First Comics News: It took a while for your PDF to download, but once it did, I started reading, and I just kept on going. I see that this is a black and white graphic novel; a horror novel, with the subject being that of possession, sort of like in a lot of horror movies, but your graphic novel has some rather unique twists!
How did you get the idea for this story, and what types of prose fiction, movie,,s or TV series inspired you to write and create this?
Adam Carter: Betweeners started with a pretty simple idea – what would an exorcism story look like if you stripped away most of the religious iconography? I didn’t want to retread the same sort of possession stories we’ve been seeing for decades now, as they’ve been perfected by many people before me. To that end, I knew I didn’t want a priest as the main character here, but I still needed a compelling reason as to why someone wouldn’t use traditional religious tools while fighting demons, because otherwise, it’s kind of like bringing a sharpened stick to a gunfight. Then it hit me – what if our exorcist couldn’t hold a crucifix or holy water because he’s also possessed? That got me researching Christian exorcism techniques and figuring out how I might adapt them to our main character’s unique circumstances. Everything else started to flow from there. There’s a big Vertigo influence on this book, Hellblazer, especially. It has a bit of a Dexter vibe at times, too, except with demons instead of serial killers.
1st: I like the writing and the art. Who are all the characters in this, and what can you tell our readers about each one?
Adam: I appreciate that, thanks. Our main character is two different people in one, here. Outwardly, he appears as Shane Beck – a military-trained intelligence officer who is estranged from his son, after the tragic death of his wife. But Beck has been possessed by the soul of Mike Baxter, a grifter with ties to organized crime, who died in the 1980s. Not content to sit and wait for the forces of Hell to come find him, Baxter starts using Beck’s body to perform exorcisms, to keep the demons at bay.
1st: Do you sort of mean that he’s trying to do good deeds now, while he is possessing (as a spirit) someone else, by exorcising demons from other people, to atone for the evils he previously did, in life, so that demons from Hell will (not) come for him, for the evils he did, when he was in the world of the living? Is that it, or do I have that wrong? If I have it right, wouldn’t that sort of be similar to Atlas Comics’ (1975) The Grim Ghost? Although even that would be a big divergence from The Grim Ghost stories – a traditional idea.
Adam: I have admittedly not come across the Grim Ghost myself, though now I’ll have to check it out. Baxter isn’t so much exorcising demons here to atone for his past sins — instead, he just feels like he has a better shot at staying on Earth if he’s able to get rid of as many demons as possible. It’s more self-preservation than altruism, in this case. Baxter’s second chance at life becomes much more complicated when Beck’s estranged son, James, shows up on his doorstep. Now, on top of exorcising demons, he has to mend fences with a kid he knows nothing about – all the while, hoping James doesn’t notice that he’s not his real father.
1st: That’s pretty cool! Can you tell our readers, who have not had the benefit of having read this graphic novel, what it is about?
Adam: I generally describe the book as a dark fantasy/horror tale, with a twist. It’s the story of a repentant lost soul who, decades after his death and subsequent punishment in Hell, manages to escape his captors, possessing a body, back on Earth. Though freed from his torment, Baxter finds himself desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the demons that are chasing him. He then takes up the mantle of an exorcist to banish as many ghouls as possible, before they can drag his soul back to Hell. All the while, Baxter is navigating an unfamiliar modern world and trying to make sure no one discovers that he isn’t who he’s pretending to be.
1st: We have a father in this graphic novel possessed by a spirit that doesn’t seem to be evil at all. Is that right? Why is this spirit possessing this man? And then, the young son of the man who is possessed by another entity comes to visit him. But, because this father is possessed by another person, this spirit, of course, doesn’t know who the son is, until the son calls him “dad.” But of course, he doesn’t know anything about this kid. WHY is this spirit possessing this young man’s father? And, towards what end?
Adam: There isn’t a real rhyme or reason as to why Baxter ends up in Beck’s body (at least not one that’s revealed, in this first book.) Think of it more like jumping out of a moving car, that’s about to crash – he manages to almost accidentally find a way out of Hell, and this is the body he ends up in. Initially, being in Beck’s body seems like a massive upgrade – until James shows up and makes life much more complicated.
1st: I read a lot of comics, Adam, and I have been doing so my entire lifetime; superhero stories, westerns, war comics, humor, supernatural, suspense, cops and bad guys, science fiction, and so many more genres. However, since the 11970s– and yep, I’ve been around even longer than that, although I like numerous genres of comics, and the same in terms of movies, TV series and animation TV series and animated movies. I grew up in the Silver Age of Comics — most comics since then have been superhero comics, by most publishers. But I have read and enjoyed so many other genres of comics, aside from those. What you have put together, here in this graphic novel, is a very, very nice change of pace. I rather like what you’ve done here. Is this your very first comics project that you have worked on?
Adam: Thank you, genuinely. And yup – this is the first comic I’ve ever written.
1st: I recall reading that this graphic novel can be ordered from Amazon, and.. somewhere else online, as well? When did it come out?
Adam: Physical copies are available right now on Amazon, and anyone who is looking to read it digitally can do so on GlobalComix. It came out on April 30 of 2025.
1st: Are numerous copies of this graphic novel already printed up, or is it print-on-demand?
Adam: Seeing as it’s my first book, I went with the print-on-demand option, as I didn’t know what to expect, in terms of orders-though it’s been exceptionally gratifying to see people have been interested, and are buying it. I was initially a little worried about the quality for this kind of printing, but it actually turned out quite well. In a bit of a funny coincidence, the way it’s printed kind of makes the book feel like it has a bit of a 1990s quality, which I really appreciate. Some artists are now using different digital methods to make their books have that throwback feel, but I kind of stumbled upon it by accident, here.
