Travel back in time to 1950s America, a time and land filled with communist paranoia, a veneer of “traditional values,” and gumshoe investigators. And right in the middle of the Republic during this unique era of the nation’s history is the city of Los Monstruos. The citizens of the metropolis aren’t like other Americans; rather, the residents live up to their fair city’s name, populated with the classic monsters of legend. Werewolves, vampires, and other creatures of the night have made their home in Los Monstruos and live lives much like their fellow Americans, with similar wants, similar desires, and similar darkness and light occupying their spirits.
That, of course, means that someone has to mitigate the danger and crime of the city, and it’s those private eyes and law enforcement officers who we follow in the new comic series Los Monstruos, debuting next week from Dark Horse Comics. Written by James Robinson, with art by Jesus Merino, colored by K.J. Diaz, and lettered by Jim Campbell, Los Monstruos puts the spotlight on the criminal creatures who go bump in the night and the monster peacekeepers who help keep their chaos at bay. I spoke with James Robinson about the idea behind Los Monstruos, the horror and hard-boiled tales that inform the series, working with the creative team, and plans for future Los Monstruous stories beyond this initial miniseries.
Los Monstruos is a (monster) mashup that feels incomplete. Toward the end of our interview, James Robinson notes that he has an affinity for comedy mystery/horror in which the story would work even if it was divorced from the comedy aspect. While I suspect that Lost Monstruos would work as a straight detective/hard-boiled romp, what Robinson and the rest of the creative team have built is a world that feels more than the sum of its parts. Los Monstruos may have been inspired by real-world events and locales, but it feels completely novel yet still at home in our world.
FreakSugar: Before we start talking about the books, you are a very busy man, juggling all sorts of comics at once. I’ve always wondered how creators were able to do that, let alone write as many as you do. What is your process in devoting your time and creativity to the projects?
James Robinson: You have to be a bit schizophrenic, I think. Have you met many comic book writers? They/we are all a bit nuts. Although after writing so much and for so long, I’m used to juggling hats and spinning plates. Dark Horse is quite methodical in their release strategy, though, which means things happen in more of an order then if I was writing a couple of ongoing monthlies for the big two. However, I will say writing the series of books for Dark Horse that I am, together with film work and my first novel, there were almost too many plates spinning at once.
FS: What can you tell us about the conceit of Los Monstruos?
JR: Basically, it’s a version of L.A. called Los Monstruos like the real city is Los Angeles. The City of Monsters instead of The City of Angels. Although I should add that I threw in a kiss of Las Vegas, its own place in that regard. Basically, at a time when monsters were coming to the attention of America in the 1900s, instead of being hunted down, and due to their service to America under Teddy Roosevelt at that time, the West Cost of America was annexed off for them to live. (I have the back story all worked out and hopefully we’ll see it in print at some point. Suffice to say it includes a pack of werewolf Rough Riders in the Spanish-America War of 1898.)
Editor’s note: As a history nerd, the exploits of a pack of werewolf Rough Riders is the story we all need. Like, right now, Mr. Robinson. Please!
Anyway, the city was formed and grew much like Los Angeles in our reality. Our series takes place in the 1950s focusing for our first arc on a werewolf P.I. named Perry Cutter. Like all good P.I. stories he takes a case that seems simple until it isn’t, when it becomes potentially deadly and with many more questions than answers. It’s a missing woman case (again like many good P.I. stories) but in Perry’s case, because of who he is and where he lives, involves gangster mobs comprising vampires or mummies. His ex-cop partner if a man-monster (akin to Frankenstein’s Monster), his best friend on the force is a human fly, and his stoolie contact is a human brain. Basically it’s a Noir mystery with monsters instead of normal folks.
FS: The vibe of the book is very hard-boiled, Dragnet/Perry Mason/Alfred Hitchcock Presents and I am here for it. What kind of research did you do for this book?
JR: I am a history fiend, and I arrived in L.A. from the UK and then lived there for 20+ years, so I knew the place inside and out, as well as taking many a deep dive into the history of the place. That said, it wasn’t so much research as a lot of stuff I already had in me. Adding to that, the city isn’t just “L.A. with monsters”, like I say there’s some Vegas in there too. It allowed me to shape the place into something somewhat fresh. I love the mummy crime boss Ramses Ra has a casino in the shape of a Pyramid which was definitely inspired by the MGM Grand casino in Vegas where I now live (…the city not the actual casino, that would be weird).
Also, you cite some TV shows (I would also have included the amazing M Squad TV show with Lee Marvin), but an equal if not better influence is the works of Hammett, Chandler, McDonald and other lesser-known names. Definitely also Cornell Woodrich.)
