07:50 Monday 4th March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: Now picture the scene. Zombies have taken over the planet, and very important landmarks and people in Peterborough are under attack. Well that’s the premise behind a new web comic called Immunis. It’s seeking funding. It’s been dreamt up by two people from Peterborough, Anthony Ashley and Sean Reidy. Morning chaps. So you’ve been dreaming about zombies.
CREATOR: Constantly.
PAUL STAINTON: And you’ve written it all down into a comic, but you need some cash.
CREATOR: Yes we do. We’re looking to raise money to kickstart it, if you like.
PAUL STAINTON: So tell us all about it. Tell us what happens. Tell us what’s going on in this comic.
CREATOR: Without giving too much away, Peterborough is the focal point of our zombie apocalypse, but it stems into the historic roots of the city. We focus on the disease as well as the fact that zombies are running the planet. What kind of disease causes that and where does it come from. And could you use that disease, or could you manipulate it.
PAUL STAINTON: So are you Peterborough boys?
CREATORS: Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: So that’s why you’re focusing on Peterborough.
CREATOR: Yes. Most zombie stories and tales that you see on movies and TV, it’s normally American. So we thought .. and if it’s here it’s usually in London.
PAUL STAINTON: Yes. Dawn of the Dead was a shopping centre, the original I remember Dawn of the Dead by George Romero, a helicopter takes a guy’s head off. That was in a shopping centre in America, wasn’t it? I think Zombie Flesh Eaters was on an island in the Caribbean if memory serves right. I was only 15 at the time. Most of them are focused in America,
CREATOR: I thought it gives a different slant, probably a more real slant, and allows you to explore like you said. And obviously we live in the city, so we spend many hours drinking coffee in the city centre …
PAUL STAINTON: Are you a councillor?
CREATOR: .. fantasising about .. (THEY LAUGH) No. No.
PAUL STAINTON: Well that’s what councillors do.
CREATOR: We see them. (THEY LAUGH) Spend a lot of time with them.
PAUL STAINTON: So why zombies? Why the fascination with zombies?
CREATOR: I don’t know. I don’t know where that came from.
CREATOR: I’ve always been .. you mentioned a George Romero film there. I remember in 1992 I got a VHS with a wrestling event on it.
PAUL STAINTON: Kids, if you’re listening, VHS is what we used to watch films on and tape things on many years ago.
CREATOR: It’s because my auntie had a TV system that had the wrestling on, and there wass a george Romero film on the end of it. And I fell in love with zombies from that moment on.
PAUL STAINTON: She gave you a tape of wrestling and it had a zombie film.
CREATOR: I was 11.
CREATOR: I had a similar story about The Evil Dead. There was a zombie in a basement. Scary when you’re a kid.
PAUL STAINTON: You see that was the beauty of video tape. You tape stuff over and over again, and you get little snapshots left on there with stuff you shouldn’t really be watching. So the story then is centred around Peterborough. Is it going to sell to a wider audience?
CREATOR: Yes, because it’s obviously .. the zombie genre is massive. It’s world wide. It’s got a world wide following, and we’re just taking that and built it locally, haven’t we?
PAUL STAINTON: Why a comic? Why not a film or a TV show?
CREATOR: Well Anthony is a talented writer, and I’m an artist illustrator, and we’re just pooling our skills.
CREATOR: Sean is an amazing artist. He can draw, and it just makes sense to leave it to him rather than actually filming.
PAUL STAINTON: Right. So the two of you are putting your elements together. You say cheaper as well. It’s a web comic, but you need money to get this off the ground, to get it going.
CREATOR: Yes. There’s software needed. We need web experts to make sure that it functions well, and the readability is pleasurable in that sense.
PAUL STAINTON: You’ve got a unique offer as well for people that might want to invest.
CREATOR: There’s lots of incentives on the KickStarter website. And we’re looking for local businesses to feature in it, even if they’re just backdrops we’re still looking for people to be in the comic. Potentially the audience is potentially a world wide audience. These things tend to gain a lot of followers, don’t they, because they’ve got a huge fan base already. So we’re particularly looking for a local brewer maybe to sponsor us. But that’s just one of the people we’re looking for. Perhaps picture a local ale in it. One of the characters likes his ale. It is intrinsic to Immunis, but without giving too much away.
PAUL STAINTON: What if I were to put some money in? Could I get my throat ripped out?
CREATOR: (LAUGHS) Yes. You could be the person ripping the throat.
PAUL STAINTON: Oh really?
CREATOR: You could be the zombie.
PAUL STAINTON: So you put some money in, you could be a main character.
CREATOR: You could be a main character. You could be a zombie.
PAUL STAINTON: That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it? I could put some money in, you could have Ben, producer Ben. Rip his throat out.
CREATOR: You can nominate someone.
PAUL STAINTON: Nominate somebody to get killed. Yes. Brilliant.
CREATOR: We do have a few main characters that aren’t yet drawn. So they’re people we’re ready to ..
PAUL STAINTON: Well Ben’s a gift, producer Ben. He’s Wreck-It Ralph. He’s just missing the hands, so you could draw him. That would be absolutely fantastic. So if people do want to get involved then, they do want to back you and get you off the ground, and get you going, how do they go about
donating or helping out?
CREATOR: They go to KickStarter.com, and search Immunis, or Peterborough. Either of those will bring it up.
PAUL STAINTON: Good luck guys. I hope you get it off the ground. It sounds like a fascinating web comic. It’s called Immunis. And is there anything we can look at right now? Is there anything to tease us online?
CREATOR: There’s artwork on KickStarter.com. Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: Brilliant stuff. Guys, thank you for coming in this morning. That’s Anthony Ashley and Sean Reidy, who are putting all of this together. And if you want to donate, you could be one of the main characters.
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