Warning: This interview about the comic Dying Inside discusses suicide and self-harm, particularly about the struggles teenagers encounter with both.

Note: While this is a comic that deals in fantasy, the discussion of both suicide and self-harm are respectful and treat them seriously.

Being a teenager is difficult. Like any of us, young or old, teenagers are susceptible to falling into depression or pits of despair. For some teenagers, sadly and tragically, suicide seems like a viable option for relief of the pain.

In the Vault Comics graphic novel Dying Inside—written by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and Hannah Klein and illustrated by Lisa Sterle—16-year-old Ash is grappling with those feelings and decides to choose suicide for to make the pain stop. However, her plans are hindered when the knife she buys to commit the act is charmed with a protections spell. As the book description’s shows, it gets more complicated from there:

Now, Ash has to track down the witch who turned her clocking out attempt into the worst gift imaginable: immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash’s death…even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mom’s gross boyfriend, Greg.

I spoke with Hannah Klein and Lisa Sterle last year about the idea behind Dying Inside, the influences that guided their story, working with Pete Wentz, approaching depression and mental illness in the story, and what they hope readers take away from the book.

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted last year. Due to technical issues, we had trouble getting the interview to post. Now that has been resolved, we are publishing the interview in full.

 

 

FreakSugar: For folks considering picking it up, what can you tell us about Dying Inside?

Hannah Klein: I’d say that if you love coming of age stories especially through a female lens, you’re going to connect with it! I guess I should also mention that it deals with some difficult topics having to do with mental health so check out the trigger warnings too just in case they apply <3

Lisa Sterle: Dying Inside is a love letter to angsty teens with great music taste, with a splash of magic, a dash of dark humor, and lots of cute outfits.

FS: What can you tell us about Ash and the other characters that populate the world of Dying Inside?

HK: I feel like the characters in Dying Inside all represent different parts of us (sardonic, bubbly, hopeful, hopeless, generally trying their best.) I tried to make every character feel layered and complex so that there would always be at least one character someone could connect with (if not multiple!)

LS: Ash and Liv are classic opposites in the bubblegum pink versus midnight black kind of way. Ash has a very sardonic sense of humor, probably a bit of a coping mechanism to deal with her own mental health struggles. Liv is bright and cheery, the eternal ray of sunshine and optimism, but she’s got her own struggles too underneath all that. The story really revolves around these two and their new, and sometimes complicated, friendship.

FS: The concept is very unique and one I’ve honestly never heard anything like. What was the genesis of bringing this to life?

HK: I primarily work in film and it was actually an idea I had for that. But weirdly enough it was even more perfect to start it as a graphic novel which Pete (Wentz) pointed out after talking to him about the concept

LS: Adrian Wassel at Vault showed up in my inbox with a pitch for a comic that seemed so perfectly tailored to my interests and aesthetics I literally could not say no.

FS: Following up on that, do you have any inspirations that have informed how you approached Dying Inside?

HK:  I definitely took inspiration from Jennifer’s Body, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I’m sure that’s obvious (or at least I hope it is!) I definitely wanted it to have the coolness and punchy music factor of Pilgrim, the focus on female friendship like Jennifer’s Body, and the badassery of Buffy.

LS: I took a lot of cues from my favorite media when I was Ash’s age: Donnie Darko, Jennifer’s Body, Ghost World, Scott Pilgrim, Black Hole, the list goes on.

 

 

FS: What was the collaboration process like on the book?

HK: Me, Lisa, Pete, and Vault all worked pretty closely and easily! We all were on the same page the whole time so it really was a collaboration that simply clicked. I’d run the script by Pete who would add his personal touches, Adrian (our editor) would help shape it to be the best version of itself, and Lisa had the style down immediately while also showing me ideas that I would’ve never thought of that ended up being perfect. It was a dream team for real.

LS: Working with Hannah and Pete was such a treat! Just so much creativity and genuine love of storytelling, it was so easy to remain inspired when working on the art.

FS: The graphic novel deals with issues of self-harm. How did you approach the topic in a way that is respectful but also moves the narrative?

