Time to clean up humanity’s final act. We had the chance to sit down with Stefano Cardoselli, author and illustrator of our upcoming dystopian miniseries, Don’t Spit in the Wind. Read on to find out about Stefano’s inspiration, his creative process, and more!
Q: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions, Stefano! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
S: It’s a pleasure, thank you! I am a Bram Stoker Award-winning artist, but I don’t like to call myself an artist; better a draftsman. Also, I am an illustrator and scriptwriter.
My works have been published with Heavy Metal Magazine, 2000 A.D., Simon and Schuster, Source Point Press, Antarctic Press, and Scout Comics. I’ve worked in cinema as a character designer and storyboard artist.
Currently, I live in a small town in Tuscany with my girlfriend Francesca and a cat named Frida Borghese Kahlo. (I suspect the cat hates me a bit.)
Q: What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to writing comics?
S: Surely, music and cinema are my starting point. I have my own soundtracks when I start writing and drawing a new series. However, ideas do come knocking suddenly, and I have to be able to give shape or meaning to that initial spark.
Q: In Don’t Spit in the Wind, we follow along with Travis and his cleanup crew as they clean up humanity’s final act. What was your biggest inspiration in writing this story?
S: We’re living in a historical period of great uncertainty – from the ever-growing problem of the environment and those that are getting richer and poorer.
Q: What got you into creating comics?
S: I like to create stories and worlds too, in this amazing job! I will say the obvious, but I started out as a kid, writing and drawing stories. I always have as much fun now as I did when I was little.
Q: Which character in Don’t Spit in the Wind do you personally connect with the most?
S: I’m bonded with both Travis and Cassandra to the same extent. Without Cassandra, Travis may not be complete, and vice versa– but I don’t want to reveal too much!
Q: What do you hope for people to take away from reading Don’t Spit in the Wind?
S: We might all be Travis and Cassandra in a moment of our lives. I tried to create characters that didn’t have superpowers or special training to deal with disastrous situations, but normal people who are faced with unexpected things that, in practice, the reader may even feel a small part of the characters of this series.
Q: In Don’t Spit in the Wind, you’re credited as both the author and the illustrator! Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process?
S: I think I have my own process, which, from the outside may seem very chaotic. The idea comes any time, and I’m more of a designer than a pure screenwriter. In the initial phase, I draw the characters often until I find the line that satisfies me the most. Then, I start writing the main points of the story and the plot, but I make constant revisions and cuts or additions until I get it right.
Q: Who/what are your biggest influences as a creator?
S: Lots of movies, music, and books! I see these three things as my personal foundation of my creative work.
Q: What are your favorite stories/artists/genres?
S: There are many, certainly Jean Giraud, AKA Moebius, Enki Bilal, Frank Miller, Geof Darrow, and many others. (There are really many) I like everything important that rouses my interest. Obviously, I have a love for science fiction and horror. I loved Miller and Darrow’s Hardboiled.
Q: Any upcoming projects we should know about?
S: I’m writing a new series, and I finished drawing the graphic novel based on Richard Matheson’s book, I Am Legend, adapted by author Alessandro Manzetti.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share?
S: I drink too much American coffee!
Stefano Cardoselli is a Bram Stoker Awards Winner, artist, illustrator and scriptwriter. His works have been published with Heavy Metal Magazine, 2000 AD, Simon and Schuster, Source Point Press, Antarctic Press, and Scout Comics. He works for cinema as a character designer and storyboard artist. He lives in Orbetello-Tuscany, Italy.
Instagram: @stefcardoselli | Twitter: @stcardoselli
www.stefanocardoselli.com
Don’t Spit in the Wind is currently available on the Mad Cave Studios website for pre-order, and will be available at your favorite local comic shop or digital comic reader on March 29th, 2023!
Mad Cave Studios is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded by Mark London in 2014 driven by madness and committed to quality. For additional information, visit madcavestudios.com.
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