Exclusive: Terry Moore on Rachel Rising #27, Suicide Notes and Spinning Plates

There are just a couple of more weeks until Terry Moore's Rachel Rising #28 and, in ancitipation [...]

There are just a couple of more weeks until Terry Moore's Rachel Rising #28 and, in ancitipation of the upcoming issue, we finally got around to our regular commentary track-style interview with Moore about last month's #27.

And issue that saw a heavy focus on the supporting cast, Rachel still got some nice character bits in -- and everyone seemed to be running into old friends from school.

Sort of.

Remember that these interviews are spoiler-filled. If you haven't already read Rachel Rising #27, buy a copy and read along with us!

That's a heck of a way to start this issue. Did you want something that was just as icky as all the dead rats?

It's life in Manson. Everywhere you turn, it's something unwelcoming.

Is this the first time we've seen a body in the morgue that didn't get up and walk away again?

It might be, yeah!

Was the herbal wrap something that we'll fall back on again, or was it more just to get the plot moving in the right direction after all the chaos from last time around?

It's not a hero power you want to build a story around. It was organic to the characters and the only way to resolve their body problems.

So do we have a solid reason as to WHY Rachel elected not to heal her neck wound?

Actually, no, I don't think the story as said why yet. There is a very strong reason why, which should be apparent. I'm sure it will come up in dialogue soon.

I love the dynamic between Johnny and Earl -- but her comment about dead girls walking...it seems like those two are actually quite IMMUNE to dying!

You would think, yeah. But that's what we thought about The Mummy and Dracula. That stuff always looks undefeatable.

I like that conversation with Earl. I mean...what do you say to someone you love, but who on one level is right about that kind of thing? You don't want to lie to make him feel better...

That's a delicate question. I think both Earl and Aunt Johnny spoke from the heart.

I love the fact that Johnny just moves right in and starts this case moving. Do you run the risk, when you write a scene like that, of implicitly making everyone else seem a little incompetent?

People like Johnny, aka go-getters, often do make others seem less competent. It's not really a risk I take, though. The others need to keep up. It's always interesting to see the progress of the characters in comparison to each other.

I think the "We're pretty much all dumbasses in here" panel might be one of my favorites of the series. What do you think is the importance of humor in a book this dark?

Keeping it human, I think. Humor comes from underachievement, so that may help keep it a bit more real. Ironically, characters without humor often become the joke, and you don't want that unintentionally.

How many VW Microbuses does Zoe think there are, just hanging around in a small town?!

Wish in one hand, right?

Rachel seems a little evil in her exchange with Rooter. That smile almost reminds me of Veronica.

There was an edge there, wasn't there? You caught that. She's no Veronica, but Rachel is coming into her own.

How did nobody notice that Carol's suicide note was copied? Did our heroes never report her death?

No, apparently not. I wonder why?

Carol's note was handwritten. Only our group saw it. Only our group knows the handwritten note for the "suicide man" looks and reads the same.

I really like Ray. We haven't seen him since, what, the first trade? We're getting a lot of "back to the beginning" going on here. Is that indicative that we'll be picking up the trail of Rachel's killer soon?

There are a lot of plates spinning in this story.

Was it always structured this way or did the Lilith storyline kind of take on a life of its own?

It's structured like this. Things happen, meanwhile Rachel's search for answers and her killer goes on.

Is this murder going to be potentially problematic for Zoe? I mean, theoretically there should be a way to connect her to the victim, right/ And since he's from out of town, he wouldn't be connected to much of anyone else...

Zoe's ability to elude blame is uncanny to me. But if nobody saw it, how would anybody connect her to the latest murder? 

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