1st: Will copies of this graphic novel be going to any comics stores, as well?
Adam: I’m working on that now, but it’ll be happening on a bit of a case-by-case basis, to start with.
1st: Has this graphic novel appeared in the Diamond (also known as Previews) monthly catalog?
Adam: Not as of yet, but I would love to get to larger scale distribution, at some point.
1st: I just finished reading all 110 (one hundred and ten) pages of this graphic novel, and this is just part one! I enjoyed it! How long did it take you to write this, and how long did it take the artist to illustrate the whole thing?
Adam: Thanks a lot. All told, it was about a year and a half to get the book together. As you might expect, it was a much longer process than I had initially thought it would be, as a newcomer to writing comics – but a gratifying learning experience, for sure.
1st: How did you meet the artist for this graphic novel? In other words, how did you get together?
Adam: I found everybody online for this one. I got hundreds of great submissions from artists all over the world, but the work of Armin, Gui, and Hector stood out above the rest. I’m lucky to have them on board.
1st: What are these three creators full names, and where are they from? Have they done other other comics, previously?
Adam: That would be Armin Ozdic (whose past work includes The Living Finger), Gui Sabino (Starfell, The Wombat), and Hector Negrete (DC Comics’ Joker: The World). Armin handled pencils and inks, while Gui did the colors and grayscale shading. Hector handled lettering and design work.
1st: Adam, I ordered in DC’s Joker: The World, in hardcover, and, though it arrived recently, I haven’t read it as yet. Now, I will have to, and I am looking forward to that! I usually like to ask some biography questions at the beginning of these interviews. However, this time, I’m getting around to it later on, in the interview. And so, to start with, can you kindly tell us, where and when were you born, and where did you grow up, and go to school?
Adam: I’m aan1980’s kid; I’m from Newfoundland originally, and I grew up in Conception Bay South. Now, I’m based out of Toronto.
1st: That is interesting to me. I grew up and was raised in Nova Scotia, but I lived in Toronto, Ontario, from the summer of 1979 into the mid-1980s, or thereabouts. And then, I went to Georgian College art school in Barrie, Ontario, fifty miles north. I used to go to Newfoundland fairly regularly when I was in the Canadian Navy, years later. What part of Newfoundland are you from? I’m from Conception Bay South, which is roughly 20 minutes or so outside St. John’s, on the Avalon Peninsula. Have you ever taken any professional writing courses, or are you self-taught?
Adam: My day job is working for CBC News, so I’ve been lucky enough to be able to write for a living for quite a while now.
1st: That is interesting to me, as well. There are not one, but two journalists in my family. My oldest brother, James, is a journalist in my area in Nova Scotia, and my younger sister, Carol, is a journalist in Connecticut. Are you a journalist at CBC** News? What exactly do you do there? And, is that the CBC TV channel, or the CBC Newsworld channel? Or, perhaps, on CBC radio?
(**Canadian Broadcasting System, sort of like the Canadian equivalent of the BBC.)
1st: We’re everywhere, ha ha. I work for CBC Toronto, largely writing for the local website. If you are a journalist, where did you go to school for that? My brother James took journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto, whereas my younger sister, Carol, took journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. I did my bachelor’s degree at Memorial University in Newfoundland, and then did my post-grad at Humber College, here in Toronto. I have heard of Humber College. How old were you when you initially discovered the world of comic books, and what can you tell us about that, regarding how that came about? Were you hooked on them right away?
Adam: I’ve loved comic books basically since I knew how to read. Some of my earliest memories as a kid were figuring out words on a comic page. I devoured everything I could get my hands on at our local drug store growing up, and my love for the medium only grew, thanks to reruns of the 1960s Spider-Man cartoons, alongside Batman: The Animated Series. I’ve loved comics ever since.
1st: What were your favorite comics titles and characters as a kid, and later? And, how old were you when you decided you wanted to write comics?
Adam: Growing up, I’d say I gravitated mostly towards Marvel Comics titles, Spider-Man, especially. I also followed Iron Man and The Avengers books quite a bit. Although without a comic shop nearby, I was mostly at the mercy of whatever our local drug store was stocking. As I got a little bit older, I delved deeper into DC titles, having discovered books like Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween, and The Dark Knight Returns. Through high school and university, I started picking up books like V for Vendetta, Hellblazer, Y: The Last Man, and Preacher. I tend to stick more to creator-owned titles these days, though I do still read the odd superhero book – I’m loving both Absolute Batman and Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man right now.
1st: Like you, I dig DC’s new Absolute Batman, though I buy regularly all Batman titles. My favorite (Marvel) character, though, has always been Daredevil. I have every single one of those, from # 1, 964, straight through to this month’s issue! I bought the latest DD issue of the current title, # 21, just yesterday. I’ve always bought a lot of Indian titles, too.
Adam: Wow, that’s a hell of a collection. I enjoy quite a bit of Daredevil too — I loved the classic Frank Miller runs and Bendis’ run, especially.
1st: Does your series of graphic novels, starting with this one, have a publisher company name? And, if so, what is it?
Adam: It does not — I’m just publishing under my name/umbrella for now. I’ve known I wanted to try my hand at writing comics for many years, but it wasn’t until now that I felt like I had a worthwhile story to tell, and felt that I was a decent enough writer to properly tell it.
1st: How many graphic novels in total do you think this story will go, or is there no projected end in sight, as with most ongoing titles?
Adam: It all depends on the interest from readers — as long as people seem interested, I’m happy to keep things going.
1st: Adam, well, it’s been a pleasure talking to you for this First Comics News interview! Good luck with your project, and, by all means, contact me by email in the future, whenever you do a sequel, or anything in comics. Have a great day!
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