Enter The Dream Eater: An Interview with Zenescope's Raven Gregory

In April, Zenescope Entertainment will kick off its first-ever crossover event with the release of Grimm Fairy Tales: The Dream Eater Saga Prelude, a one-shot from writer Raven Gregory and artist David Miller offered in two covers – one by Mike Debalfo and the other by Christopher Cote – and priced at just $1.99.

With Sela, Belinda, Calie, The Piper, Sinbad, Bab Yaga, The Queen of Hearts, and other heroes and villains of the GFT universe coming together to face a common enemy, fans of any and/or all of Zenescope’s comics should be eager to pick up this prelude. The $1.99 price and accessibility of this one-shot should also mean that some newcomers check out this story's start as well. We recently had the chance to ask Gregory a few questions about what could possibly go down as the biggest story Zenescope has told to date. 

PREVIEWSworld: How long have you planned to do an event affecting the Grimm Universe, and was there anything in particular that inspired you to tell this story?

Raven Gregory: Me and [President of Zenescope Entertainment] Joe Brusha are long time comic fans. Joe was big into Frank Miller’s Daredevil run, X-Men and Spider-Man. I fell into X-Men mainly because of crossover events like “The X-Cutioner’s Song,” “Age of Apocalypse,” and we both dug “Secret Wars.”  So when we both saw how large the Grimm Universe was becoming we realized this was the kind of thing we’d both love to do. So we had been talking about doing something like this for quite some time and really turning up the heat on these heroes and villains, but all the pieces didn’t fall into place until the lead up to Grimm Fairy Tales #50 (APR101160). 

Joe and [EIC] Ralph Tedesco began really setting the stage for showing how interconnected all these realms (Neverland, Wonderland, Myst, Earth, Oz, Inferno) really are and what’s at stake in this battle between good and evil. And when it all hit the fan in Grimm #50 the idea popped in my head. What if the forces of good had a fail-safe plan in place?  Something that if they were ever to fall to the forces of evil would be set into motion to keep Earth safe?  Enter the Dream Eater.

 PREVIEWSworld: You’re setting up this story with the February-solicited Grimm Fairy Tales: The Dream Eater Saga Prelude. Following that prelude, will this story play out in the ongoing Grimm titles or will “The Dream Eater Saga” be presented in its own mini-series? Will there be tie-ins outside of the books offering chapters of the main story?

Gregory: The story jumps off with an oversized one-shot and ends with another oversized one-shot, while the rest of the saga crosses through multiple Zenescope titles such as the regular Grimm Fairy Tales title, the new ongoing Grimm Myths and Legends, Wonderland, Neverland, Sinbad, Salem’s Daughter and even The Piper, who plays a pivotal role in the event.

PREVIEWSworld: Would you describe “The Dream Eater Saga” as a jumping-on point for the Grimm Universe, or will this be more suitable and appealing for readers that have been following Grimm Fairy Tales for some time? 

Gregory: That’s really tough to say as crossovers are the kind of books that got me into collecting comics to begin with. While “Age of Apocalypse” was a great story, more importantly it drove me to want to see what would happen next and also what had come before. So in that aspect I think new readers wanting to check out the series won’t be disappointed or confused. But long time fans are really in for a thrill-ride.

PREVIEWSworld: As follow up to that, are there certain Grimm Fairy Tale collections or comic issues you’d recommend readers pick up and that retailers stock up on before “The Dream Eater Saga” begins that might enrich that story’s reading experience? 

Gregory: I’d say the important ones would be the most recent trades of Grimm Fairy Tales and also the new Grimm Myths and Legends issues with issue #1 just hitting shelves this month. But The Piper, Salem’s Daughter, and Sinbad play just as big of a role in the series so those wouldn’t hurt to look into either.  

PREVIEWSworld: What are some of the biggest challenges you as a writer must face when doing an event on this scale? 

Gregory: The time and effort that goes into the planning of an event like this is like nothing I have ever experienced before. Mapping out where each character is at the beginning of the story and where they are at the end and making sure that everyone that is in this story does truly matter and has a reason for being there. Making sure the story never strays too far from the theme. You’re juggling this whole Grimm universe and you need to have the puzzle pieces fit correctly. It’s a daunting task, but I like the challenge. It keeps me on my toes and, of course, Ralph and Joe are there to help make sure I’m not missing any pieces to the jigsaw.  

PREVIEWSworld: There are a lot of Grimm characters involved in “The Dream Eater Saga.” What character(s) will be playing narrator and/or providing readers with their point of view for this tale? Has there been any one character you’ve really enjoyed returning to or that’s really ended up shining more than you might have expected when you started writing? 

Gregory: When I first began plotting the story I really spent a lot time dissecting the characters and seeing what made each work and where they would stand in the events to follow. So there is a very “Lord of the Rings” type format to the story where each character and the groups they break away to form are going to get their time to shine, and when they do shine they are going to be BIG moments that change these characters fundamentally forever.  

PREVIEWSworld: You’ve been putting a modern, fresh spin on classic fairy tales for many years. What do you find most appealing about giving these stories and characters the “Zenescope treatment?” 

Gregory: I think there’s something extremely appealing about making the familiar feel unfamiliar. It’s like when your girlfriend or boyfriend gets a haircut or buys a new outfit. They are essentially the same person but in a new package. With the Zenescope treatment we take that idea and push it even further. The stories we loved and were told as children don’t have the same spice now as they did when you first heard them as a kid. With Zenescope, it’s almost like the stories you knew and loved grew up right along with you and while they are in a new package you can enjoy them as an adult. 

PREVIEWSworld: Do you have any advice for aspiring comic book writers that are interested in following in your career footsteps? Where should they start in hopes of becoming published? 

Gregory: I always quote Bendis on this because it’s the truest thing I have ever heard when I was coming up as a writer. Write what you love, what you would want to read. Don’t write what you think would be cool or hot or would make a great movie. Write what is inside you and let everything else work itself out. Remember, there’s only one you and there’s no one else who can write quite like you can write so you’re half way there. 

PREVIEWSworld: Artist David Miller has been your collaborator on Grimm Fairy Tales and Myths and Legends. Now he helps kick off this event. What can you tell us about the “The Dream Eater Saga” artwork you’ve seen from Miller and others so far? 

Gregory: David will be staying focused mainly on the next story arc of Myths and Legends when the crossover hits. We want to make sure that book never falls behind schedule so we have quite a talented group of artists lined up for this series that are banging out some of the best art I’ve seen in years.  

PREVIEWSworld: Can you tell us how much of this particular story you’ve already scripted, and, if possible, can you give us a teaser of a scene or part of the story you’re working on now (without giving too much away, of course)?    

Gregory: I’m pretty far along script-wise and have outlined the whole series so I’m making little tweaks here and there as I go along.

But the scene showing the first victim of the Dream Eater in part one might very well be one of the saddest scenes I’ve ever written on a personal level at least. But at the same time this is a character that’s getting what’s coming to them, but in their last moments you see how much of a victim they too have been in this whole thing.

It’s very emotional and bloody and it’s one of my favorite scenes I’ve written in my career. 

Dreameater has literally got everything you could love about a comic. All your favorite characters interacting in a way you have never seen before, literally fighting for their own lives and forming allegiances with each other that might last or won’t last for long.

Not to mention introducing one of the best and most intriguing new characters you’ve seen in a long time: the Dream Eater.

Pre-order this title at your local comic shop.