SDCC Exclusive Interview: Michael Easton Showcases His Epic Graphic Novels & Short Film

I have been a fan of Michael Easton ever since he arrived on the shores of Salem on Days of Our Lives in 1991 and I've followed his career as it continued to soar, with appearances on hit television shows like The Practice, Ally McBeal, The 70's, VR5 and Total Recall 2070 to name a few.

I'll never forget flipping through channels one day while home sick from work and seeing him on Port Charles as Caleb Morley, a love lorn vampire hell bent on getting the woman he was destined to be with at all costs! I was immediately obsessed with the angst-ridden story. He was incredible in the role, along with his leading lady Kelly Monaco, who played Olivia Locke, the woman Caleb had been waiting for centuries to meet.  Of course I was thrilled when he joined the cast of General Hospital as his One Live To Live character John McBain to play opposite Monaco's Sam Morgan. Unfortunately due to complications behind the scenes, McBain had to hang up his detective shoes and Easton was written back into the legendary soap opera as Dr. Silas Clay, brother of rock star and self proclaimed vampire Stephen Clay (Caleb).  Aaahhh the twists and turns of a continuing drama!

Fast forward to 2008, when Easton finally released his first graphic novel called Soul Stealer- Inferno and Redemption, followed by Soul Stealer- Blood and Rain, Time Heals Nothing, with the final installment Soul Stealer- Last To Die.  If you aren't familiar with graphic novels, they tell a story via stunning visual art and takes storytelling to a whole new level.  As someone who has never read comic books, I was blown away by the beauty of the novel, illustrated by Christopher Shy and now understand its intoxicating draw.  Not only did he create this mind-blowing, thriller trilogy, but he also co-wrote The Green Woman with famed best-selling writer Peter Straub for DC Comics and most recently released his latest graphic novel creation, Credence.

Named 'Graphic Novel of the Year' by Ain't It Cool News, the Soul Stealer trilogy is about a warrior

named Kalan who is hell bent on finding his lost lover, killed at the hands of his sworn enemy Apis Bull.  Kalan is transformed into a supernatural entity, with the ability to steal souls to return them from the afterlife.  His mission is to find the love of his life, but also to avenge her death and go after Bull. It's such an epic, romantic story that tugs at the heart strings, but also gives the reader a hero to immediately latch on to, someone we root for and want to see reunited with his one true love!

So how did Easton come up with this fantastical, Gothic, spiritual opus?  Incredibly it came to him in a dream in 2002.  He woke up jotted a line down on a napkin, and then the journey into writing began. "Sometimes these stories write themselves if you're patient with it. And I only wrote when I wanted to write and that's why there's a big gap between getting the idea in 2002. It took 10-12 years. It sort of became a trilogy and that felt like the time to end it."

What made him decide to make it a graphic novel?  Having been a comic reader for most of his life, with the story that unfolded, Easton strongly believed it should be a graphic novel versus comic book series.  "It took me a long time but I just kept writing and started thinking about an artist. I started talking to a few people and they sent some artists but [they] weren't quite right. One day I was in the old Virgin Records on Sunset Blvd, there was a bargain book there that said 'The Art of Christopher Shy', but he didn't do graphic novels."  At his wife's urging, he contacted Shy who luckily agreed to work on the project.

The trilogy is such a beautifully crafted saga, personally I see it as a webseries or television series.  Is that something Easton is open to?  "For a long time I thought it could be a feature film, but more and more been thinking could be episodic in the vane of Game of Thrones because it does mix a lot of genres- fantasy and Scifi. It's got a lot of influences in it from traditional mythology, Orpheus and Icarus, melds itself with Frank Frazetta, a big inspiration for a lot of the earlier stuff.  And then there's a post-apocalyptic world, kind of inspired by Ridley Scott, Bladerunner, Dark Skies and Dark City and all these great things."

Some of you may not realize that Easton is an award-winning producer/writer/director, and recently won  'Best of  Show' for his short film called Ultraviolent, which stars former One Live To Live cast-mate Trevor St. John.  "Yeah, I called in a favor.  I wasn't working for long periods of time, so rather than think about it too much, was nice to get a camera and just start shooting. It was just one actor, in a room, for one night and I cut it up, then sent it in to an online festival (The Best Shorts Competition) and some friends said they were really good judges of material." The Best Shorts Competition is judged by exceptional professionals in the television and film industry, so Easton was blown away by the win, "We're still stunned, overwhelmed by it."

Ultraviolent tells the tragic tale of director Donald Cammell's psychotic break into madness thanks to his bizarre preoccupation with art and death.  St John masterfully immediately pulls the viewer into his depraved psyche, that one can feel due to Easton's innovative vision utilizing compelling, dark music to set the tone, which ultimately culminates with Cammell's suicide.

Unfortunately, his fans are unable to see the trailer at this time as Easton has plans to continue sending it to different festivals around the world, so right now the trailer can only be seen at the conventions he attends.  His hope is to get it into the coveted Sundance Festival, as well as Cannes Festival, among many others.

Easton has made the Comic Con rounds over the years with his graphic novels, which has garnered many fans of his work.  What is the best part about doing the Comic Cons?  "It's being here, meeting fans.  Some people know me from this, they read Credence last year and came back.  It feels good to talk with them about it."  Although he has done panels before including one with co-author Straub for The Green Woman, he did not do one this time around.  "I was sent a couple of requests to do panels this year but I didn't think I could add much and I didn't feel it.  [This year] I'm mostly here to just share what we did, show the trailer and the artist for Credence is here as well."

Whether he's burning up our screens as Silas Clay on General Hospital, writing a graphic novel trilogy, or directing and producing an award-winning short, Michael Easton has found a way to pull us into his imagination, a world where the heart of a storyteller lives.

Be sure to check out Easton's graphic novel trilogy Soul Stealer, as well as Credence and other works available for purchase on Amazon (search 'Michael Easton' below). Also visit Blackwatch Comics website for the latest news on his all his projects.