FS: You’ve set this book in the 1950s, which is just perfect. I feel like this type of story and that time period marry perfectly in issue #1. Why did you choose that era for this book?
JR: I love 1930s/50s mysteries. I always have. It just made sense in my head to combine the two genres. If you think about it, Film Noir and monster films both found there place with movies and the public at the same time. I don’t know …it all came together in my head.
I could maybe cite the movie Zootopia and the amazing series of Blacksad GNs as further influence of detective stories in a city/world unlike our own but also sort of/kind of set in a world we recognize.
I should add that another influence, along with crime fiction and movies of that time, was the work of James Ellroy with his L.A. Quartet of books. Not so much the writing, as they are way more adult than I wanted Los Monstruos to be, but the way that characters would be to the fore in one book and then secondary in another with other characters the main focus. The book is called Los Monstruos not “The Adventures of Perry Cutter, Werewolf P.I.” which means that other characters will be the main focus in future arcs. It’s about the city. Perry will return as the main character in future arcs, but in others he’ll be a supporting player and in others he may not show up at all.
FS: Following up on that, the 1930s through the 1950s were a golden age for horror films. When deciding which movie or folklore creatures to use for Los Monstruos, what criteria did you use?
JR: Well, when you populate a city with monsters the fun is making the classic types – vampire, man-monster, werewolf, mummy, and science monster (the fly/human brain/radioactive monster) all shine in the different versions of how we see them. For example, in Los Monstruos, you’ll meet vampires who more resemble the Bela Lugosi version and others that veer more towards Nosferatu. There’s also the “everyday” vampire like Rosie the waitress at Perry’s diner who he’d been wanting to invite out on a date for a while.
FS: This book has that feel you want from horror films and comics of the era, and I feel like everyone involved in the book captured that wonderfully. What has the collaboration process been like with everyone?
JR: It’s been great. I first worked with Jesus Merino, back when I was writing Superman, and I loved his work then. I’m so glad that we now have something that’s ours. I think it’s been harder for him, in that when I write “street scene” although I always try to supply reference, he still has to go the final yard or mile to make everyone on that street seem different.
Anyway, Jesus is a joy to work with. AN ABSOLUTE JOY!! I’ve been lucky with all these creator-owned series for Dark Horse to have amazing collaborators, but Jesus is a stand out. I love working with him and I hope that I continue to do so forever.
FS: The fact that all of these monsters live in the same city is so much fun. What kind of narrative choices does this give you? What has been the most fun in exploring that conceit?
JR: The fun is thinking about how a mystery story will change with the addition of monsters in every role. For example, we have an upcoming mystery involving murders on a gambling shop outside of Los Monstruos ocean limits that brings in the Coast Gard… however, in Los Monstruos that means the Coast Guard is a Gill-Man and a Pirate Ghost.
FS: What are you reading right now?
JR: I love any cross-genre mystery fiction, so I’m deep into historical mysteries. Electra McDonnell books by Ashley Weaver, the absolutely wonderful and hilarious Anty Boisjoly mysteries by P.J. Fitzsimmons, the Lord Edgington Investigates books by Benedict Brown, the Captain Lacey mysteries by Ashley Gardner, also for a bit of magical mystery I’m enjoying The Witches of Woodville books by Mark Stay. I’m also reacquainting myself with Earl Derr Biggers and Arthur W. Upfield. And then there’s Chandler, Hammett and Ross McDonald.
FS: Do you have a favorite monster or monster film or detective romp?
JR: In terms of monster flicks, it’s a tie between Bride of Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein. I love comedy mystery/horror when if you took the comedy out, the film would work as well dramatically, and A/B meets F fits that bill. James Whale’s Bride is simply a masterpiece.
FS: If you had a final pitch for the book, what would it be?
JR: Werewolf P.I. Perry Curry has to find a vampiress in a 1950s West Coast city entirely populated by monsters from classic films from the 1930s to 50s. Trouble ensues.
Lost Monstruos #1 goes on sale Wednesday, May 7, 2025, from Dark Horse Comics.
From the official issue description:
The time is the 1950s and the place is a very unique American city. Los Monstruos is entirely populated with classic monsters from movies and folklore. Vampires, Man-Monsters, Werewolves, Mummies, and many other fantastic creatures. Perry Cutter, werewolf P.I., has just foiled a gill-man kidnapping when another case falls into his lap. The case: finding a missing vampiress, seems simple enough, until Perry realizes he must walk a razor’s edge between crime-boss and pyramid casino owner Ramses and the hardboiled team of vampire cops known as the Night Shift. Perry is reminded, yet again, that nothing in this city is simple. Come visit Los Monstruos, a wild, wonderful city full of monsters and mystery.