Finding No Mercy For Carla Speed McNeil

Carla Speed McNeil is no stranger to hard work. She has been writing, drawing, and publsihing her own series, Finder, since 1996. We got a chance to speak wtih her about Finder at this year's Baltimore Comic-Con, and also asked about her work with the multi-talented Alex De Campi and Jenn Manley Lee on the Image Comics title, No Mercy. The first story arc for the latter book just recently wrapped up, and has been collected in the No Mercy Volume 1 TP (JUL150593). The series fifth issue, which begins a new arc, was listed in the October PREVIEWS catalog, and will be in stores in December. The story follows a group of teenagers who aim to do good on a trip building houses in Central America. Soon after their arrival, the kids' bus falls off a cliff. However, their pain isn't isolated from the world around them. "They are the kind of people who will try to Instagram as they plummet to their death," explains McNeil "But, I guess, if there is a theme to the book it's that being shallow doesn't necessarily make you a bad person."

As hardworking and talented as McNeil may be, No Mercy is still a bit of a transition for her, as she has taken a step back from her usual writing and drawing duties to focus exclusively on drawing, as De Campi is handling the writing chores. To no surprise, McNeil hasn't missed a beat. She cites De Campi's lettering of her own dialogue as a way the collaboration works efficiently, saying "I can scribble any kind of fool thing that might be amusing in the margins of the pencils, and Alex can use it, not use it, whatever she wants to do...it's very Jazz band-y." 

Even with her work on No Mercy, McNeil has somehow found time to devote to her first (and most well known) series, Finder. McNeils' unique technology-meets-the-frontier blend of sci-fi has long been a fan favorite, and now a new Finder-themed story entitled "Torch" will find its way into Dark Horse Presents #15 (AUG150042), which finds McNeil once again teaming up with No Mercy co-artist Jenn Manley Lee. DHP #15 is in comic shops October 21.

Watch the PREVIEWSworld video interview with Carla Speed McNeil above to learn more!