to read Hellwitch: The Forsaken and find out.

1^st: As a hellbourne, does she have a soul?

Mike: Yes, they have souls. The Hellbourne have not been damned by Heaven.

1^st: Is this a mature reader comic?

Mike: That’s putting it mildly. In a sense, the Hellwitch books are an homage to Heavy Metal Magazine. Outlandish gore, salacious nudity, deviant sex, and dirty words… Hellwitch: The Forsaken has it all. Keep walking kiddos. This one is for the grownups.

1^st: Who is working on alternate covers for this project?

Mike: The cabal of insanely talented cover artists include Lucio Parrillo, Elias Chatzoudis, Marat Mychaels, Alé Garza, Sun Khamunaki, Mike Krome, Dawn McTeigue, Dan Mendoza, Jonboy Meyers, Monte Michael Moore, Paolo Pantalena, Jesse Wichmann, and some super cool surprise artists.

1^st: When does the Kickstarter go live?

Mike: Wednesday, October 23, 7:00 pm Arizona time.

About Author

Rik Offenberger

Rik Offenberger has worked in the comic field as a retailer, distributor, reporter, public relations coordinator, writer and publisher since 1990. He owns and operates the e-mail bases Super Hero News service, and his published works in print can be seen in The Comics Buyers Guide, Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, and Comics International. On the internet he has worked as a writer and/or editor for Silver Bullet Comicbooks, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama and First Comics News. He was the Public Relations Coordinator at Archie Comics for a decade. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief at G-Man Comics. For TwoMorrows Publications, Rik co-wrote The MLJ Companion with Paul Castiglia and Jon B. Cooke, charting the history of Archie’s superheroes, and for Gemstone Publishing wrote chapters of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to Lost Universes.

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