A lot of all of the above would be my answer. I sourced out some material for specific reasons but for the most part I have just consumed so much horror, sci-fi and fantasy over the years it’s become part of my mental reference library by osmosis.
As our book is set inside the body of a giant corpse, that was something that I had to set out and find some reference for as what the inside of a body looks like isn’t something that I’m entirely familiar with. I always try to reference from life first and foremost, so I looked up a lot of surgeries and anatomy references for artists. Having done that and pretty much figured out the route I was going to go with the different environments in our book, I looked at games like Gears of War and God of War. They were great reference as they have parts of the game located inside a giant beast of some kind. Scott Wills work on Samurai Jack was a really great source for reference too. That show is so well stylized, and the color palettes are so different to what you might assume the inside of a beast looks like, so I made sure that Vittorio & TrÃona also had these references at hand. That way we were all on the same page regarding the direction GODFELL was to go in and so we could really explore what kind of setting the heart could be in comparison to the brain or the intestines.
I don’t think anyone does monsters better than Del Toro these days, his work on Hellboy was a big reference point for me. Chris pointed out that Clive Barkers The Nightbreed would be a great film to check out for some of our characters as well. He was not wrong that film was great reference for the Nihli.
One thing that GODFELL fans keep asking me about is if the animals of AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER were the inspiration for the chimeras that populate the world of Kerethim. But our chimeras were actually a kind of “Eureka” moment when I was trying to come up with a steed for Zanzi. Now I know chimeras are commonplace in fantasy, but I Love that show and being compared to it in anyway can really only be a good thing.
GODFELL’s protagonists, Zanzi and Neth, are such strong, complex, and amazing warrior women, each with their own unique abilities (and personality). Which women in history or in fiction (books, tv, etc.) were the inspirations for them?
One of the biggest influences for Zanzi was Sydelle Noel, her performance in GLOW specifically. She managed to juggle the tough, scowling, ever the professional leader while also having those private moments of self-doubt. She was a reliable source of inspiration for Zanzi right from the start. If we ever managed to cross media and have GODFELL become a film, TV series or game, Sydelle would be the actress that I would love to take on the role of Zanzi.
Neth took a bit more figuring out. Chris described Neth as a “living ghost” so I immediately saw her as someone quiet, someone who could blend in with shadows and she would almost nervously hide behind her hair. As her character developed, I remembered Brian Cranston saying that Walter White wore glasses because he couldn’t see the world clearly. That kind of literal representation of Walter White not being able to see the world for what it really was struck a chord with me and I used it in Neth’s design. Since Neth had grown more confident and didn’t want to hide any more, she ties up her hair to get it out of the way. So unlike Zanzi there wasn’t a single point of reference, there were many. My references ranged from Walter White to characters like Gabrielle from Xena and Vin from the Mistborn series were characters that I probably referenced the most for her.
What do you love about the relationship/bond Zanzi and Neth share?
I like that they start off needing each other simply just to survive. Then they secretly use one another for their own purposes, but by the end they are surviving for each other. I’m really happy with how we paced their relationship as so often now I feel like shows, books and films show us “the sad part” and assume we’ll be sad for the characters instead of making a reader/audience genuinely and naturally empathise with the characters.
It didn’t hurt that I got to draw their version of a fast ball special too! When you fast ball special your friends for life. Ha!
What is the “heart” of GODFELL? Whydoes that resonate with readers, in your opinion?
So, this was a question that was asked of Chris and me very early on. While Chris and I had different answers on this, it was put to us that GODFELL is actually about death. This kind of stopped me in my tracks when I heard it initially, but the more I think about it, the more I think it’s right.
There is so much death in Godfell, not just the lives of people, but also the death of ideologies. The people of Kerethim now look at life and death differently. They now have actual proof that a God exists, but was that God judging them worthy or not worthy of a place in heaven? Some believe it so and pilgrimage their way through the body of the fallen deity looking for further enlightenment, they live a good life. Others think, well I wasn’t so good, but instead of changing their life, they indulge and lose themselves in more primal urges. Some think now that God is dead, who is there to give them a reason to do good, now they have what they truly wanted, the opportunity to do bad.
Our characters all seem to be dealing with death in some way, they run the gamut all the way from denial, to anger, and the lucky few get to acceptance and That’s when things get very interesting.
About Ben Hennessy:
Ben Hennessy is an Irish-based illustrator and podcaster. He has primarily worked as a storyboard artist in the animation industry and he has worked on shows for RTE jr, Cbeebies, Nickelodeon, PBS and Adult Swim. He co-hosts THE ODDS POD, a podcast where he discusses all things apocalyptic with guests from the film and comic book industries. His comic book titles include The ODDS and the fantasy epic GODFELL.
Ben works and lives at home with his family in Wexford, the sunny south east of Ireland. When you can't find him there, you can find him online as @Bennessy. He is based in Wexford, Ireland.
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