Lillian Hochwender
The award-winning writer, director, musician, and cartoonist Peter Ricq is bringing his first ever illustrated prose book to Kickstarter. GHOSTS ARE PEOPLE TOO is a 42 page illustrated book, written and drawn for spooky living people of all ages, about a simple ordinary ghost named Ethan Alby.
Ethan has a family—just like you. He likes playing with toys and his dog, Mini Ricky. Sometimes, though, Ethan gets scared. In GHOSTS ARE PEOPLE TOO, Ethan shares what scares him, how difficult it is to share a home with a living girl he’s fallen for (when she doesn’t even know he exists), and why we shouldn’t be afraid of one another.
“This book is a helpful guide to getting along with ghosts,” said living author Peter Ricq. “Ghosts are people just like you and me, and they can be afraid of us just as much as we are from them. We should take the time to learn from one another and become friends. And, really, this should be applied with real living people and not only the supernatural.”
The Kickstarter is LIVE NOW! Don’t miss out on this wonderfully spooky book!
Comic Watch’s Lillian Hochwender caught up with Peter and here’s their chat. Enjoy!
Comic Watch: Ghosts are People Too is a great little book about ghostly encounters — as much about how ghosts see people as about how people see ghosts — that both kids and adults alike can enjoy. What drew you to this idea for a book?
Peter Ricq: I wanted to remind people that you should always give people, ghosts, and monsters a chance. We live in a world with lots of people who have different cultures and ways of doing things, some can be very weird and even spooky but if we understand why they do it, it might not be so weird and spooky in the end. Guillermo Deltoro always plays with that theme and I love that about his stories. I also love anything supernatural.
CW: How did you become interested in the spooky and supernatural?
PR: Since I was a kid at a very young age, I wasn’t very scared of illustrated monsters and ghosts, but more fascinated by them. However, I was scared of some movies, books, and shows like Unsolved Mysteries that told real ghost stories, even the theme song gave me chills. I think most kids like it too, which explains Scooby-Doo long-lasting popularity.
CW: It immediately put me in mind of Edward Gorey’s books, but what were your artistic and narrative influences when creating it?
PR: Actually, When I saw Edward Gorey’s book again for the first time in years at a bookstore, I thought to myself “Wow, how have I not made something like this yet? This looks like so much fun to do.”
The idea was in the back of my head for years until it all clicked and I knew exactly what I wanted to do and what message I wanted to say.
CW: The book has a section dedicated to finding ghosts, and another to real ghost stories. Have you ever had an encounter with the supernatural?
PR: Haha! I honestly don’t think I could handle it. I truly believe I’d be too scared and secretly wrote this book to give myself the courage for the day my encounter with a ghost happens.