HK: As someone who is a very outspoken advocate for mental health services and destigmatizing mental illness, I take this topic very seriously! And what’s funny is, that actually meant using humor to help convey the point. I found it important to really over exaggerate some of the humor in order to give the reader a little breathing room with those sensitive topics – to make them feel a little safer knowing that the exaggeration allows you to remember it’s a graphic novel with impossibly crazy stakes and plot points. I’m hopeful I did my job with that!

LS: I have my fair share of experience with mental health struggles, and it’s definitely a topic I wanted to treat with care. But I think it’s best to have a space to openly tell stories about these very real feelings that many, many people struggle with. I took care not to romanticize the self-harm aspects, and I would hope that it comes across properly.

FS: Besides being entertained, what would you like readers to take away from Dying Inside?

HK: I’d love for them to feel seen in their struggles, or seen as a reader in general. I hope that we poach a few new graphic novel fans with this one that maybe haven’t gotten into them before!

LS: Depression sucks. But there’s also magic in the world if you can lift the veil long enough to see it. It’s an everyday struggle for a lot of us, but a worthwhile one.

FS: If you had one last pitch for Dying Inside, what would it be?

HK: I’d say if you have a niece, daughter, girlfriend, friend who is a girl or female identifying, or anyone in that arena who may have previously felt like graphic novels weren’t their “space” and you’d like to bring them into this world, this would be a great book to do it with! I really had fellow girls in mind with this one and want to make sure they get it into their hands.

LS: I am immensely proud of the art and storytelling in this book. All of my love for emo teens was poured into this comic, so if you’ve ever identified as one, or if you know any emo teens yourself, pick up a copy. You won’t regret it!

The Dying Inside paperback is on sale now from Vault Comics’ imprint Headshell.

From the official paperback description:

Scott Pilgrim and Wednesday combine into a teenaged Fleabag in DYING INSIDE, a supernatural, emo-fantasy thriller from the minds of FALL OUT BOY’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein, and Lisa Sterle!

Immortality is entirely overrated.

From Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein (Everything’s Fine), and Lisa Sterle (The Modern Witch Tarot, Witchblood) comes the graphic novel about a chronically depressed girl who’s tired of fighting for her…death.

Today is Ash’s big finale. And by finale, of course, she means exiting the stage permanently.

Ash is a sixteen-year-old girl with more angst than Ian Curtis and Elliott Smith combined (her two idols). She’s apathetic and therefore believes death is the easiest route to relief. But nothing is more embarrassing than a lame death. Unfortunately, her meticulous plans — which include the perfect outfit, soundtrack, and method — are all ruined when the beautiful knife she buys off a webstore turns out to be charmed with a protection spell.

Now, Ash has to track down the witch who turned her clocking out attempt into the worst gift imaginable: immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash’s death…even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mom’s gross boyfriend, Greg.

DYING INSIDE is a musically immersive experience, featuring QR codes that lead the reader to:

  • original lyrics and poetry from Pete Wentz
  • an integrated playlist from Pete Wentz and Hannah Klein
  • never-before-heard music from Daisy Grenade
  • and more!

For fans of: It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (Zoe Thorogood), Squad (Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle), Light as a Feather (Zoe Aarsen), Book of Shadows (M. Verano), The Secret Circle (LJ Smith), Heart-Shaped Box (Joe Hill), the Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Leigh Bardugo), Vicious (V.E. Schwab), Bunny (Mona Awad), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (graphic novels, prose novels), the Practical Magic series (Alice Hoffman), Anya’s Ghost (Vera Brosgol), the series Charmed, and the films The Craft, Booksmart, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Easy A, and Jennifer’s Body.

CONTENT WARNING: This book includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, and depiction of self-harm. While Vault hopes this book will help some readers feel less alone, its content may be triggering. Please only read ahead if you are safe and supported. If you are struggling, it’s important to share your feelings with people you trust. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is 988 – call or text 24/7 for free and confidential support. You can also access online at: https://988lifeline.org/